Setup and Installation of Windows 7

Operating system has a fair share of praise and criticism over a long time span. Each new version brought out by Microsoft has taken the user experience to a new level of convenience and hi-tech accomplishment. Versions are varying from 98 to Vista. Setup and installation of these is the primary task to get intact with new level of convenience. Microsoft Windows is a bulky, i.e. the file size of its installer is too much and it takes up too much hard disk space when installed. The PC users with Vista installed should use the latest RAM enhancing feature. The latest operating system on your computer has offered two installation modes, first is to upgrade, which is quite easy but restricted to Vista category only. Second one is to do a clean install, and is open for all.

Windows 7 is the latest release in the series produced for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablet PCs, and media center PCs and has a large number of new features and intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to Windows line, with the goal of being compatible with applications and hardware which Vista was not at the time. Some standard applications that have been included with prior releases of Microsoft including Calendar, Mail, Movie Maker, and Photo Gallery, are not included in latest OS. Before installation make sure that your computer is running either Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 of Vista. Install the 32-bit or 64-bit of this latest OS, which matches with your previous OS. Find out your 25-character product activation key.

Setup and installation of the same is very simple, likely to other OS. The different options are Internet, installation disc, or USB flash drive. In each you get the option of setup.exe. You have to double click that file to run the installation wizard. After that, the setup runs automatically and you need to just follow the on-screen prompts. Make sure that you have entered the valid product activation key. Online setup and installation of Windows 7 will diagnose and troubleshoot issues. Online computer support technicians resolve all the issues of OS at their level best and help to satisfy the customer's needs and enhance their goodwill too.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5391065

Tools to Tweak Windows 7 and Make it Like Windows 8

Windows 8 will be released soon, perhaps not soon enough. No big news there except that if you are a Windows fan, you probably want Windows 8 now. Windows 7 is fantastic and you may not want to let go. What do you do? It is time to tweak your Windows 7 operating system to give it features similar to Windows 8. This sounds fun, does it not? Windows 8 is tile-based and for those who like tiles, this is a beautiful thing. This article details some tools to give the tile format to Windows 7. Set a restore point and get ready to start tweaking.

Aero Tile

To add the glassy aeroful tiles to your PC desktop, the portable utility Aero Tile delivers this distinctive glamour. It offers you several options and choices for My Computer, My Documents, Control Panel, Fonts and other such Windows dimensions. Aero Tile is simple to use. There is no need for extensive technical knowledge or added code.

Download Aero Tile from the following link and get started. It will arrive in a .zip file. Extract the application from the zipped file and launch. The options window opens immediately. Check the boxes next to the tiles you want to display. You have to arrange the tiles by dragging them and placing them in the appropriate area of the desktop.

mnimo 4

This is an application based on Rainmeter. It is a multi-function desktop center. It is interactive and versatile once you get a feel for it. The tiles are easily customized and any information is accessible from an aesthetically pleasing layout. You will need to install Rainmeter 2.0 or higher, as Omnimo 4 requires Rainmeter. Download here. Now you can install and start using Omnimo 4.

It will open from a .zip file. The installation is simple. When complete, Omnimo starts right up and you can begin configuration.

Zetro

Another Windows 8 metro UI theme for Windows 7 is Zetro. It yields the stylish tiles of 8 to Windows 7. You will have to go through several steps to prepare the proper format to work in Windows 7 and produce tiles that are active and functional. The instructions can be found in the Readme file located in the extracted .zip folder for Zetro. The interesting thing about this tweak is that it is a theme pack that enables you to alternate between tiles and Aeros easily. This versatility is well worth the setup procedure and will produce a genuine Windows 8 format for the Windows 7 desktop. Download Zetro from this link.

Source : ghacks.net

How to install Windows 8 from usb

For many enthusiasts there's nothing quite like getting your hands on a shiny new release of Microsoft's Windows operating system. And that's precisely why the web is buzzing with all things Microsoft, as the software giant has made available a Developer Preview of its next flagship OS, Windows 8.

The preview is strictly a pre-beta version of Windows 8 for developers to get to grips with, and Microsoft is keen to stress that it "may not be stable, operate correctly or work the way the final version of the software will". But still, this is Windows, and those short provisos aren't going to prevent everyone who's curious from trying it out.

If that sounds like you, and you're wanting to install the preview without donating a blank DVD, here's a brief guide on how to install Windows 8 from a USB pen drive.

There are a couple of ways of doing this, but we reckon the method we're about to outline is the easiest of them all. In order to make it happen, here's what you need: a USB pen drive (4GB or greater in size), the Windows 8 Developer Preview disk image file (64-bit download here, 32-bit download here), Microsoft's Windows 7 USB tool (download here) and of course a working PC.

Once you have all those, follow these steps:

1. Install and run Microsoft's Windows 7 USB tool. In the subsequent window (pictured below), browse to the 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 8 disk image file you've already downloaded. Hit next.
2. With your USB stick plugged in (remember, it'll need to be at least 4GB in size for a 64-bit install), choose USB device as your media type.
3. Select the correct removable device from the drop-down menu, then click begin copying.
4. Sit back, relax, and make a cuppa while the USB tool formats your pen drive, makes it bootable, and copies over all of the Windows 8 files.
5. Once the process is complete, the USB drive can be used to boot a PC and run the Windows 8 setup process.

