Information on how to install the versions of Windows 7 Upgrade on a desktop or laptop computers running Windows XP and Windows Vista is provided on this page, including information on how to create a dual-boot system with Windows XP and Windows 7, which many users may be interested in doing given that some of the software and hardware that they are using with Windows XP may not run on Windows 7.

Windows 7 is available in four versions for the home user. Here are the versions and their upgrade/full version prices in the UK - Windows 7 Home Premium £80 until 31 December (£100 thereafter)/£150 - Windows 7 Family Pack (Windows 7 Home Premium on three desktop or laptop computers) £150 - Windows 7 Professional £190/£220 - Windows 7 Ultimate £200/£230. Those are the official prices, but they have already been reduced on websites such as amazon.co.uk.

There is a version called Windows 7 Starter, but it is available only when preinstalled on a new netbook computer. Another version is called Windows 7 Home Basic, which is not available worldwide, because it has been specifically created to be sold only in emerging (third-world) markets.

The first page on Microsoft's website that you should visit if you intend to upgrade to a version of Windows 7 is the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. -

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx

You have to download it and run it on the desktop or laptop computer that you intend to upgrade. It produces a report telling you which of your hardware and software is or is not likely to be compatible with Windows 7 and what to do if any of it is not.

Note well that Windows 7 requires a graphics/video card/chip that supports DirectX 9.0. For example, a Dell Dimension 3000 has an Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 built into the PC's motherboard, which only has three PCI slots (no AGP or PCI Express slots for an AGP or PCI Express graphics card.) The integrated graphics only supports DirectX 8.0, so when Windows 7 is installed it will only be able to start up in Safe Mode.

To find out which version of DirectX your computer is using, enter dxdiag in the Start => Run box (Windows XP) and the Start => Start Search box (Windows Vista). DirectX 9.0c is the highest version that Windows XP can run. Only Windows Vista and Windows 7 can run DirectX 10.0 and the forthcoming DirectX 11.0.

This is what the Windows 7 compatibility report says about the graphics on a Dell Dimension 3000:

"Windows Aero. Not capable. Your current graphics adapter won't support the Windows Aero user interface. Contact your PC manufacturer or retailer to see if an upgrade is possible."

Dell used a cheaper DirectX 8 chip in this 2006 computer. That shows the weakness in the compatibility report. It should have said that the graphics chip only supports DirectX 8.0 and that Windows 7 cannot be used unless the graphics card can be upgraded to a DirectX 9.0 card.

Fortunately, PCI graphics cards, one of the oldest standards, that support DirectX 9.0 are still available. Here is a good example of one you can purchase in the UK:

ZOTAC 256MB GEF FX5200 PCI RET Graphic card -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ZOTAC-256MB-FX5200-Graphic-card/dp/B000VG4J64

The purchaser reviews provide useful information.

This US webpage provides several suitable PCI graphics cards:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...

I upgraded a desktop computer that I built in 2005 without any device driver issues. This was no doubt because its integrated PCI Express graphics chip supports DirectX 9.0. When it was installed, Win7 went to Windows Update and downloaded and installed the graphics card and sound card drivers that it knew were required. The following article investigates how far back you can go to have a successful upgrade.

Windows 7: How low can you go? -

"Rejuvenating your 7-year-old PC with Windows, not Linux, can now make technical and fiscal sense." - http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9136192/...

If you are upgrading a brand-name computer (Dell, HP, MSI, Acer, etc.), its device drivers will have been tested by the Windows Hardware Quality Labs and will therefore be made available from Windows Update, which the installation process visits for missing drivers if you are online during the installation. Therefore, you shouldn't experience any driver problems after the upgrade - if there aren't any incompatibilities in the upgrade report that cannot be overcome. -

WHQL Testing - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WHQL_Testing

The report on my computer said that the computer's graphics card might not be able to run the Aero feature (that produces windows that have transparent areas around the edges), but it could do so after I just entered the word aero in the Start => Search programs and files box. A link within the Start Menu box was produced which ran a tool when clicked that examined the graphics system. It told me that the integrated graphics chip was set to reserve 64MB of system RAM memory and required 128MB to run the Aero feature. When a computer's motherboard has the graphics chip integrated on it instead of as a separate graphics card, there is usually an option in the BIOS that can increase or decrease the amount of system memory that it can reserve. My computer's BIOS had a maximum setting of 128MB, so I set it at that and ran the graphics tool again. It enabled the Aero feature.

