If you purchased your PC with Windows Vista already installed and have no interest in dual-booting, you need to hang a U-turn. There’s nothing in this appendix for you. Go straight to the Introduction, or Article 1, at the beginning of this article, and forget all about this appendix. If you purchased an upgrade version of Windows Vista to replace your current version of Windows, and you haven’t yet installed that upgrade, this is the place to be. To tell you the truth, you really don’t have to read this entire appendix to install your upgrade. You really just have to do this:

1. Insert the disc that came with your Windows Vista upgrade into your computer’s disc drive and wait a few seconds.

2. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to install Vista by upgrading your current version of Windows. When the installation is complete, remove the new disc from your disc drive, put it someplace safe, and ignore the rest of this appendix. If these two steps don’t quite get the job done, please read on.

Windows Vista System Requirements

Windows Vista requires a bit more hardware horsepower than the previous versions of Windows. The more hardware capability you have, the better Vista will run. The absolute minimum hardware requirements are as follows:

- 512 MB of RAM (although 1 GB is more like it)

- An 800 megahertz (MHz) 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

- A 20 GB or larger hard disk with at least 15 GB free space available

- An SVGA (800 x 600) or better monitor

- A keyboard

- A mouse or similar pointing device

- A CD-ROM or DVD drive

Before upgrading your installation of Windows XP, it would be a good idea to run the Windows Upgrade Advisor available at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor as a free download. The tool generates a report that will indicate any shortcomings of your system and what you need to do to upgrade your computer if necessary.

Pre-installation Housekeeping

If you’ve been using your PC for a while with an earlier version of Windows, you’ll want to do some things before you begin your upgrade:

- If your computer has any time-out features, such as the power-down features found on some portable PCs, disable those features now.

- If you have an antivirus program handy, run it now to check for, and delete, dormant viruses that may still be lurking on your hard disk.

- Disable your antivirus software after you’ve run the check. Leave it disabled until after you’ve completed the upgrade.

- Make sure that any external devices (printers, modems, external disk drives, and so on) are connected and turned on so that Windows Vista can detect them during installation.

- If at all possible, back up the entire hard disk at this point. At the very least, jot down all the information you need to connect to your Internet account. Back up all your documents, e-mail messages, names and addresses, and anything else you’ll need after you complete the upgrade. I realize that few people outside the corporate world have a means of backing up their entire hard disk. But you should be able to at least back up documents, e-mail messages, names and addresses, and so forth. Windows Vista now includes Windows Easy Transfer. See Article 13, “Transferring Files from Another Computer,” for information on Easy Transfer.

Installing Windows Vista

To upgrade an existing version of Windows, start your computer normally. You’d do well to restart the computer and get to a clean desktop with no open program windows or dialog boxes. Then put the Windows Vista disc in your disc drive and wait for the Welcome screen to open. If nothing appears on the screen within a minute or so, follow these steps:

1. Open My Computer.

2. Open the icon for your disc drive. If the Welcome screen opens, skip the next step.

3. Click (or double-click) the setup (or setup.exe) file on the disc.

By now, you should definitely see on your screen some options for installing Windows Vista. To get things rolling: 1. Choose the Install now option.

2. When the Get important updates for installation window appears, you’re able to go online to get the latest updates for your installation of Vista. If you choose this option, your system needs to stay connected throughout the installation.

Before clicking Install, you can use the Windows Easy Transfer, an application included with Windows Vista for copying your files and settings to a different computer. See Article 13 for more information on Easy Transfer.

The installation procedure will begin. You might notice that the screen goes blank once in a while during the installation. Don’t be alarmed; that’s normal. If the screen goes blank for a long time, try moving the mouse around a bit to bring it back. From here on out, you can just follow the instructions on the screen.

Installation options

The exact procedure from this point on will vary a bit, depending on what version of Vista you’re installing. Also, the specific hardware that’s connected to your computer will affect the information that the setup procedure requests. Each request is largely self-explanatory, but here’s a summary of the items you’re likely to encounter along the way.

- Regional, Currency, and Language Options: Choose your preferred location, currency, and keyboard layout.

- Product Key: Type the product key. You should be able to find it on the sleeve in which the Windows Vista disc was delivered.

- License Terms: If you agree with the terms and conditions of the license, click the I accept the license terms checkbox.

- Upgrade or Custom Installation: If you decide that you want to do a fresh installation, choose the Custom option. This will not keep your personal files and programs. The Upgrade option will.

