| Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade and Installation |
| Articles - Featured Guides | |
| Written by Nate Swetland - Edited by Olin Coles | |
| Tuesday, 10 November 2009 | |
How To Install or Upgrade Microsoft Windows 7Many gamers swear by the proven stability that is Windows XP, but there's a new player on the market: Windows 7. While Windows XP is heralded by some as the best OS to ever come from Microsoft, Vista is the Windows ME of the 21st Century. Enter Windows 7. Built on the proven NT platform and in many ways appearing much like Vista, that's where the similarities end. Today, Benchmark Reviews will take a look at some of the different methods of installation, and hopefully clear up some of the confusion many of you may be having. I think some people will be surprised by how easy it can be, plus we will show you how to possibly bypass having to reinstall Windows XP or Vista during an upgrade. There are many different Variations to Microsoft Windows 7, and with each of those variations comes different ways to install them. There are three basic versions, or "flavors" of Windows 7, and those are Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. Each of those versions is a step up from the other, respectively. Their name implies their purpose: Home Premium is for home users, Professional is geared towards the workplace, and Ultimate is everything you can get. There are other versions such as Starter (which is typically geared towards very low end machines, or netbooks), Home Basic, or Enterprise. These versions are for users with very low system specs, OEMs that want to save money netbook users that need a slimmed down OS to help increase speed and battery life, or large scale corporate users that need it all, respectively. The main focus of this article is going to be the installation and/or upgrade to Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate, with a specific concentration on Professional, for that is the version I am using in the example install.
If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes:
Additional requirements to use certain features:
Best Practice: Clean InstallA clean install is a install method where you completely wipe the previous operating system and start over from scratch. There are a couple reasons why you would want to do this: The first reason is that you purchased a built or purchased new machine with no operating system, and want to get it up and running. Another reason for a clean install is if you want to just get rid of all your trash and start fresh. A third reason for a clean install would be if you currently use Windows XP/2000/Me/98.
Two of the choices you have for purchase for a clean install is the Retail and OEM version. OEM is a one-time shot, where you install it on one machine, and it stays with that machine and cannot be transferred to a new machine or another person. Retail is the version where you can install it as many times as you like, but can only have one copy activated on one machine at any given time. OEM is more expensive than an upgrade, but not as expensive as Retail. You can upgrade with an OEM or Retail disk, but it would be silly to spend the extra money for a standalone version if you were just going to do an upgrade. Unless you later plan on wiping the system and don't want to go through the trouble of installing the previous OS, and then Windows 7. There is a way around that, but we will discuss that later.
Here is what the first step of Windows 7 Professional installation looks like.
This is the screen where you decide whether you want to do an upgrade, or a custom install. If you want a clean install, you would choose custom. EDITOR'S NOTE: At the time of this writing, NewEgg offered the following Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System choices for clean installation:
Clean Upgrade InstallationAn upgrade installation comes in two varieties: clean upgrade and in-place upgrade. An in-place upgrade is for users of Vista. There are two ways of doing an in-place upgrade, either while Vista is running, or during boot time. Either way works very similar, but depending on what upgrade package you purchased may limit your options. If you were one of the people that purchased an upgrade through a physical store, or many traditional online retailers like NewEgg, then you likely received a DVD containing your Windows 7 software. With this disk, you can either have your computer boot from that disk, and follow the simple steps, or insert the disk while Vista is running, and do an upgrade that way. Both methods work practically the same; they just involve a couple different first steps. If you are one of the people that bought your upgrade through channels like the Microsoft Marketplace, Digital River, the Student Discount Program, or the variety of other digital distribution methods, then you likely received a .exe file that is meant to be run while in Windows. This .exe file may have confused many people, but there is a way to convert that to an .ISO file which you can then burn to a DVD, or even convert it to a bootable USB drive, but more on that later. The upgrade works in a way in where it sees that you currently have an activated copy of Windows installed that qualifies for Windows 7 upgrade, and then continues on with the installation. That covers the basics of an in-place upgrade. The clean upgrade is pretty much like a clean install, but with a little bit of a difference in the way the licensing works. The point of an upgrade is that it upgrades your old Windows 2000/XP/Vista license into a Windows 7 license, and revokes the old license. A clean Retail/OEM install does not do this, so you can continue to use any of your old Windows keys without risk of doing anything illegal. If you choose to upgrade your OS to Windows 7, even though you may still physically be able to activate using your old keys, you are not allowed to according to Microsoft's EULA. Other than that, doing a clean upgrade, like I mentioned before, is very similar to a clean install. You will erase everything you had on your computer and start fresh. This is your only option if you use XP/2000, but should only be used with Vista if you don't want any of your files, accounts, settings, programs, etc. transferred over automatically.