The Search facility in Win7 is now so good that you just have to enter a search term in it to be provided with the links you need to find what you're looking for. For example, you just have to enter dev and Win7 brings up a link to the Device Manager. Gone are the days when you had to follow an elaborate click path or enter a particular search term, which is devmgmt.msc for the Device Manager in XP and Vista.

Unfortunately, I lost the Hibernate feature on my 2005 computer, which was replaced by a hybrid Sleep and Hibernation mode that saves the complete state of the computer to memory and can still restore it as Hibernation does, but it keeps the computer in a low-power state instead of shutting the system down as Hibernation does. Apparently, the computer doesn't have the hardware to run the new Hibernation system, so the option for it does not appear. My 2007 laptop PC, which I also upgraded, can run Hibernation. I upgraded it from Windows Vista, also without any problems.

Note that the Professional and Ultimate versions of Windows 7 have a Windows XP Mode that allows a user to run programs as if they are running in Windows XP. It is really Windows XP running within a virtual machine within Windows 7. The Home Premium version does not have this feature, so the only way to have both versions and run programs that only run in Windows XP is to make use of a dual-boot system.

Any software or hardware that can run on a Windows Vista system will almost certainly be able to run on a Windows 7 system, so, for most users, there is not much point in having a dual-boot Vista/Win7 system.

The full product of one of the versions of Windows 7 cannot be used to upgrade and existing installation of Windows XP or Vista; it has to be clean installed on a new computer, hard disk drive on an computer already in use, or on its own partition on a hard disk drive that already has a version of Windows installed on it.

The versions of Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7, are a marked improvement over the equivalent versions of Windows Vista and Windows XP.

If you are familiar with the ways in which Windows XP and Windows Vista work, then you should have no difficulty adapting to Windows 7, because its features are set up well enough in the Control Panel - the heart of the system. I think that the layout could be improved, but when I look I usually find what I'm looking for sooner or later. Here is a webpage showing the Control Panel's layout:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/262-control-panel-view-category-icons.html

If you need to access a feature, you just have to enter the name in the Start => Search programs and files box and a list of features come up. For example, if you enter just dev in the search box, a shortcut to Device Manager is provided plus links to information pages on it.

There is the usual Help and Support on the main Start menu, which can inform you of how to access or use a feature, such as Homegroups, which sets up sharing on a home network that many people use to share an Internet connection.

The main versions for the home user are Windows 7 Home Premium, which is available in a Family Pack of three licences (can be installed on three desktop or laptop computers), the equivalent of Windows XP Home Edition and Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional (the equivalent of Windows XP Professional and Windows Vista Business), and Windows 7 Ultimate, the equivalent of Windows Vista Ultimate.

As with Vista, The Home Premium version of Windows 7 is all that most home users need, so don't waste your money on the higher and more expensive Professional and Ultimate versions unless you need the extra features.

Windows XP cannot be upgraded to Windows 7. In other words, Windows 7 cannot build itself on Windows XP; an in-place upgrade cannot be achieved. You have to use the Custom install that installs itself over an active installation of Windows XP, wiping it out. However, in the process, a Windows.old file containing all of the files and folder in Windows XP is created and can be accessed, making it possible to transfer the files to folders, such as Documents in Windows 7. Note that every time you use the installation disc in a Custom install, even if you are only reinstalling Win7 over itself, it creates a Windows.old file. If you didn't delete the first one, the next one will be named Windows.old.001, etc. The file is many gigabytes in size, so you should delete it if you don't need it. To do so just click Start => Computer and click of the entry for Windows 7. Scroll down the list of files until you find it.

The chart on this page shows which versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista require an Upgrade installation or a Custom installation. The writer has clarified it and produced a better chart.

Microsoft blunders with a confusing Windows 7 upgrade chart -

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=1246

If you purchased a full version of Win7, it has to be installed on its own partition on a hard disk drive or on a separate hard disk drive. It cannot be used to upgrade a version of Windows Vista.