That's all there is to it. You'll save yourself a blank DVD, the Windows 8 setup process should be quicker from flash-based media, and it's of course a must on netbooks or laptops lacking an optical drive.

Tips on How to Install Windows XP

With any operating system, the best way to install is to start clean, formatting the computer and erasing all data. This isn't the only way to install an operating system, however -- Windows XP was originally sold as an upgrade for Windows 98 and Millennium Edition users. You can install XP over an existing operating system.

Disc Types
Microsoft sold Windows XP in two editions - Home and Professional - and promoted both as upgrades to the previous versions of Windows. In addition, some computer manufacturers offered users a free upgrade to Windows XP, too, usually for systems that sold with Windows 98 or Windows ME. These users received a disc labeled "Windows XP Upgrade" in most cases. These discs, though labeled differently, were XP installation discs in disguise. The contents of the disc are identical to an XP Home or Professional Edition that you'd find in a store.

Upgrade Install
When XP first came out in 2001 and users were changing from older operating systems to Home or Professional Edition, Microsoft primarily recommended an upgrade install. This is the most straightforward way to install Windows XP, though not the most effective. You may prefer this install type as it doesn't format the hard drive and all personal information, but the circumstances in which an upgrade install can occur in 2011 are limited. To use the upgrade, you have to start with Windows 98 or ME. Insert the XP disc while the computer is running and click "Upgrade to Windows XP." Follow the prompts to complete the installation.

Clean Install
Most commonly, you'll need to reinstall Windows XP -- either as the result of a crash or because your computer is running slowly. Reinstalling means putting a fresh copy of the operating system on your computer and removing everything that was there before. It sounds pretty serious, but you can easily prepare for a reinstall by backing up your important files to a CD or external hard drive. It's a good idea to have your device drivers downloaded and backed up, too, particularly for your network card, video card and sound card. If you bought your computer from a major manufacturer, these drivers are likely included on separate CD-ROM discs.

The Install Process
To install Windows XP from its CD, you need to boot to the CD. The disc contains all of the files needed to run the setup and to boot your computer, but you have to point your PC at the disc. Before you begin the installation, unplug all nonessential peripherals from your computer, leaving only the keyboard and mouse. Insert the Windows setup CD and reboot your system, looking for a message saying "Press any key to boot from CD." Press a key, and then press "Enter" to load the setup. Press "F8" to accept the license agreement, and then press "C" to continue installing Windows. Select your primary hard drive, which is usually labeled "C:" and press "Enter" to select it. Press "F" to format the partition, then choose a file system type -- NTFS for drives larger than 32 GB -- and press "Enter." Windows copies all the necessary files to your hard drive and reboots -- don't press a key to boot to the CD this time -- and completes the installation. The process takes about 30 minutes, depending on the speed of your PC.

Source : eHow

Setup Printer Sharing on Windows 7 For Use on Windows XP

Printer sharing on Windows 7 is necessary if you have a USB printer or parallel (LPT) printer. Newer printers may have Wi-Fi or a LAN connection for sharing with multiple computers. By setting up printer sharing, you are enabling other networked computers to connect and print.

Let's start with setting up Windows 7 for printer sharing.

1. Click "Start" and open "Control Panel", then click "Devices and Printers".

2. Right click the printer you would like to share and click "Printer Properties"

3. Choose the "Sharing" tab and checkmark "Share this printer", then click "Apply"

4. Choose the "Security" tab. If you are setting this up for yourself or you trust all the people on the network click "Advanced". Choose Everyone and click "Remove". Click "Add", Advanced, then "Find now". Find Everyone in (RDN) and click "Ok" twice. Checkmark all the boxes in the Permission entry window, then click "Ok". Now it should say full control for everyone. Click "Ok" twice.

5. Click "Start" and open "Control Panel", then click "Network and Sharing Center". To the left click "Change Adapter Settings".

6. Right click the adapter that you are using on the network and choose "Properties". Double click "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)".

7. Choose "Use the following IP address:". We must change your IP settings from DHCP to Static. If you do not know what to put here, right click the adapter you are using on the network and click "Status", then "Details". For the IP address type the numbers you see under "IPv4 Address". For example, you may see something like 192.168.1.2. You may also use the same subnet mask and default gateway you see in the details window. Because we have chosen to "Use the following IP address:", "Use the following DNS server addresses:" has now become necessary. Fill in "Preferred DNS server:" with the default gateway IP address and the "Alternate DNS server" with the "IPv4 DNS Server" address you see in the details window.

8. In "Network and Sharing Center", to the left, click "Change advanced sharing settings". Scroll down to "Password protected sharing", under "Home or Work", and make sure it is set to "Turn off password protected sharing".

This concludes the Setup of the Windows 7 system. We will now turn to the Windows XP system to setup the printer for sharing. There are two ways to do this.

For printers with network driver setup, like most HP drivers, just follow the steps to connect to the network printer when you load the drivers. The drivers for your printer can more than likely be found on the venders website. If not, you will have to search them out or use a similar models driver.

For printers that only come with the local USB driver setup, follow these steps.

