We’ve come to the end of our Windows 7 The Ease of Setup series; and we’ve accomplished a great deal over the past 6 weeks.  If you’ve been following along, and have worked through this with me, you should now have Windows 7 installed on YOUR existing PC. Congratulations on a job well done!

Now that its installed, you may be wondering, “well, that’s just great, Chris… NOW what?! I have no idea where things are or what to do!”

No worries, my friends… I’ve got 7 well timed tips to help you get acclimated to the new OS.

Start Menu – Search is all you need
With earlier versions of Windows, finding programs or documents wasn’t easy.  You often had to search through multiple Program Groups or a huge list of documents to find what you want. With Windows 7 all you need is the Search field in the Start Panel. 

Click Start, and then type the name of the thing you’re looking for. Windows will show you keyword matches (programs, Control Panel applets, documents, e-mail messages, etc.) from the entire contents of your hard drive. There’s really no need to click Start—Programs anymore. 

Windows 7 Search Results

Quick Launch is now Your Task Bar
One of the biggest changes to Windows 7 is the removal of the traditional Quick Launch toolbar.  Quick Launch is now your Task Bar, and you can add any running program to it simply by right clicking on a running program in the Task Bar and choosing “Pin this Program to the Task Bar.” Once pinned to the Task Bar, you can run a program by clicking its icon.  Running programs are differentiated from pinned icons by the rectangular outline around it.

Your Quick Launch Toolbar is now your Task Bar

Put Your Gadgets Anywhere
In Vista, the SideBar was a static thing that sat on a chosen edge of your PC’s screen. Gadgets sat in the bar, period. In Windows 7, Sidebar gadgets can sit anywhere you want them to.  All you need to do is hover your mouse over the gadget in question until the move handle appears, then click and drag it to the desired location.

Gadgets can live anywhere, even the middle of the desktop, like the above…

Hide None, Some or All of your System Tray
Since Quick Launch and your Task Bar are one in the same, Windows 7’s System Tray now has the ability to hide all, some or none of its icons. Click the up arrow at the left most end of the System Tray and then click the Customize link on the panel that appears.  You can always show, show only notifications or hide tray icons in the resulting dialog box.

Customize your System Tray

Quickly show the Desktop
Getting access to your desktop can be an important thing.  Seeing what windows are where and what you’ve got under the active window can help you get organized.  If you need to quickly view the desktop, simply hover your mouse over the rectangular button at the right-most end of the task bar. You desktop will appear with all of your active windows outlined. Click the button to quickly minimize all windows.

Quickly get to your desktop!

Taskbar Peek
Sometimes its helpful to know what you have running without having to ALT-Tab through all of your running applications. Thankfully, Windows 7 offers this by allowing users to hover their mouse cursor over a running application. Windows 7 will then show you a live shot of the current status of the application, making it easy to identify which document or application you need

Windows Peek in action

Shake to Minimize Windows
Once you find the window you’re looking for, clearing the desktop so that things aren’t so cluttered is easy.  Simply grab the task bar on the window you want to KEEP and quickly shake it back and forth.  All other active windows will quickly minimize themselves.  To restore those windows, repeat the above.

Stay tuned!  There’s more Windows 7 magic coming up in the future!

This is part 6 in a multipart series on setting up Windows 7 on YOUR PC. You can see parts here at Just Another Mobile Monday and at iTechGear.org.

Wow…

We’ve accomplished a lot in the last few weeks.  We have figured out

• (that) Windows 7 was a good OS choice for us
• Determined which version of the OS to install
• Examined our hardware, figured out what to upgrade, and then upgraded our hardware
• Prepped the computer and our data for the OS upgrade, and finally
• Ripped the band aid off and installed Windows 7

Great!  We’ve got the new OS installed..!  Now what??

Great question. Let’s take a quick look at some very important follow up items that need to be done right away. These things don’t have to be done in this EXACT order, but need to be done before you give your PC a good workout.

Now that the install is done, let’s get busy!

1. Install Your Drivers (if not already done)
   If you haven’t gotten all of your drivers installed, do that now before you do anything else. You’d be surprised how much missing drivers can drag down PC performance.
2. Setup your Wireless Network
   If you have Wi-Fi on your PC or laptop, one of the first things Windows 7 wants to do is configure it. Take some time to run through the wizards, so that you can get on the Internet.  You’re going to need it if you don’t have a wired connection to hook up to.
3. Install Anti-Virus/Anti-SPAM
   Most AV apps, like McAfee or Norton, use a subscription service after your initial purchase to keep your software current.  This usually means that you give your AV vendor of choice $30-$40 bucks a year (after a $50-$80 initial purchase) to use the software. Stop the madness. Unless you have an active AV subscription when you install Windows 7, installing a free AV utility or Internet Suite can provide you with adequate protection while saving money. AVG Free, MS Security Essentials, Panda Anti-Virus and Kaspersky are all great utilities and offer free versions. I use MS Security Essentials or AVG Free and haven’t gotten a virus or worm while they’ve been installed.
4. Install Dropbox and Retrieve your Data
   Reinstall Dropbox and let it copy down all of your data, or connect your computer to the external drive that has your data and copy it all back to your PC. Windows will want to move the contents of My Music, My Videos and My Pictures to different locations. Don’t worry. Let this happen.  You’ll be able to find your files again later.
5. Run Windows Update and get ALL Available Updates
   If there are driver or component updates available for your PC or Windows 7, Windows Update is going to bring them to you. Make sure you do this before installing all of your programs so the OS is current.
6. Install your Core Applications
   These are the apps that you use all the time, and the reason why you have a computer.  You can put them back on in the order that seems the most logical to you. If you don’t have all of your install CD’s don’t panic. Many of these applications can be downloaded from the Internet or something similar that can be downloaded can be easily found via Google.

