This guide will take you through a clean installation of Vista Ultimate. This is not overly detailed, but then if you want advanced details, then you probably are a Power User and really do not need my guide. Mystic OverClocker
With the DVD in the drive, power on the system and watch for the “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD” message to appear. When it does, strike a key and you’ll see the screen where Vista is loading files.
I really thought that eventually this splash screen would have a logo or something to make it a bit more interesting. Obviously I was wrong. Fancy that.
After a few moments the Install Windows screen appears where you select the Language, Time and Currency format, and Keyboard or Input Method.
This is the main Install Windows screen where it all starts. There are a couple of different variations on this screen depending on system and configuration, but essentially you simply press the Install Now button to proceed.
Once again it’s time for the Product Key and talk about activation. Unlike XP and previous Windows offerings that stopped dead if you didn’t have a product key, this is no longer the case with Vista. You aren’t required to enter a key at this point, although there are some strongly worded cautions about the potential for data loss if you choose not to enter the key. There is also a check box to select whether or not Vista will be automatically activated.
If you chose not to enter the Product Key in the previous step, this screen will pop up asking you to confirm that you do not want to enter the key. The same warning of potential data loss is present and an additional warning has been added that you may need to purchase another edition of Vista if you continue without entering the key. Pressing [ Yes ] will return you to the screen where the key can be entered. Selecting [ No ] will take you to the screen below.
Declining to enter the product key in the previous step brings you here where you must select the edition of Windows that you purchased. The warning makes it clear that if you select a version you don’t have a key for, you’ll either have to purchase that version or reinstall Vista and select the proper version. This screen is a two step process; selecting the appropriate version and then certifying you have selected the version of Vista by using the checkbox. Once those two items have been completed the [ Next ] button is activated.
Next up is the Vista license terms. Simple choice; click [ I accept the license terms ] and the install continues. If you decide not to check the box you’ll want to make use of that red ‘X’ in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
Now it’s time to select the type of installation. Upgrade or Custom are the choices, but as you can see in this case Custom is the only option. There are two items of note. The first is under Custom where it states you can use this option to make changes to the disks and partitions. This is true to a point. You can create and delete partitions and resize a partition using the ‘Extend’ command. The second item of note is if you want to ‘Upgrade’. you need to start the installation from inside Windows.
After the type of installation has been determined it’s time to decide where to install Vista. As you can see from the screen capture the options in this scenario are limited. There is one 20GB hard drive available and it’s all unallocated space. If your intention is to allocate the entire drive to Vista with no additional partitions for other uses, all you have to do is click on Disk 0 and then click the [ Next ] button. The installation will continue.
That’s the absolute minimum step. If however you want to partition the drive and format it (unnecessary at this point, but possible) then click on ‘Drive Options’ for additional choices.
This is an example of how you could divide up the drive into separate partitions before continuing the installation. I used the ‘New’ option to create a 10GB partition in the unallocated space. This will become the primary partition and leave another 10GB as unallocated space.
This is what it looks like after the initial 20GB of unallocated space has been divided. The first 10GB of space on the drive is now identified as Partition 1 and the second 10GB remains as unallocated space. If desired you could select the remaining unallocated space and use the [New] command to create another partition and either/both can be formatted using the [Format] command.
Notice that the [ Extend ] command is also available for use. Clicking it will allow you to ‘extend’ Partition 1 into the unallocated space. Unlike some partitioning programs that allow you to resize a partition in two directions (larger/smaller), the ‘extend’ command uses the current size of the partition as the minimum size and allows you to increase or ‘extend’ it to include the available unallocated space.
Once you’ve finished up the install location and click [ Next ] it’s just a matter of waiting as Vista goes through the install motions. They are true to their word on this screen when they say the system will restart several times.
How long will it take to install Vista? I’ve experienced timeframes all over the spectrum from 30 minutes to over 5 hours, but for a clean install on a relatively modern system I’d be surprised if it took over an hour, and the majority of installs I’ve done have been in the 30 – 45 minute range.
At the end of the install routine there will be five screens where you input specific user, network, updating, and time zone options and a ‘Thank You’ message for installing Vista.