1. Connect the printer to the Windows XP system. Install the Windows XP drivers for that printer.

2. Run a test print to be sure the printer is functioning on the Windows XP machine and then reconnect it to the Windows 7 system.

3. Click "Start" and open "Control Panel", then click "Printers and Faxes". Right click the printer you have just added and choose "Properties".

4. Click the "Ports" tab, then click "Add Port" from the bottom of the window. Choose "Standard TCP/IP Port" and click "Next". Click "Next" on the Welcome to the Add Standard TCP/IP Port Wizard page. Type "\\" followed by the IP address of the windows 7 system (example: \\192.168.1.2), then click "Next". Click Finish and you are all done. Right click the printer and go to "Properties" to run a test print.

Source: EzineArticles

Install Windows on an External Hard Drive

The Windows operating system includes several consumer-friendly features, including built-in security and productivity software. Learn how to install the Windows operating system on an external hard drive in order to make a portable copy of the Windows OS to take with you if you move or travel.

Installing Windows on an External Hard Drive

1. Check that the size of the external hard drive meets the system requirements of the Windows operating system. Windows XP requires 1.5 gigabytes of free hard drive space. Windows Vista requires 20 gigabytes (for the Home Basic edition) or 50 gigabytes (for all other editions). The system requirements for older, outdated versions of the Windows operating system, such as Windows Me and Windows 98, can be found on the official Microsoft Windows Web site (link in the Resources section).

2. Connect the external hard drive to the computer with which you plan to use the hard drive. Use the hard drive's original cables included by the drive's manufacturer. It does not matter what connectivity standard you use. Windows will automatically detect the external hard drive.

3. Click the Start menu in the lower left-hand corner of the PC screen and select My Computer.

4. Right-click the icon for the external hard drive. Click Format from the pop-up menu. Format the external hard drive in the NTSF format.

5. Insert the original Windows installation disk into your computer's CD-ROM drive. Close the Installation Wizard when it appears on the screen.

6. Return to the My Computer window from Step 3. Write down the drive letters assigned to the CD-ROM drive and the drive of your external hard drive. For the sake of this article, we will use the example of D:\\\\ being the external hard drive and E:\\\\ being the CD-ROM drive. These are typically the letters assigned to CD-ROM and external drives in the Windows operating system.

7. Click the Start menu button and select Run.

8. Type \"E:\\I386\\winnt32.exe /syspart:D: /tempdrive:D: /makelocalsource /noreboot\" (without quotation marks) and click OK. This launches the Windows installer file on the Windows installation disk in drive E:\\\\ and commands it to install on the D:\\\\ drive (your external hard drive). The Windows Installer Wizard screen will appear.

9. Select the Full Install option in the Windows Installer Wizard. You will then be guided through the Windows installation disk. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation. Depending on the speed of your computer's processor, this may take several hours. Be prepared to enter important information, such as your Windows registration key to register your copy of the Windows operating system. Do not close the installation window until the installation process is complete.

10. Shut down the computer and disconnect the external hard drive. You can now use the external hard drive to boot up another computer using the installed copy of the Windows operating system.

Source: eHow.com

Windows 8: A First Look

Smooth Install

Microsoft last week released its Windows Developer Preview – code-named Windows 8. It's pre-beta (read: late alpha) and targeted at developers.

But ala Google+, Microsoft is making it freely available for anyone to download here.

Typically, BYTE wouldn't review prerelease software, but if Microsoft makes this major OS release freely and widely available, that changes the rules. I downloaded it onto two systems and took a deep look.

It's a beefy system so far. Minus the developer tools, the ISO download is 3.6GB. With them, it's 4.83GB, too big for a standard DVD. Optimized for touch devices and sporting an entirely new interface – the tiled Metro-style user interface -- Windows 8 is a major upgrade from Windows 7. Microsoft hasn't made this radical a change to its Windows line since Windows 95.

The Metro name probably sounds familiar to you. It's the same user interface Microsoft uses in Windows Phone 7. I find its design to be clean and spacious, distinguishing it from Apple's iOS and Google's Android UIs. Let's start at the beginning of what I found after downloading the Windows Developer Preview, code-named Windows 8.

When you boot the ISO -- either after burning it to a DVD, copying it to a flash drive or by accessing it directly via a virtual machine – you install it just like Windows 7. The process really is almost identical.

The only visible difference is the name of the operating system during setup. I found the installation process to be smooth – it proceeded without a hitch on both my systems, a 1GB Oracle VM VirtualBox virtual machine and a 4GB Toshiba Portege M400 notebook.

indows 8: An installation walk-through

how can you install this into a virtual machine rather than dedicating an entire PC to the operations.

Here’s how!

Note: Your PC must support hardware virtualization for this to work.

1. Download and install VirtualBox (I’m using this because it’s free so you don’t have to shell out on virtualization software … don’t say I never give you anything!).
2. Download the Windows 8 ISO from here. So far I’ve only tested this with the 32-bit ISO.
3. Create a new VirtualBox virtual machine. Call it whatever you want but select Windows 7 as the OS type.
4. In the Motherboard tab under System, check Enable IO APIC.
5. In the Processor tab under System, check Enable PAE/NX.
6. In the Acceleration tab under System, check Enable VT-x/AMD-V and Enable Nested Paging.
7. In the Video tab under Display, check Enable 2D acceleration.
8. Remember to mount the Windows 8 .ISO file you downloaded and you’re good to go!

