52. Upgrading To Windows Vista
When purchasing your copy of Windows Vista you
have two basic options
- Full Retail Copy.
- Upgrade Copy.
A full retail copy enables you to install the
operating system on a computer that does not already
have an operating system installed. If, however,
your computer already has an operating system
installed, i.e., Windows 2000, XP or 2003 Server, it
may be more practical, and less expensive, to
actually use an upgrade copy of Windows Vista.
Upgrading the operating system is pretty
straightforward; the only annoying aspect is the
time it can take. In some cases an upgrade can take
as little as ninety minutes, in other cases it can
take several hours. the upgrade instigated for this
particular walk-through took in excess of 3 hours on
a 2,8Ghz Pentium 4 with 1.5GB RAM.
From a walk-through point of view simply having a
numbered sequence of steps explaining what should be
happening is not particularly constructive. it is
for this reason that I have taken the time to
collect relevant screenshots, so that you are not
only told what should be happening, but that you can
also interact with what is actually displayed on
your monitor screen. hopefully this approach will be
more beneficial to those wishing to upgrade their
machines to Windows Vista.
I said earlier that upgrading the operating
system was pretty straightforward, and it is.
However, as with anything, there is always the
potential for something to go wrong. With this in
mind I would suggest that, prior to upgrading, you
take the opportunity to make backup copies of any
important files or documents you have stored on your
PC. This is merely a precaution - better to be safe
than sorry!
So now let's begin the upgrade sequence.
1/ Boot your PC to your current
operating system.
2/ Insert the Windows Vista upgrade DVD
and let it auto run.
3/ The compatibility and install screen appears.
4/ While Vista will automatically check for
compatibility during the upgrade sequence, it may be
prudent to run the compatibility check before
proceeding further. Not all applications and
hardware a compatible with Vista and you may require
updated drivers or software updates. By running the
compatibility check now you will bee of any short
comings in your current hardware and software setup,
and can take the appropriate action. If the
compatibility issue is software related it may be
wise to un-install the particular application to
prevent problems after Vista has been installed. If
there is a hardware problem, you can check with the
hardware manufacturer to see if a Vista driver is
available.
5/ After checking for compatibility and taking
the necessary action, Click the Install
Option to start the upgrade.
6/ A Blue screen now appears with the legend,
Please Wait.
7/ After a short period the screen changes and
you have the option of Downloading Important
Updates for installation. If you are
already connected to the internet, Click the option
to download any updates. If you are
not connected to the Internet at this time, Choose
the option to Update later.
8/ After you have accepted or refused the option
to download updates, the Windows End User
License Agreement (EULA) appears.
Accept the license agreement to continue.
9/ The next screen asks What type of
installation you want. Choose the
Upgrade option.
10/ Windows Vista will now check your current
system for compatibility. Please note that this may
take several minutes
11/ After the compatibility check has been
completed, you will be presented with a
compatibility report. Look carefully
through this report to see if you have any
compatibility issues. Once satisfied you can Click
the Next button.
12/ The Upgrading Windows screen
will now appear. You should be aware that your
upgrade may take several hours to complete.
13/ As the upgrade progresses your system will
periodically re-start.
14/ As your PC re-starts a black
screen will appear with the legend Press Any
Key to Boot From CD or DVD.DO NOT under any
circumstances press any key. To do so will abort the
upgrade and the sequence will start all over again.
15/ The next screen shows the Microsoft Copyright
and a Small progress bar.
16/ After a few moments a Blue Please
Wait screen appears.
17/ A few moments later the Upgrading
Windows screen re-appears.
18/ Next the Upgrading Windows screen show the
progress of the upgrade.
19/ After a while your PC will again
re-start.
20/ On re-starting the Black screen appears again
with the legend Press Any Key To Boot from
CD or DVD. Again DO NOT
press any key.
21/ The Microsoft Copyright and Small progress
bar appears again.
22/ The next screen asks you to Wait
while windows prepares to start for the first time
the progress of this operation can be seen as a
series of dots progressing from
left to right on the screen. Again this operation
may take some time, so be patient.
23/ When the Preparation sequence has finished a
Blue Please wait screen will
appear.
24/ After a few moments the Upgrading
Windows progress information window
returns. At this stage it should be showing
Completing Upgrade. Once again this
operation may take some time to complete.
25/ Once the Completing Upgrade operation has
finished, your PC will re-start
again.
26/ If on re-start the Press Any Key To
Boot from CD or DVD screen appears remember
DO NOT press any key.
27/ Again the Microsoft Copyright and Progress
bar appears.
28/ The next screen ask you to Help
Protect Windows. Select the Use
recommended settings option.
29/ Next you need to review your time
zone. if you need to make any alterations
do so before pressing the Next
button.
30/ The next screen say's Thank You.
At this point Press the Start
Button on the Thank you screen.
31/ A message will now appear asking you to
Please wait while Windows checks performance.
32/ During the checking of performance a series
of screens will appear starting with Getting
it done just got more fun.
33/ Next the screen will change to
Connect and communicate like never before.
34/ Next comes Turn everyday moments into
lifetime memories.
35/ Then Connect, Play, have fun.
36/ Followed by Power to find everything.
37/ And finally, A more secure
environment.
38/ Depending upon how long it takes Vista to
check your PCs performance, you may find that these
screens repeat
39/ After the Performance check has been
completed you will see the Vista logo.
40/ If your operating system was previously
Password protected, the Log
On screen will now appear. Type in your
Password and Click OK.
If your PC wasn't previously password protected
Vista should boot directly to the desktop.
41/ A Welcome Screen now
appears.
42/ After a few moments the screen changes to
Preparing your desktop. This may
take a few minutes to complete.
43/ Finally the Windows Vista welcome
Screen appears. Your upgrade has now been
completed!