This is where you pick which drive you want to install windows to. This screen is taken during a Custom upgrade installation. From here, you can format your drives and manage partitions.
Once you get past the destination drive screens, it goes through its extraction and expansion of the installation files. After this point in both the Clean and Upgrade installation, you will be asked for your Activation Key, Name, and Password. Thats about it. EDITOR'S NOTE: At the time of this writing, NewEgg offered the following Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System choices for clean upgrade installation:
Custom Upgrade: Previous OS BypassThis section is for people that wish to do a bit of custom installation methods. I have found a way to do a clean install using an upgrade key. This method does not require an OS to already be installed on your machine. This method may or may not violate Microsoft's EULA, depending on the copyright laws where you live or how you manage your previous operating system's keys that you are supposedly upgrading. Use this guide at your own risk, as Benchmark Reviews, benchmarkreviews.com, myself, nor anyone affiliated with the aforementioned are responsible for your actions. You may ask "Why would I want to do this?" There are many reasons as to why you would want to do a "clean upgrade". The main reason I sought out this method was because you cannot upgrade the Windows 7 preview/beta copies to a valid purchased license key. Windows 7 RC was considered Windows 7 Ultimate Retail, and that is as high as it gets, so you cannot upgrade from that. Many people have been using Windows 7 beta and RC copies, so they will run into this situation. I was looking for a way to get out of having to reinstall Win2k, XP, or Vista just to then turn around and upgrade to Windows 7. Another reason why this method might be helpful is if you are the owner of an OEM system that you bought from a retailer such as Best Buy, Fry's, Wal-Mart, etc. Many times, those computers come with no Windows disk, and many companies such as HP don't provide you with a restore disk. Often you must either make one yourself, or purchase one through them. If you are one of those users, then you may not have an option to reinstall your OS, especially if you have upgraded to Windows 7 preview copies. The majority of the reason I tried it was to save time and hassle, and that is the real point of all of this, not for piracy or license violations. It is important to note a few things for this installation method. This method requires the use of either a bootable CD/DVD disk, or a bootable USB disk with the Windows 7 installation media. If you are one of the people that has the .exe file that was downloaded from a digital download provider, then you will need to follow some simple steps to convert that installation package to an .ISO file that you can use. There is a nice how-to on downloadsquad.com that tells you how to do this conversion. Follow the instructions carefully, because I had a bit of trouble at first, and people report mixed results. From there, you should have a .ISO file that you can either burn straight to a DVD and boot from it, or if you want to follow another link at the same website on how to convert that .ISO to a bootable USB drive. Finally, if you have not even downloaded the .EXE file and even attempted to do the update in their cumbersome method, there is now an alternative download method. Lifehacker.com has provided links to sites and sources for tools from Digital River and Microsoft to get the direct .ISO file and a tool to convert that to a bootable USB disk for the many consumers that got their versions through the Student Discount pricing program.
During the screen where you decide whether you want to do an upgrade or a custom install, you will pick custom. 
When you get to the installation destination screen, decide which hard disk you would like to install it to. After deciding on which drive you want to use, if you click on advanced, you will see options to format, delete, add, etc. partitions. 
I deleted all the partitions, formatted, and then clicked New. Windows will then create whatever partitions it needs, and start the copy/extraction process.
After it is done with the extraction and all that, it will prompt you for your username, password, etc. It will also ask you for your Windows product key. This step is important. Microsoft has added a feature back in Vista where you can leave this blank and use Windows for 30 days as a trial (or longer if you reset the time limit). Normally, you would enter your key, it would verify that you have an upgrade key, verify that you have something to upgrade from, and move along. Because you are upgrading from nothing, leave it blank, and uncheck Automatically activate. Click Next.