Install Windows 8 Dev

You will need Workstation 8, which was just officially released yesterday.

Step 1 - Get VMware Workstation

To get VMware Workstation, you must first request a Product Key from VMware.

Follow this link to get the key for the trial: https://www.vmware.com/...

Creating a new VMware account is a little bit annoying, as they ask quite a lot of personal questions, but what you "really" need here is a valid e-mail address - your honesty for the rest of it is not really our concern. After registering, you will get an e-mail to the account you specified with information on retrieving a key. You will need this key during the installation of VMware Workstation 8. You can also download the VMware Workstation 8 installer from the VMware site.

Step 2 - Get Windows 8 Developer Preview ISO

Microsoft is offering direct downloads of THREE separate ISOs.

Pick one from here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/...

Please NOTE the minimum system requirements of each, and then realize that you will need to go beyond the memory requirements on the machine you install VMWare Workstation on. For this example, we will be installing the x86 developer preview, in VMware Workstation, on a notebook with an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T5500 @ 1.67GHz and 2GB of RAM. If you want to try an x64 installation, you will obviously need more memory than that.

TIP: You can use a download accelerator program for the ISO images, since they are simply direct downloads. JDownloader is highly recommended for that (read a guide for that here.) Downloading directly in your browser will surely take longer.

Run VMware Workstation 8. Click "Create a New Virtual Machine", and a new window will pop up (below).

What type of configuration for your VM? - Choose "Typical" here.


Source : afterdawn

Install Windows XP on VMware

There are several VMware virtualization products capable of running Windows XP. These include: VMware Server, ESX, Workstation, ACE, GSX Server and Fusion. Fusion creates an IDE hard drive that uses drivers included in the Windows XP installation media. All other versions require special SCSI drivers to install Windows XP. The SCSI drivers are required to copy the installation files to the virtual hard disk. The installation will fail without these drivers.

Instructions

1. Open the Datastore Browser, then click "Upload" and select the Windows XP installation ISO file to add it to the datastore. The Datastore Browser can be found in the "All Programs" section of the Start menu in Windows, the Applications menu in most versions of Linux, or the "/usr/local/vmware" directory in Linux/Unix variants. If you are using a physical Windows XP CD to install the virtual machine, skip this step.

2. Download the BusLogic driver floppy image for VMware for Server, Workstation or ACE. Download the LSI20320-R LSI Logic driver for all other versions. Use the Datastore Browser to upload the floppy image to the datastore.

3. Click the "Create Virtual Machines" button in VMware, then select Windows XP as the guest operating system. Click "Next" to use the default CPU, memory and hard drive options. You can also customize these options, just make sure not to set them lower than the recommended number, which is shown in parenthesis next to the option. Be sure to leave the "Datastore" option as standard, this will allow you to access the installation ISO and the floppy image.

4. Click the "Virtual Device Node" option for the "CD/DVD Drive" section. Select the Windows XP installation ISO in the list presented. If you are using a physical Windows XP installation disc, leave the default "Host CD/DVD Drive" option checked.

5.Click the "Use a Floppy Image" option in the "Floppy Drive" section. Select the floppy image in the list presented. Click "Finish" to create the virtual machine.

6. Click the "Console" to start the virtual machine. If you are using a physical Windows XP CD, insert it now. The virtual machine will start from the CD or ISO image, and you'll see the Windows Setup screen.

7. Press "F6" in the setup screen to load SCSI drivers.

8. Connect the floppy image to the virtual machine by clicking the floppy icon in the Console window, then press "S" when prompted to load the contents.

9. Press "Enter" and continue normally with the installation. The virtual machine will reboot when the installation is finished. Click the "Install VMware Tools" option in the main VMware screen to run the setup program and follow the prompts to install VMware Tools.


Article Sour: eHow

How to Make a USB Boot CD?

A USB boot CD is a USB storage device that is loaded with "boot" files, just like a normal boot CD. A boot disk is used to load important information before the OS (operating system) loads. A boot disk is used when problems with an operating system exist or the user wishes to work on the computer but not from the OS. Creating a USB boot disk is very simple and requires the original boot files to be copied to the USB storage device.



Instructions

* 1 Insert the USB device into the computer's USB drive. The USB device should automatically open. If it does not, click "Start Menu," "My Computer" and double click on the device.

* 2 Locate the bootable material on the computer's hard drive. This is the boot data that will be copied to the USB stick. If copying from an existing boot CD then insert the CD into the computer's CD drive and open it by clicking "Start Menu," "My Computer" and right clicking "Explore" on the CD drive. A folder containing the data on the CD will appear.

* 3 Copy the boot material to the USB device. In the directory containing the boot data, press "CTRL" and "A" at the same time to highlight all the files. Press "CTRL" and "C" to copy those files to the computer's clipboard.

* 4Open the USB device folder. Press "CTRL" and "V" to paste the material to that directory. Once the copying is done, the process is complete. The USB key is now a boot device.