Getting started with Windows 7

As soon as you have Windows 7 installed, you can view Start (button) => Getting started, which provides the following videos that cover using the new features:

Discover Windows 7
Go online to discover what's new in Windows 7
Use homegroup to share with other computers in your home
Backup your files
Personalize Windows
Choose when to be notified about changes to your computer
Transfer files and settings from another computer
Go online and get Windows Live Essentials
Change the size of text on your screen

The new Windows 7 taskbar that replaces the Quick Launch toolbar on the Windows XP/Vista taskbar

One of the most useful new features is the replacement of the Quick Launch toolbar with the ability to pin any programs that you use to the taskbar. Then you just have to hold the mouse over the program's icon on the taskbar to see mini versions of all of that program's opened windows/pages, which will then enlarge if you hold the mouse within them. The icons on the taskbar can all be unpinned - even the default ones - by right-clicking the mouse with its pointer on them. The icons themselves are large by default. If you want to use small icons, right-click the taskbar and choose Properties. One of the options provided is to use small icons.

Alternatively, right-click on a blank space on the taskbar, choose Properties and choose Combine When Taskbar Is Full from the Taskbar Buttons drop-down menu. You will then have large taskbar icons and each window will have its own icon and small text labels. On a screen with a 1280x800 resolution (that most 15.6" widescreen laptops have), there is enough space to accommodate six or seven icons - enough for most users.

What is missing in Windows 7

1. - There is no Classic View of anything (Control Panel, Classic Start menu, etc.) available; third-party software is required to introduce them.

2. - No Quick Launch toolbar is available, but you can create a folder in the root of the C:\ drive and call it QuickLaunch, then place links in it to all the programs that you would normally have in the Quick Launch part of the taskbar. Next right-click the taskbar, choose Toolbars, New Toolbar and direct it to the folder in the root of C:\, then move this toolbar over against the Start menu so that it is in the same position as the Quick Launch toolbar.

3. - There is no way to copy User Profiles other than the Default User profile, but you can build up the Default User profile, which can be copied. Read how to do that in MS Knowledge Base article 973289: How to customize default user profiles in Windows 7.

4. - The WPA2-Personal wireless security key can be seen in clear text by anyone after it has been typed in, which, in my opinion, isn't very serious because most people use a home network not a public network.

Windows 7 Product Activation

During the installation of Windows 7, the option to activate it automatically when online is presented as the default setting. You just have to remove the check mark in the box beside that option so that you can choose when to activate. You have 30 days before you have to enter an activation key, but this can be extended to 120 days. The following article provides the information on how that can be done.

To find out how many days you have left, click Start => right-click Computer, and choose Properties. At the bottom of the window that comes up, you should see this heading: Windows Activation. It will say "Windows is activated" and provide the Product ID or provide the number of days remaining of a trial period.

Use any version of Windows 7 free for 120 days -

http://windowssecrets.com/2009/08/20/01-Use-any-version-of-Windows-7-free-for-120-days

Otherwise, Product Activation is much the same as it is for Windows XP and Windows Vista.

New features in Windows 7

How to use the new Windows 7 disc-burning features to burn data and ISO files to recordable CD/DVD/Blu-ray discs

Windows 7 provides new disc-burning features. Windows 7 supports Blu-ray discs and ISO image files and direct disc-burning that uses an optical disc in the same way as a USB flash drive (files can be added to and deleted from the disc).

Click here! to open a page containing information on how to use the new features.

NEWS COVERAGE OF WINDOWS 7

Microsoft has launched Windows 7

October 22, 2009. - From today Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7 is available in four versions for the home user. Here are the versions and their upgrade/full version prices in the UK - Windows 7 Home Premium £80 until 31 December (£100 thereafter)/£150 - Windows 7 Family Pack (Windows 7 Home Premium on three desktop or laptop computers) £150 - Windows 7 Professional £190/£220 - Windows 7 Ultimate £200/£230.

Introducing Windows 7. Your PC, simplified. -

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/

Microsoft Windows 7 - every version reviewed [including Windows 7 Enterprise for business] - http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/352642/microsoft-windows-7

RECENT ARTICLES ON WINDOWS 7

Windows 7 tricks: 20 top tips and tweaks -

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9140414/...

