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Installing Windows Vista -A Full Guide!

Installing Vista from the ISO…

If you have downloaded the Windows Vista ISO but do not have a DVD burner or you are having problems with faulty burns/installations, you can use the following method to install Vista directly from the ISO, without having to burn a DVD.

1.) Click here to download Daemon Tools, a free virtual cd/dvd-rom emulator.

2.) During installation please uncheck ”DAEMON Tools Search Bar”…it is adware that is installed by default unless told otherwise. If you uncheck this option no adware will be installed.

3.) You should now see a red ‘lightning bolt’ icon in your system tray…right-click it and go Virtual CD/DVD-ROM->Device 0: [D:] No media->Mount image.

4.) In the file chooser browse and select the Vista ISO and click OK.

5.) Open up My Computer and you should see the new virtual drive present. Double-click that to launch the Vista installer.

6.) When the installer launches click ”Install now” and follow the on-screen prompts to install Vista.

7.) After you are done installing Vista you should unmount the image the same way it was mounted.

Creating a dual-boot setup

Creating a dual-boot system with Vista is pretty much the same as with any other operating system.

First, make sure that you have a free partition on your hard drive or a secondary hard drive available. If you don’t you can either use a program such as Partition Magic to split the existing partition in two or backup all of your files, wipe your hard drive, and start fresh.

Next, place your Vista DVD into your DVD-ROM and reboot your computer.

Third, you’ll want to set your system BIOS such that your DVD-ROM drive is the primary boot device. To do this you need to press a designated key (or set of keys) during boot. To find out the key combination for your computer, click here. Chang the boot order so that DVD-ROM is first and hard drive is second, then exit saving changes.

When the computer reboots you should be prompted to press any key to boot from DVD…do so. That will lead you to the Windows Vista installer, which will guide you through the installation process. When prompted where to install Vista to, either choose the new partition that has been created or create a new partition out of unallocated space. (Click here for a screenshot reference.)

After the installation is finished you’ll be allowed to set up Vista for the first time. From then on whenever you boot your computer you will see a screen asking you if you want to boot to Vista or an earlier version of Windows…this is the new Windows Boot Manager and a sign of a successful dual-boot setup.

Boot Managers

Unlike Windows 2000/XP, Vista does not use the boot.ini file for determining boot order or enabling boot options. Instead, it uses a new Windows Boot Manager and the “BCD store.” Vista does not provide an easy way to manipulate this, but you can use the free third-party boot managers VistaBootPRO or EasyBCD. With those applications you can safely edit the boot process for any Vista installations, and also designate a ‘previous version of Windows’ to be the primary OS.The new Windows Boot Manager will be run first, and then the old NT Loader will be launched if a previous version is to be booted.

Source:Cnet Forums

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  • Anonymous August 1, 2007, 10:03 am

    how to install win xp in vista plz help