For more info: http://www.ehow.com/how_7337879_make-usb-boot-cd.html

How to Silent Install Windows XP

With any operating system, the best way to install is to start clean, formatting the computer and erasing all data. This isn't the only way to install an operating system, however -- Windows XP was originally sold as an upgrade for Windows 98 and Millennium Edition users. You can install XP over an existing operating system.

Disc Types

Microsoft sold Windows XP in two editions -- Home and Professional -- and promoted both as upgrades to the previous versions of Windows. In addition, some computer manufacturers offered users a free upgrade to Windows XP, too, usually for systems that sold with Windows 98 or Windows ME. These users received a disc labeled "Windows XP Upgrade" in most cases. These discs, though labeled differently, were XP installation discs in disguise. The contents of the disc are identical to an XP Home or Professional Edition that you'd find in a store.

Upgrade Install

When XP first came out in 2001 and users were changing from older operating systems to Home or Professional Edition, Microsoft primarily recommended an upgrade install. This is the most straightforward way to install Windows XP, though not the most effective. You may prefer this install type as it doesn't format the hard drive and all personal information, but the circumstances in which an upgrade install can occur in 2011 are limited. To use the upgrade, you have to start with Windows 98 or ME. Insert the XP disc while the computer is running and click "Upgrade to Windows XP." Follow the prompts to complete the installation.

Read more: http://goo.gl/38Jn6

Windows Vista Setup Troubleshooting

The Windows Vista setup and installation process is a fairly straightforward procedure. You simply put your install DVD into your computer and follow the directions on the screen. If you're having a problem with Windows Vista setup, it is almost certainly due to something you're doing wrong, either using damaged media (like a dirty installation disc) or inputting information incorrectly at the prompt.

Instructions


Review the list of minimum system requirements for Windows Vista on Microsoft's website and make sure that your computer meets these requirements. If not, the operating system could install incorrectly or refuse to install at all during setup.


Examine the data side of your Windows Vista install disc and make sure it isn't dirty. In order to install Windows Vista, your computer's DVD drive has to be able to read the data on the disc. Scratches, dirt, oils from your hand and other types of debris will prevent this. Clean the disc and reinstall.


Make sure you're typing your Windows Vista security key into the installation prompt correctly. Your Windows Vista security key is a unique 25-digit key that authenticates your exact copy of Windows Vista. If you type even one letter or number incorrectly, the operating system will not install.


Verify that you are trying to install Windows Vista using a DVD-ROM drive and not a CD-ROM drive. Windows Vista's installation disc is a DVD, and you can only use DVD-ROM drives to install it. If you attempt to put your installation disc into a CD-ROM drive, your computer simply will not recognize that disc.


Read more: http://goo.gl/198at

Best Way to Reinstall Windows Without Losing Data ?

At some point during the course of your computer's use, you will find yourself in the unenviable position of having to reinstall Windows. There are many reasons for this. Perhaps important system files got corrupted or disk errors or viruses caused your system to become unstable.

This is all a result of wear and tear on your PC. When that time comes, you will have to not only know how to reinstall windows, but how to reinstall windows without losing data. Here we refer to a fresh install of Windows and not simply an attempt to repair a few files.

1. Your Vendor's Restore CD

The first step in knowing how to reinstall windows is to locate your vendor's restore CD--otherwise known appropriately enough as a rescue or boot disk. Windows comes with its own rescue CD as well. If that's the only one you have at your disposal then locate your operating system's instructions below.

Rescue CDs are not all alike. Some give you rescue functions as well as important software drivers for your computer. Others are more basic, only allowing you the ability to reformat your hard drive. Don't reformat your hard drive without backing up your personal files to another medium first! Your personal files are those located under 'My Documents' in Windows. The exact location of your personal files and folders varies from one operating system to another.

In Windows XP, for example, you will backup everything in C:Documents and Settings. In Windows 98 and ME, you will backup C:My Documents. More instructions follow below for your particular system. If you have any other folders where you've stored personal stuff back those up as well.

2. Windows 98 and ME CDs

With Windows 98 and ME you don't want to just reinstall windows without backing up important system information. This information can be found in your Windows folders.

First create a new folder on your C: drive and name it oldWindows. Then use Windows explorer to navigate to your Windows folder. Once there, locate the following subfolders: All Users, Application Data, Desktop, Favorites, Local Settings, Profiles, SendTo, and Start Menu. Copy these folders to the oldWindows folder you created.

Inspired by article: http://goo.gl/AfLwR

How to Delete a Windows Setup Boot

The Windows Setup Boot drive on your computer is the partition where Windows is originally installed, making it the centerpiece of your hard drive arrangement. The only way to delete this drive is to format it entirely, which removes all Windows setup and boot files from the drive for good.

Instructions

Things You'll Need

DOS boot disk

Insert the boot disk into the system.

Restart the computer. Press any key as prompted to boot into DOS.

Type "format c:" and press "Enter".

Press "Y" to delete the Windows Setup drive.

Read more: http://goo.gl/zmi12

Problems Installing Windows XP Pro

The success of Microsoft Windows XP operating system can be ascertained from the fact that even long after the release of Microsoft Vista operating system, Windows XP continues to be in demand. Windows XP is dependable, stable and secure, so you can always rely on the performance and effectiveness of your computer. But, like any piece of machinery, Windows XP has its own set of problems.