Benchmarking Windows 7: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger? -

"Tom’s Hardware has already published articles explaining some of the more complex changes Microsoft incorporated into its latest operating system. However, hardware editors are more concerned with the simple matters of program performance and responsiveness. Thus, while we’ve heard a great many details of how Windows 7 improves such things as security, features, and “user experience,” we probably define “experience” differently than the software guys. When narrowing our focus to basic performance, how much better is Windows 7 than the OS it replaces? It's time to quantify the differences!" -

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/windows-7-performance,review-31714.html

How to use the Problem Steps Recorder in Windows 7 (Win7)

Windows 7 comes with a novel way of recording a problem so that screenshots can be assembled into a zip file and sent to someone who knows how to deal with it. The feature is called the Problem Steps Recorder (PSR). In short, you create your own tutorial to explain your problem and it only takes minutes.

Enter the words problem steps in the Search box in Start => Help and Support. This is how the information there begins:

"How do I use Problem Steps Recorder? - You can use Problem Steps Recorder to automatically capture the steps you take on a computer, including a text description of where you clicked and a picture of the screen during each click (called a screen shot). Once you capture these steps, you can save them to a file that can be used by a support professional or someone else helping you with a computer problem."

To bring the recorder up, enter problem steps in the Start => Search programs and files box. The following walk-through of the new feature is provided on Microsoft's website:

Windows 7 Walkthrough: Problem Steps Recorder -

"Brief Description: Explore the Problem Steps Recorder in the Windows 7 operating system." -

http://www.microsoft.com/DownLoads/...

There are plenty of webpages and videos on the web on this feature. To find them, enter windows 7 problem steps recorder in the Google Search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled).

Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade

Note that there is a version of Win7 called Anytime Upgrade that allows a user to unlock features that are provided by higher versions (Professional and Ultimate versions) instead of having to buy and install those higher versions in order to obtain their features. All of the versions have all of the available features; the features that are not available just have to unlocked. Home Premium can be upgraded to Professional or Ultimate and Professional can be upgraded to Ultimate.

To buy a new licence and unlock the version that you want, just click on the Start button and type Upgrade in the Search programs and files box. Select "Windows Anytime Upgrade" from the search results, then select "Go online to choose the edition of Windows 7 that's best for you" to buy a new product key online. Selecting "Enter an upgrade key" allows you to enter the new product key that starts the upgrade process that only takes a few minutes.

Windows Anytime Upgrade: frequently asked questions -

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/...

Upgrade to another edition of Windows 7 by using Windows Anytime Upgrade -

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/...

The safest way to upgrade RAM: Use the UK and US Crucial Memory Advisors

Paul Mullen, the highly-respected computer guru of the Helpfile at ComputerShopper.co.uk - "I have recently been buying my memory only from Crucial Technology. I would rather pay the extra cost than waste time trying to track down the obscure program faults that bad memory can cause."

The memory requirements of the versions of Windows Vista

Most of the versions of Windows Vista require more RAM memory to run optimally on a computer that doesn't use memory-hungry applications than Windows XP. A video-editing application is an example of memory-intensive software. Only Windows Vista Home Basic has a recommended minimum amount of memory of 512MB, which is the same amount recommended for Windows XP. Windows Vista Home Premium, the most popular version, and Windows Vista Ultimate require a recommended minimum of 1GB (1024MB) of memory, which is twice the amount of minimum memory recommended to run Windows XP. For more information on computer memory, read the RAM pages of this site.

Note well that the 32-bit versions of Windows Vista will recognise less than 4GB of memory unless the computer meets certain requirements.

Read this MS Knowledge Base article on the subject:

The system memory that is reported in the System Information dialog box in Windows Vista is less than you expect if 4 GB of RAM is installed -

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605

UK - Crucial Memory Advisor - UK

USA - Crucial Memory Advisor - USA

For example, if your computer has an Asus motherboard, open the menu, scroll down to ASUS, and click GO. If, say, you have a Dell computer, scroll down to DELL, and do likewise. You will be taken to the relevant information on Crucial's website.

If you don't know the make and model of the motherboard installed in your computer, here is a good free utility - Belarc Advisor - that creates an analysis of the hardware and software on a personal computer. Look under FREE DOWNLOAD - http://www.belarc.com/. Another utility that also provides detailed information on the memory itself is CPU-Z.

How to install Windows 7

When you receive the installation pack of your choice - Upgrade or Full version - both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Win7 are provided on separate discs. Most people have a 32-bit version of Windows installed. If you are going for an in-place upgrade, you have to install the 32-bit Upgrade version over a 32-bit version of Windows XP or Windows Vista; the 64-bit version won't upgrade a 32-bit installation. However, if you are installing the full product as a clean installation, you can choose the 64-bit version - if your computer has a 64-bit processor, which most computers have had since 2005.