- Compatibility Report: The installation application will look at your existing configuration and indicate whether it finds devices that are incompatible with Vista.

- Security Settings: These settings let you determine how you want to protect your system.

- Date and Time Settings: Set the date and current time, choose your time zone, and decide whether or not you want Windows to automatically adjust the time for daylight savings changes.

The Welcome Center

When the installation is complete, the Welcome Center application will start. The Welcome Center offers many options; some of the more popular ones (under the Get started with Windows section) are listed here:

- View computer details: Double-clicking this icon will bring up information about your computer system. This includes your Windows Experience Index, the amount of RAM in your system, and the System type. You’re also able to easily activate Windows from this window if you haven’t already done so.

- Connect to the Internet: This utility will allow you to set up and configure your network connection. If your Windows XP installation already had a connection, Vista should have used what was already there and allow you to connect to the Internet the same way.

- Transfer files and settings: Selecting this icon will start Windows Easy Transfer, discussed in Article 13.

- Windows Vista Demos: This icon will bring up Windows Help and Support to the topic, which includes several starter videos. These include information on files and folders, using the Internet and e-mail, security and maintenance, and many more.

- Add new users: If you’re not going to be the only user on this system, then you’ll want to add more users to the system. In addition to just creating accounts, clicking this link will allow you to change your account picture and update your password.

If you don’t see all of the preceding items, you can click the link near the bottom of the Get started with Windows section, Show all items.

Re-enabling old startup programs

You may discover that some of the programs that used to start automatically on your computer don’t do so after you’ve installed Windows Vista. You can follow these steps to get those programs to start automatically again in the future:

1. Click Start  ->  All Programs  ->  Accessories, and then choose Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.

2. In the System Configuration Utility that opens, click the Startup tab.

3. To enable all previous auto-start programs, click the Enable all button. Optionally, select (check) only those programs you want to auto-start.

4. Click OK.

5. Click the Start button, click the arrow to the right of the lock icon, and select Restart. Windows Vista should restart with the programs from your previous version of Windows open and running.

Dual-booting with Windows Vista

If you’d rather try Windows Vista before making it your primary operating system, you may want to try running both operating systems at the same time. This is commonly called dual-booting. This means that you can still run your existing version of Windows XP with all of your applications and settings but also use Windows Vista. In a dual-boot environment, you run only one version at a time, and when you want to run the other version you need to restart your system.

Installing Windows Vista and Windows XP in a dual-boot environment means that you will need to install applications on each installation of the operating system. This would mean that if you had Microsoft Office installed on Windows XP, you would have to reinstall it in your new version of Windows Vista. Additionally, it is best to keep your personal documents in a single location preferably on a separate partition. This is discussed later in the appendix. Drive partitions

To set up your computer to a dual-boot environment, you will need multiple partitions on your hard disk. A partition is usually a logical separation of the hard disk. Your first physical hard disk in your computer could have two partitions, drive C: and drive D:. There may only be one physical disk but two logical partitions. Unless you specified otherwise, your system probably has one large partition, which is your primary boot drive. To set up a dual-boot environment, you will need a separate partition for each operating system; in this case you would need two partitions.

Working with partitions is pretty low level, and this means you can do a lot of damage very fast. Be very careful when working with partitions and formatting. Changes made to existing partitions means your data could be lost for good with just a few clicks of the keyboard. It’s very important that you know what partitions contain your personal files and data and which one needs to be formatted.

If your system does contain a single hard disk and one large partition that occupies that hard disk, the easiest and safest solution is to purchase an additional hard disk. In this scenario, your first hard disk would not be changed. You could partition your second hard disk into two partitions, one for Windows Vista and one for the files you want to share between the two operating systems.

Microsoft Virtual PC

Microsoft offers a free product that does not require you to create a second partition on your system. The software is called Microsoft Virtual PC. As I’m writing this, the current version is Virtual PC 2004 with a Virtual PC 2007 in the works. The details of Virtual PC deserve several articles of their own, and for this reason I’ll just mention the basics. If you have Windows XP installed, you can create a Virtual PC for other operating systems such as Vista. You will still boot your computer to Windows XP as you have done in the past, but after booting you would start Virtual PC. You’re able to install additional operating systems in their own environment. When you’re done experimenting with the additional operating system, you can remove it. Virtual PC runs as an application just like Microsoft Office does. For more information on Virtual PC, visit www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc.