Disable Anti-virus Software

If you run into trouble installing Windows XP, disable the anti-virus software running on your computer. Anti-virus software can interfere with the installation of Windows XP.

Check System Compatibility

Check if your computer has the required hardware support to run Windows XP. These are often the cause of Setup problems. To check system compatibility, insert the Windows XP CD into your CD-ROM drive. When the Welcome menu appears, click on "Check system compatibility" and then click on then click on "Check my system automatically."

Clean Boot

If you are facing problems while upgrading from Windows Millennium Edition then perform a clean boot. To do so, go to "Start," then select "Run." In the "Open" box, type "msconfig" and then click on "OK." Clear all the check boxes under "Selective startup." Also, on the "Startup" tab, select the "*StateMgr" check box, and then click on "OK." Restart your computer and run the Windows XP setup.


Read more: http://goo.gl/UGWyT

Windows Server 2003 Installation

Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft. It is introduced on March 28, 2003 as the successor to Windows 2000 Server. It is considered the cornerstone of Microsoft and their Windows Server operating system server products. Windows Server 2003 is well-known excellent stability, security and user-friendly compared to other server operating systems, and even it is predecessor, the Windows 2000. According to Microsoft, Windows Server 2003 needs less time to build and easier to configure rather than Windows 2000 server.

How to install Windows Server 2003?

You create a new network infrastructure, before you perform new installation of windows server 2003 on your computer. You should create a map of your network will according to your needed. The role of the server, such as a domain controller or multiple routers (in the Windows Server 2003 to configure multiple network interface card) or NAT server, not only is the server hardware configuration, but also to configure the server ( and services it provides).

Server hardware requirements

Microsoft recommended minimum hardware requirements (and some of Microsoft's recommendations) for Windows Server 2003 (standard) are listed here:

* CPU speed: 133MHz The (550MHz recommended under)

* Memory: 128MB (256 recommended; 4GB the highest standards of server)

* Disk space: In order to 1.5GB

* CD - ROM Drive: 12 times

* Monitor: Super VGA provides 800 x 600 resolution

Performing a clean install of windows server 2003

Windows Server 2003 R2 contains two product disks.
1 CD-ROM contains the Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) in.

2 CD-ROM contains installation files optional Windows Server 2003 R2 components. The two CD-ROMs use the same product key. The Microsoft Server 2003 installation is not configured with the previous operating system, the establishment of a system so that it boots the CD - ROM drive (using the computer's BIOS setup utility). Clean installation of two distinct phases: phase of a text, and then Windows phase. Stage in the text, you can specify (and create, if necessary) the Zoning will be as a target to install the Windows Server 2003.

Text-mode installation phase

1. Insert the Windows 2003 installation CD1 in your CD - ROM drive, and boot your system with this installation disk. And follow the instruction.
2. Installation process ask you about Windows license agreement. After reading the licensing information, continue to press F8 key.

3. Windows Setup screen will display you the partition. Now you need to create the partition and format you c: partition as a NTFS. Because NTFS partition needs a domain controller running Active Directory, you usually have to choose NTFS format. Select the file format (using the wrong key), and then press Enter.

4. Setup to format the partition, and then copy the installation files to the server. After copying the appropriate file, restart the server. This is the end of the command-line part of the Windows Server 2003 installation process. Graphical installation phase will begin.

5. After the restart your computer it will ask you product activation key, regional and language settings, network settings and administrator password settings etc. You should follow the steps same as installation process ask to you. After installation is complete, restart the server once.

Article Source: http://goarticles.com/article/Windows-Server-2003-Installation/1862883/

Set Up File Sharing in Windows 7

If you have multiple computers at home and want to network them together to share files and devices then this article is for you! In this article I'll show how to setup file sharing in a mixed environment consisting of Windows 7 and Windows XP.

The computer that will be sharing (serving) the files will be the Windows 7 computer. The computer that will be accessing the shared files on the Windows 7 PC will be a Windows xp computer. This article assumes that you either:

A: have your internal software firewalls disabled since they can often obstruct network access. Only do this if you access the internet through a router (or a wireless router).

or

B: know how to allow network access to your internal subnet. Since you're reading this article it's pretty safe to assume that you have no idea what I'm talking about in point B. Just go ahead and turn off your firewalls (for now at least).

On your Windows 7 computer:

1. Click the Windows globe on the bottom left (the old start button).
2. Right-click "Computer" and click properties.
3. Take note of the Workgroup name.

On your Windows XP computer:

1. Click Start.
2. Right-Click "My Computer" and click properties.
3. Click Computer Name.
4. Click Change.
5. Select Workgroup.
6. Type in the same workgroup name.
7. Click Ok twice.
8. Reboot.

Back on your Windows 7 computer lets share your documents folder to everyone in your workgroup:

1. Click Start.
2. Click Computer.
3. On the left window, under libraries, right-click documents and click share with: specific people
4. Click the drop down.
5. Select Everyone.
6. Click Add.
7. Click Read and change it to read/write
8. Click Share
9. Select My Documents
10. Click Next.
11. Sharing your documents may take awhile depending on how many have.
12. Click Done.