64-bit device drivers must be available for all of the computer's hardware in a 64-bit installation, which are not available for relatively old hardware, so if you want to avoid problems, it's best to install the 32-bit version.

Note also that you cannot upgrade an installation of Windows that is using the FAT32 file system; it has to be the NTFS file system, which is the default file system for Windows XP and Vista. Your computer could be using the FAT32 file system if you upgraded Windows 98/Me, which use FAT32, to Windows XP. The setup will inform you of this problem if you have a FAT32 system. To find out how to use the Command Prompt to perform the conversion, enter convert to ntfs in the Search box of Start => Help and Support.

How to determine whether a computer is running a 32-bit version or 64-bit version of the Windows operating system - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/827218

Note that the 64-bit versions of Windows can use as much RAM memory as you can install on the motherboard, but they also require twice as much memory to run as well as the 32-bit versions.

You can boot the system with the installation disc and install Win7, or install it from within a running copy of Windows XP/Vista. If it is an Upgrade version, it has to be installed on a partition that has a valid installation of Windows XP or Vista on it. A Custom install has to be used to replace an installation of Windows XP. Vista can be upgraded or overwritten.

How to create a dual-boot system of Windows XP/Windows 7 or Windows Vista/Windows 7

Only Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate versions provide a built-in version of Windows XP that works in a virtual machine separate from the main version of Win7, allowing you to install Windows XP programs. Not all the programs that many users have will be able to run under Win7, so, if you have the Home Premium Upgrade version of Win7, you will want to have a dual-boot system that allows you to keep a working installation of Windows XP.

If you want to have a dual-boot XP/Win7 or Vista/Win7 system, and you have the Upgrade version of Win7, it requires a genuine installation of Windows to upgrade or overwrite, so just restore a full backup of the earlier version of Windows to the partition or separate hard disk drive where you want to install Win7 and then choose to upgrade it when Win7 gives you the choice of where to install it. Doing that leaves your working version intact. The Win7 setup will install a boot manager that presents itself at startup after the installation, allowing you to choose which version to boot - an earlier version of Windows or Win7.

Clean-install Windows 7 from the upgrade disc -

"Topping the long list of readers' Windows 7 questions is whether you can use the upgrade disc to perform a clean-install of the new OS. You may be surprised to discover that in Windows 7 there's no difference between the "upgrade" and "full" DVDs and — just as with XP and Vista — the cheaper upgrade version can indeed be used to perform a clean-install." -

http://windowssecrets.com/2009/11/12/...

Clean install with Windows 7 upgrade media? Get the facts! -

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=1505&tag=content;col2

Scot's Newsletter Forums - Thread on this topic:

http://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/...

When the installation disc runs the first screen it produces is called Install language, time, currency format and keyboard. You should set all of these to the UK options if you live in the UK. The US options are set by default.

The next screen has these choices:

Check compatibility online
Install now
What to know before installing Windows

If you haven't checked the compatibility of Win7 with your system, you should do that first.

Next, the message Windows is loading files... appears with the usual method of showing that loading is busy taking place. This takes about two minutes. Then the Starting Windows message appears followed by a screen with these options:

Install now
What to know before installing Windows
Repair your computer

Note that if you have previously set up a dual-boot system with Win7 and an earlier version of Windows, running installation disc as far as this will remove the boot manager. You will have to reinstall Win7 all the way to get it back.

If you click on Repair Your Computer, the following options are provided:

Startup Repair [Run this if you have run into a startup problem.]
System Restore [Allows the user to backdate the system files to the state they were in on several previous dates for which restore points have been created.]
System Image Recovery [Restores a master image of the system made with the Win7 backup program that is accessed via Backup and Restore under System and Security in the Control Panel.]
Windows Memory Diagnostic [Checks the RAM memory for faults.]
Command Prompt [Opens a Command Prompt window that allows you to use text commands that can be used to fix problems and run tools if you know how to use them.]

When Win7 is up and running, you have the option at long last of creating a System Repair Disc that provides recovery tools. To do so requires a CD or CD/DVD drive that can burn data to recordable CD/DVDs. All you have to do is enter repair in the Start => Search programs and files box and click on Create a System Repair Disc, put a recordable CD/DVD disc in the optical drive, and then label the disc something like Windows 7 Repair Disc and then put it in a safe place. The following article provides information on each of the above-mentioned System Recovery Options:

What are the system recovery options in Windows 7? -

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-IN/windows7/...