If you do have a single hard disk and one large partition, purchase a second hard disk. Before installing the second hard disk, follow these steps to minimize your chances of data loss: 1. Start up your system and boot to Windows XP.

2. After Windows XP has started, click the Start button and click My Computer. Double-click the drive that you think is your system drive with all of your files and folders. Verify that you can locate your files and folders.

3. After you have verified and located the system drive, right-click the drive image and choose Rename. Rename the drive to something meaningful and something that you can identify later. In addition to renaming your Windows XP partition, you can also record the used and free space. You can use these numbers to also help identify your installation of Windows XP later in the appendix. To get the used and free space of the partition, click Start  ->  My Computer. Right-click the partition that you have identified as your Windows XP installation and choose Properties. You’ll see the Used space and Free space numbers in the middle of the screen. Write both of them down for later use.

4. After you have renamed the drive, shut down Windows XP. When your system has been shut down, you need to install the second hard drive in your system. Follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Different vendors have different requirements for installation. After you have successfully installed your hard drive, you’ll need to find your Windows Vista disc and follow these steps:

1. Power up your computer and place the Vista disc in the drive. Also make sure that your system is set up in the BIOS to boot from that drive.

2. When you see the Press any key to boot from CD or DVD message, press any key to boot from your Vista disc. If you do not see this message, your system may not be configured to boot from that disc. Check your BIOS and try booting again from your Windows Vista disc.

3. The system will start to load files. Continue through the installation including clicking the Install now link.

4. When you get to the Which type of installation do you want? dialog box, choose the Custom (advance) option.

5. You’re now presented with a window asking where you would like Windows to be installed. You should see Disk 0, which is your installation of Windows XP and a second disk, Disk 1. Additionally, you can match up the size of the partition if you saved those numbers from earlier in the appendix. If you can’t identify the partition, restart the computer rebooting to Windows XP and name the drive so you can identify it once you come back to this step.

You need to be certain that you have selected the correct partition before continuing. If you’re uncertain, don’t continue. Make sure that you’ve selected the empty disk. Formatting the wrong disk will result in losing your data.

6. Select Disk 1 so it’s highlighted, and click the Drive options in the lower-right corner of the window. Click the New link and set the size of the partition by changing the value in the Size text box. You won’t want to use the entire drive for your Vista installation because you’ll want to save some space for your files and folders.

7. After you’ve set the size of the partition, click the Apply button. The installation application will create the partition to the size you have specified. After the partition has been allocated, you should see three separate partitions with the new one highlighted. Click the Next button and the installation will continue installing Vista to the newly created partition.

The installation will continue just as if it was a new installation of Windows Vista outlined in Appendix B. After the installation of Windows Vista has completed, your system should reboot. This time you will see a different screen after the system starts. Before the system boots to an operating system, you’ll see Windows Boot Manager. The system now has two operating systems, and it wants to know which operating system you want to use. You’ll see two options:

- Earlier Version of Windows: Use this option if you want to boot your previous edition of Windows, Windows XP in your case.

- Microsoft Windows Vista: Use this option if you want to boot to the new installation of Windows, Windows Vista.

After you select to boot to Windows Vista, you’ll be asked to complete some of the installation steps that are outlined in Appendix B. The last step for setting your system up to dual-boot is to configure the common partition between Windows Vista and Windows XP for sharing documents between the two operating systems. To configure the partition, follow these steps:

1. Boot your system to Windows Vista.

2. Click the Start button, right-click your Computer icon, and select Manage.

3. When the Computer Management window opens, expand the Storage item and click the Disk Management icon.

4. In the bottom half of the window, right-click the partition that is Unallocated on Disk 1. Select New Simple Volume from the menu, which will start the New Simple Volume Wizard.

Make sure to select the correct partition. Make sure that the text indicates that the space is unallocated. Any other choice will lead to losing your data.

5. Click the Next button on the first screen.

6. On the second screen, you can specify the size of the partition, and then click the Next button. 7. Select a drive letter for your partition in the next step of the wizard. Once assigned, click the Next button.

8. Choose to format the partition in the next step. NTFS is the best selection. You can also name the partition. Click the Next button to continue.

9. The last step of the wizard summarizes your choices up to this point. Click the Finish button, and Windows Vista will start formatting the drive.

After the system has formatted the partition, you can start storing files and folders on it. You’ll be able to access the partition from both your Windows XP installation and your Windows Vista installation. Remember that you’ll still need to install applications to the Windows Vista installation because applications are not shared between the two operating systems.