Back to your Windows XP PC:

You may now access documents on the Windows 7 computer by

1. Opening your "My Computer".
2. Click "My Network Places" on the left.
3. Click "Entire Network".
4. You should now see the name of your Windows 7 computer.
5. Double click the Windows 7 computer and you'll see any shared files plus any shared devices.

You can follow the steps above to share any other files or folders on your Windows 7 computer.

Source: http://goo.gl/flT1f

The Windows Registry Checker

The Windows Registry Checker automatically scans your computer's registry for erroneous and invalid entries. The tool's main purpose is to restore a registry backup if faulty or invalid entries are found. You can do this by running the scanreg /autorun command from a command prompt. The Windows Registry Checker tries to repair the registry if no recent backup is found, similar to when you type scanreg /fix from a command prompt.

The Windows Registry Checker is also used by Windows setup to scan an existing registry for damage before an upgrade. If the tool detects registry damage, it attempts to fix it..

However, the Registry Checker was only used in Windows 98 and Windows Millennium and has been abandoned in all current versions of Windows, including Vista and Windows 7.

Computer users with a current system who want to check and repair their registry need to have an alternative tool, and this is where 3rd party software known as registry cleaners come in handy.

Such modern registry cleaner tools are usually far more advanced and have more options as opposed to the plain command line tool scanreg. While the scanreg registry checker in Windows 98/Me was rather limited in its capability to find errors and to fix them - no such problems exist for the current top of the line registry cleaners. Therefore, a registry cleaner software is a "must have" tool for any serious PC enthusiast. Needles to say that those tools do all and much more what the Windows built in registry checker tool did.

A registry cleaner will

scan the registry for faulty and invalid data
remove obsolete and outdated entries
shrink and compress a bloated registry
fix errors and wrong system references

Such software usually also provides very important means to backup and restore the registry data before any operation. You see, a computer's registry is crucial and without it no Windows based PC would function. Accidental damage caused by any registry software could be fatal. It is therefore of uttermost importance that the registry cleaner has such a backup and restore function.

In addition, before any such critical operation like using a registry checker and repair tool it is also advised to create a system restore point. If you want to be on the safe side you might even want to create a complete backup of your system. Better safe than being sorry, even if the actual chance of something going wrong is rather small.

Registry cleaners are very powerful tools, they can fix a slow computer and can get rid of crashes and errors, but such a powerful tool needs to be used carefully and responsibly.

Source: http://goo.gl/hbpra

How to Recover Windows 7 Password for a Secondhand PC ?

How to recover Windows 7 password for a secondhand PC? If you ever purchased a used PC, you may meet this problem, it's password protected, and you cannot log in. Then how to recover password?

Problem: How can you recover a password for a used Windows 7 PC?

"I purchased a used pc from a yard sale, but it has a password lock on Windows. Since I don't know the password and apparently neither does the lady who sold it to me, how can I bypass it and get Windows to open so I can recover it. It is dell notebook with Windows 7".

Well, for the problem how to recover password for Windows 7, what will come into your mind if you are the current owner of this used PC? It seems that many effective password recovery methods on Windows 7 don't work in this case, like using a password reset disk, Safe Mode, etc. But there still have solutions are supposed to be effective.

How to recover Windows 7 password in Safe Mode?

Provided that your Windows 7 built-in administrator account has been active, and is not password protected, then you can choose to recover your unknown password in Windows 7 to a new one in safe mode.

Step 1. Press F8 to enter the Advanced Boot Options when your Windows 7 is booting.

Step 2. Select Safe Mode and log on Windows with Administrator account.

Step 3. In safe mode, click Start to select Run box, and then type control userpasswords2, click OK.

Step 4. On the coming up Users Accounts screen, click the name of user account that you want to reset the password for, and then click Reset Password to reset password.

This solution cannot help if the built-in administrator account has not been active or has a password also. But you can try it first then go ahead to effective solutions below.

Recover Windows 7 password with Windows Setup CD

For most users, reinstalling this used Windows computer with a setup CD seems to be the only method they can think of. And in fact, it is indeed a good way to recover password for this problem as the data on this used PC isn't important for you. After reformatting Windows, you will never fear that the computer may run slowly and other problems. But the problem is that you need to spend hundreds of dollars to buy a Windows setup CD if you don't have one. Apparently, it is not a cost-effective method though it can actually resolve this problem. So it's highly suggested you should try the following solution.

Recover Windows 7 password with Windows Password Breaker

Windows Password Breaker is powerful Windows Password recovery software which can help you instantly recover password for Windows 7 by burning a bootable CD/DVD/USB flash drive.

Step 1. Download and install Windows Password Breaker.

Step 2. Burn a bootable CD/DVD/USB flash drive.

Step 3. Reset password with the burned CD/DVD/USB.

Step 4. Log on your Windows without password.

Source: http://goo.gl/goQn8

How to Setup File Sharing in Windows 7

If you have multiple computers at home and want to network them together to share files and devices then this article is for you! In this article I'll show how to setup file sharing in a mixed environment consisting of Windows 7 and Windows XP.