With regard to the Install now option, Win7 states that you should be connected to the web during the installation so that updates can be installed and missing device drivers for components such as the graphics and sound cards/chips can be obtained from Windows Update and then be installed automatically.

The installation takes about 20 minutes on a computer with a dual-core 2.0GHz processor. The computer restarts twice and creates an accessible Windows.old file that contains all of the files from the previous installation of Windows (usually Windows XP). You can open it and copy the files you want to folder(s) in Win7. It is advisable to delete it when it is no longer required because it takes up several gigabytes (GB) of hard-disk space. My installation created an 8GB file.

Note that if you have to reinstall Windows 7 over itself, it creates another such file that will be called Windows.old.001 if the original Windows.old has not been deleted. It will use even more disk space that the first file.

In the next screen, you can choose a name for the computer (required if you are going to use it on a network) and a password for your account. If you set a password you have to enter it every time Win7 starts up, otherwise it just boots up. You have to enter a password hint that should remind you what the password is should you forget it. Remember, the password is case-sensitive, so it won't work if the Caps Lock key is engaged unless all of the password is in capital letters.

In the next screen, you have to enter the Product Key (25 characters long looking like this: M29H6-WG6X3-H2LB9-7VWZW-J9HFD (not a valid key). It provided inside the case that holds the installation discs. The dashes in the key are entered automatically, so just enter it. Just enter lower case letters - they are entered as capital letters.

The option called Automatically activate Windows when I am online is enabled by default. You can remove the check mark in the box beside it if you want to activate Windows later. Activation is required by Windows Product Activation.

In the next screen the following options appear:

Use recommended settings [This is recommended.]
Install important updates only
Ask me later

The next screen allows you to review your time and date settings, which in the UK is: UTC, Dublin, Edinburgh, London.

The next screen provides the following options:

Select your computer's current location

Home network [If you choose this option, you have to install your wireless network's encryption key.]
Work network
Public network

A note is added that says: "If you are unsure, select Public network."

If you are connected to the web and you chose to install updates, Windows visits Windows Update, which identifies any missing device drivers. My installation required the drivers for the computer's ATI graphics card and sound card. After the additional drivers are installed you have to click a button to restart the computer.

You should now be able to access the web. If not, you will probably have to install drivers for an ADSL modem and the latest drivers for any wireless network cards, etc. I had no problems getting online. No drivers had to be installed for my router. All I had to do was enter my wireless network encryption key. However, if you need to visit the manufacturer of a component's website for device drivers, if there are no drivers specifically for Windows 7, you can try installing the drivers for Windows Vista, because Win7 is closely related to Vista.

The Belarc Advisor creates an analysis of all of the hardware and software on a personal computer. Look under FREE DOWNLOAD - http://www.belarc.com/. You can use the information to identify the make or make/models of hardware installed in the computer in order to locate their manufacturers websites, which provide the latest drivers.

The Windows Firewall (accessed via the Control Panel) is enabled by default. You can install your own software firewall (Comodo, ZoneAlarm, etc.), but, if you do, you should disable the Windows Firewall, because you should not have more than one type of security software monitoring the system in real time at the same time.

There is no virus or spyware scanner installed, so you have to install your own. Visit the Security section of this website for more information on these scanners. You can install the free AVG or Microsoft Security Essentials, which are both combined anti-virus and anti-spyware scanners.

I also installed the free CCleaner utility that can remove unnecessary files, cleans the index.dat files that log your Internet access, and clean the Windows Registry. You should visit its Options => Settings to make sure that it is not set to wipe free space on the hard disk drive(s) installed on the computer, because doing that slows the system down. You can set it to clean the computer at startup. Just read the installation options, because it can install a search engine that you don't want to use.

An easy way to customise the way that the icons are shown in the Notification Area in the bottom right corner of the screen is to right-click on an empty space on the (bottom) taskbar and then click Properties. Large icons are enabled by default. If you want to use small icons, place a check mark with the mouse pointer in the box beside Use small icons.

Contrary to what I read about being provided with a multiple-choice of web browsers as agreed with the EU Commission, Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) was installed by default - as always. I saw no option that allows the browser of your choice to be installed.