You should then be welcomed with a fully functional Windows 7 desktop! This is not the end, however. You can freely use this for 30 days unactivated, but it will then start limiting your use, and finally lock you out completely. Custom Upgrade: OS Bypass ContinuedThis section is for people that wish to do a bit of custom installation methods. I have found a way to do a clean install using an upgrade key. This method does not require an OS to already be installed on your machine. This method may or may not violate Microsoft's EULA, depending on the copyright laws where you live or how you manage your previous operating system's keys that you are supposedly upgrading. Use this guide at your own risk, as Benchmark Reviews, benchmarkreviews.com, myself, nor anyone affiliated with the aforementioned are responsible for your actions. If you now wish to activate your windows using your upgrade key, follow these steps. Click Start, move your cursor over My Computer and right-click. Select properties from the right-click menu. You should then see a window displaying useful information about your computer.
On that screen, scroll down to the bottom. Notice how it says "30 days to activate. Activate Windows now". That means you are not "legit", or are in a trial period. Click the "Change Product Key" link and enter your upgrade key. 
After entering your key, Windows should succeed in activating, and you should be rewarded with a screen saying that Windows is activated, and a Windows Genuine Software badge as well. You just installed Windows 7 the "retail/clean install" way using an upgrade key and installation media.
Again, because you purchased an upgrade, you technically are not entitled to use key from the version of Windows that you upgraded from to install and activate that OS on another system. Whether you can do it or not is another matter, I personally have not tried, and you are on your own with that. EDITOR'S NOTE: At the time of this writing, NewEgg offered the following Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System choices for upgrade installation:
Windows 7 Final ThoughtsIs Windows 7 worth it? So far, my conclusion is a resounding yes. It is the first OS that I have ever outright bought. All the other versions of Windows were either OEM, or from various Microsoft promotional programs. I feel that I made a very sound purchase. Granted, I bought an upgrade at a very discounted price, but that pricing is/was open to a variety of people, and the Student Discount Program is available until the end of the year. Had I not paid a reduced price, I still think it is worth upgrading to. Home Premium has more than enough features for the large majority of people out there, and the full upgrade price is very affordable, and for a limited time, Microsoft has a family 3-pack for Home Premium upgrade at a fantastic price. I personally bumped up a peg and got the Professional version both because the price on my promotion was exactly the same price as Home Premium, and plus I would like to have support for joining a domain.
This edition if Windows is far and away the easiest I have had the experience to install. The clean install is a no-brainer. There are literally less than ten steps to get it up and running whether on a new system, or if you want a clean install over an old OS. I have been rebuilding systems for a long time, and installing Windows 7 is night and day compared to the difficulty of installing anything but Vista. When I saw the taskbar and start menu for the first time I thought "this can't be it, it's only been about 20 minutes". I challenge even Apple or Linux users to complain about the simplicity of the installation/upgrade process. I have used both alternate OS's, and still find myself always coming back to Windows as my primary OS, and Windows 7 has secured my choice even further. I believe novice home users, IT professionals, and enthusiasts alike will greatly appreciate the efforts taken by Microsoft to make this as simple and pleasant as possible. The ease of use does not stop with the installation, but that is where the scope of this article stops. I'm convinced that Windows 7 is far better than Windows XP and 2000, and is a great improvement to the ill-received, but heavily underrated foundation that Vista laid. If you are serious about the future of your software, gaming, or hardware, Windows 7 is really the only way to go. EDITOR'S NOTE: At the time of this writing, NewEgg offered the following Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System choices for clean installation:
NewEgg offered the following Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System choices for upgrade installation:
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Comments
If we buy a Netbook with "Windows 7 Starter" and upgrade to 'something' (useful) can we choose to install the Windows 7 Upgrade to an external USB Key ?
Then we could empty the Netbook's internal Drive and Install Debian Linux. If we ever wanted to run the upgraded Windows 7 we could boot from the USB key otherwise we would just use our Netbook as a Linux Machine.
Rob
This is what I have been looking at, an AMD C-50 (with 6250 Graphics) in a Netbook for $300:
#support.acer.com/acerpanam/netbook/2011/Acer/Aspire/AspireOneAO522/AspireOneAO522sp2.shtml
I guess we could just install to the internal Drive (do what MS wants), image it (see below), wipe it (easy), then USB install Debian.
/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=439&Itemid=38&limit=1&limitstart=2
Thanks for your answer.