The computer that will be sharing (serving) the files will be the Windows 7 computer. The computer that will be accessing the shared files on the Windows 7 PC will be a Windows xp computer. This article assumes that you either:

A: have your internal software firewalls disabled since they can often obstruct network access. Only do this if you access the internet through a router (or a wireless router).

or

B: know how to allow network access to your internal subnet. Since you're reading this article it's pretty safe to assume that you have no idea what I'm talking about in point B. Just go ahead and turn off your firewalls (for now at least).

On your Windows 7 computer:

1. Click the Windows globe on the bottom left (the old start button).
2. Right-click "Computer" and click properties.
3. Take note of the Workgroup name.

On your Windows XP computer:

1. Click Start.
2. Right-Click "My Computer" and click properties.
3. Click Computer Name.
4. Click Change.
5. Select Workgroup.
6. Type in the same workgroup name.
7. Click Ok twice.
8. Reboot.

Back on your Windows 7 computer lets share your documents folder to everyone in your workgroup:

1. Click Start.
2. Click Computer.
3. On the left window, under libraries, right-click documents and click share with: specific people
4. Click the drop down.
5. Select Everyone.
6. Click Add.
7. Click Read and change it to read/write
8. Click Share
9. Select My Documents
10. Click Next.
11. Sharing your documents may take awhile depending on how many have.
12. Click Done.

Back to your Windows XP PC:

You may now access documents on the Windows 7 computer by

1. Opening your "My Computer".
2. Click "My Network Places" on the left.
3. Click "Entire Network".
4. You should now see the name of your Windows 7 computer.
5. Double click the Windows 7 computer and you'll see any shared files plus any shared devices.

You can follow the steps above to share any other files or folders on your Windows 7 computer.

Source: http://goo.gl/flT1f

Fix Windows 7 64-bit SP1 Failure to Install

Problem :

I tried to install Windows 7 64-bit Service Pack 1 (SP1). Everything appeared to have gone well until the system rebooted and when applyting the updates (Applying update operation nnn of 316581) I got this error:

Error C000009A applying update operation 115991 of 316581 (\Registry\...)


Solution :


1. Do a normal shutdown and then bring the system back up;

2. Go to Start and right-click on Computer. Then click on Properties. If you see (4th or 5th line down) Service Pack 1, then you are done. Presumably you will not see that line.

3. It is the Language Display packs that create the problem.
Go to Start, Control Panel, Region and Language > Keyboards and Languages > Install/Uninstall Languages > Uninstall display languages. Then click EVERY language there, except English. Then uninstall. This process will take about 1 hour, maybe longer.

4. Your computer will probably reboot after this process is finished, but if not, do a reboot.

5. Go to Start, Control Panel, Windows Update. You should see SP1 still listed there. Click on it and install it. All (or most) of the files that SP1 needs for its configuration are already in place from your earlier failed install, and the installation will go faster than the first time. The process does have (heart stopping) pauses, where it seems that nothing is happening, but just be patient and let it go through its paces. The system will reboot when the blue line is all the way to the right, and Windows 7 will come up, and will continue to configure SP1, so it is a slow process.
You will, however, not see those fast-moving lines: "Applying update operation nnn of nnn" until an error stops the process, but instead there will be a "nn% complete" display. Let it do its thing without interference. This also will take some time.

6. You may confirm that you now have SP1 installed by repeating step 2 above.

7. You can now also re-install one or more display languages by repeating step 3, and after clicking on Install/Uninstall languages, install the languages you need.

Fix Windows 7 Installation From USB Issue

Problem :

With diskpart, I created a windows 7 USB installation key and successfully install windows 7 with the USB key on Thinkpad laptop, but I failed on another HP desktop.

Details show are:

File: \Boot\BCD

Status: 0xc000000e

Info: "an error occurred while attempting to read the boot configuration data"
Any suggestions, Pls?


Solution :

The hard disk isn't recognized correctly on the HP desktop. Try to change the disk controller in BIOS and re-load the hard disk driver during the install. Hope your problem Install Windows 7 from USB solved.

Install Windows 7 From An USB Key

Putting the Windows 7 installation on a USB thumb drive has a few advantages—a small USB key is much more convenient for carrying around than a DVD, the OS will actually install much faster, and you can use a USB key to install Windows 7 on systems that do not have a DVD drive, such as a netbook. In fact, you can even install Windows 7 on netbooks that have fairly modest hardware. Dennis Chung, an IT Pro Evangelist at Microsoft recently posted a video demonstrating how easy it is to prepare your thumb drive and use it to install Windows 7. Here’s a quick look at the process:

• First, you’ll need the DiskPart utility on the system you will use to prep the thumb drive. This is a free disk partitioning utility that is likely already installed on your Windows system. If not, you can download DiskPart here.
• Launch the DiskPart utility by typing diskpart at the Start Menu.
• Then run the list disk command to check the status of your drive.
• Now run select disk 1 where the "1" is actually the corresponding number of your USB drive.
• Run clean.
• Once the thumb drive is clean, you can run create partition primary.
• Now make the partition active by entering active
• Then you need to set up the file system as Fat32 by running format fs=fat32 quick (quick, of course, specifies that you want to perform a quick format to speed up the process).
• Entering the assign command gives the USB drive a drive letter, making it easy to access from Windows Explorer
• Then you can copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do).
• Now you can insert the thumb drive into the system you want to install Windows 7 onto and boot the system. The installation will now proceed as usual—but faster.