The first time you use IE8, a window comes up asking you to set it up to your liking or or click on the Ask me later button. You are allowed a choice of search providers and websites that offer services such as language translation, etc. There is also an option to install the default choices, which are mostly provided by Microsoft itself. You should make your choices otherwise this window will keep coming up until you do. If in doubt, say No.

Windows 7 Startup - Pressing the F8 key - Repair Your Computer options

When you start up your computer running Win7, the startup screen presents an option to press the F8 key in order to access recovery options. It says: "To specify Advanced Options for this choice [version of Windows], press F8."

The first screen says: Choose Advanced Options for Windows 7 (Use the arrow keys to highlight your choice). The options, which are described in the description area of the screen, are:

Safe Mode [Starts Windows with only the core drivers and services. Use when you cannot boot after installing a new device or driver.]
Safe Mode with Networking [The above with access to your network and the web.]
Safe Mode with Command Prompt [Can be used if you know how to enter text commands.]
Enable Boot Logging [Creates ntbtlog.txt file that lists all of the device drivers that load during startup, including the last file to load before a system failure.]
Enable low-resolution video (640x480) [Loads the basic Windows graphics-card driver that provides a screen resolution of only 640x480 pixels.]
Last Known Good Configuration (advanced) [Starts Windows using the system files and settings used during the last successful boot.]
Directory Services Restore Mode [Starts Windows in that mode, but it can only used by the controller(s) of a domain-based network, which is not a workgroup-based home network of the kind used by most users - Read Using Windows XP Professional on a Domain to find out the differences between the two types of network.
Debugging mode [For programming experts only.]
Disable automatic restart on system failure [If your system keeps rebooting after a system failure disable the ability to do that by using this option.]
Disable Driver Signature Enforcement [Allows Windows to use drivers that have not passed the Windows Hardware Quality Labs tests and been given a digital signature. Useful if you can't find an officially-tested driver for a device and an untested driver might work.]
Start Windows Normally [If you have a problem, Windows might produce the screen with all of these options at startup. This enables you to choose Normal Mode.]
Repair Your Computer [Allows you to view a list of system recovery tools that can be used to recover from startup problems, run RAM memory diagnostics, or restore the system to a former usable state.]

If you click on Repair Your Computer, the following options are provided:

Startup Repair [Run this if you have run into a startup problem.]
System Restore [Allows the user to backdate the system files to the state they were in on several previous dates for which restore points have been created.]
System Image Recovery [Restores a master image of the system made with the Win7 backup program that is accessed via Backup and Restore under System and Security in the Control Panel.]
Windows Memory Diagnostic [Checks the RAM memory for faults.]
Command prompt [Opens a Command Prompt window that allows you to use text commands that can be used to fix problems and run tools if you know how to use them.]

How to use Backup and Restore in Windows 7

It is always a good idea to back up you computer so that it can be restored in the event of an irrecoverable failure - if necessary to a new computer or hard disk drive.

The backup program in Windows 7 allows you to create an image of the system that can be restored - either by reinstalling Win7 or by making use of the System Repair Disc, information about which was provided earlier on this page. It is advisable to create this disc as soon as possible. To do so, just enter repair in the Search programs and files box and click on Create a System Repair Disc.

It is best to make use of an external hard disk drive to back up to. You can now buy USB external hard drives inexpensively. I recently bought a 500GB drive for £50 (October, 2009). I use made an image of the whole system (two partitions containing Windows XP and Windows 7), but there are the usual options to make full, differential and incremental backups.

You have to enable the backup feature by clicking Start => Control Panel => System and Security => Back up your Computer => Backup and Restore. Alternatively, just enter backup in the Start => Search programs and files box.

Further information on Windows 7

Windows 7 home -

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/home?os=winxp

Windows 7 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7

Windows 7 features -

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features

Windows 7: How low can you go? -

"Rejuvenating your 7-year-old PC with Windows, not Linux, can now make technical and fiscal sense." - http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9136192/...

Windows 7: The complete guide -

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/262021/windows-7-the-complete-guide.html

How To Install Microsoft Windows 7 -

"Say goodbye to Vista and XP, and let us walk you through the installation of your new operating system, step-by-step." -

http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/desktop/...

FAQ: How to upgrade XP to Windows 7 -

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135440/...

Google searches

You can find additional information on any of the programs, utilities or features mentioned above, or in the rest of this article, by making use of the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled).