Many of us have wanted to upgrade from an older version of Windows, like XP or Vista, to the newest version Windows 7. The problem is that this operating system can cost upwards of 300-400 dollars depending on which version of the program you want. There is one way a few of us have found to get around spending so much money. It does take a bit more work but this step-by-step guide will make it easy.
The first thing you want to do before clean installing Windows 7 is to either buy an external hard drive or use another computer to transfer important documents to. This is because a clean install of Windows is a process which wipes your entire hard drive and installs Windows 7 as the only operating system on your computer. If you are using Windows XP or Vista currently, there should be no problem “Upgrading” your operating system to Windows 7 using the steps provided during the installation process.
A clean install is for people who are not using a windows system currently or are wanting to install Windows 7 on a brand new custom built PC/lost their operating system disks.
The second thing you want to do is to insert your Windows 7 instillation disk into the disk drive and restart your computer. You will be prom[ted to click any button to boot from disk, push any key. Then the generic Window 7 instillation steps will prompt you to complete certain steps.
The first change to a normal upgrade is when you are prompted to choose upgrade or custom advanced for which type of instillation you want to complete. click the advanced option and partition your hard dive to Windows 7. This is the amount of hard drive you want to allocate to your operating system. If it is unallocated just click next and proceed below.
Select the hard drive your want to install Windows in and format it. The next button will then become black instead of grey and you will be shows a progress bar of Windows installing. This may take a few hours but after it is finished you will be prompted to type in a user name and password for your new operating system.
Keep in mind that the upgrade disk for Windows 7 sells for around $30 with any valid student id. Some stores don’t even check to see that you are really a student. With this discount you can save over 300$ doing a clean install instead of buying the full version of the operating system.