   There are many free alternatives to MS Office (like OpenOffice), and to other applications, that are free. The internet is a vast place. Use Bing, Google, Yahoo! or any other search engine you’re familiar with to look around for free, legitimate and legal alternatives if your software budget is small.

Next week, I’ll have some tips and tricks for getting most out of Windows 7. If you have questions and would like them answered, don’t hesitate to contact me at chris@itechgear.org. If the solution benefits everyone, I’ll include it in a Questions and Answers column we have planned!

This is part 5 of a multipart series on setting up Windows 7 on YOUR computer.   You can see parts here at Just Another Mobile Monday and at iTechGear.org.

OK… NOW its time to install the operating system.

We’ve figured out which version of the Windows 7 to install, backed up all of our data to either an external drive or to The Cloud, and have all of the drivers that we need. We’re ready to drop the DVD in the drive and let ‘er rip, right?

Yep.

Install Windows 7 now..!

There are two possible install paths – Full or Upgrade install. The middle and end results are pretty much the same; but the way things start off are very different. Follow these steps to install Windows 7 with a Full DVD. Pictures of the full process, can be seen below and at iTechGear.org.

1. With the computer on, put the DVD in your DVD drive. Ignore any autorun messages or applications that run off the DVD.  Close them.
2. Shut down the computer (using the shutdown feature in Windows) and turn your computer off. 
3. Turn the PC back on and let the PC boot from the DVD drive.  If your PC instructs you to press any key to boot from the DVD drive, press any key.
4. Windows will run through a quick process to copy boot files and other setup essentials to your hard drive. No major changes are made during this time.
5. The setup program will start, and ask you to pick and installation language, time and currency, and keyboard formats.  The defaults for the United States will display.  Click the Next button.
6. The next screen has the Install Now button on it. Click it and let ‘er rip!
7. You’ll see a couple of screens after this.  Let Windows 7 setup take you through them.  Setup will ask you what type of install you want to do.  Stop.

   If you’re upgrading from Windows XP, Windows 7 setup will make you do a clean install.  You can format your drive and wipe any spyware or viruses from your machine, right here, right now. You’re booting from the DVD, and none of them are active right now.  Remember, all of your data has been backed up. Again, if this is your situation, let ‘er rip. 

   If you’re coming from Vista and do an in-place upgrade, remember that it takes quite a bit of time, depending on the amount of programs you have installed.  Windows 7 Setup examines every application you have and either allows it to execute in Windows 7, "marks" it as problematic, or disables it. All this takes time; and Windows Setup can make mistakes.  While it may be time consuming for you, doing a clean install and installing your programs from scratch can save you time after the install is done.  If Windows "burps" afterwards, its going to be near impossible to figure out the REAL root cause, and eliminate it. A clean install is the safest bet.

Follow these steps to install Windows 7 with an Upgrade DVD.

1. With your computer on, put the DVD in your DVD drive.  Setup with start and you’ll see a screen with an Install Now button. Click it. Setup will copy boot files and other setup essentials to your hard drive from within XP or Vista.
2. When the copy is completed, your computer will restart from the special setup files.

At this point, the process will be similar to the full install process, above.  When the install process completes and you see the Windows 7 desktop, get your driver’s and install them. Your computer may need to restart several times while you do this. Be sure to install all your drivers. If Windows has a better driver than the one your installing, it will use it.

Next time, we’ll talk about what to do after your drivers are installed.

Setup from DVD to Desktop in Pictures

DVD in the drive…	Setting up on my Wind…	The Wind’s Boot Menu…	Choose the DVD Drive…	Boot from the DVD drive…
Windows is loading files…	Choose regional settings	Let ‘er rip..!	Setup is starting…	Agree to the terms…
Upgrade or Custom? (Custom…)	Choose the drive to install on…	Choose Drive Options (Advanced)	Click Format. Win 7 is NTFS only	Wiping the drive erases all…
The drive stats, post format…	The file copy starts…	Applying registry settings…	Setup is starting services…	Finishing the file copy…
Type a users & computer name…	Choose a password…	Type your Product Key…	Choose how updates are applied…	Set the Time Zone…
Setup is preparing your Desktop…	Your desktop, your Wi-Fi…

This is part 4 of a multipart series on setting up Windows 7 on YOUR computer.   You can see parts here at Just Another Mobile Monday and at iTechGear.org.

Ok…

So, now you’re ready to install Windows 7 on your PC, right?  You’ve decided that 7 is right for you, have figured out which version to install, and have upgraded key components of your system to get it ready for the upgrade.  The only thing left is to plunk the DVD in the drive and let ‘er rip, right??

Wrong. There are a number of things that you need to do to get ready for the actual software install. Let’s take a look at what they are and give the install the biggest opportunity for success…

Ready, set, HOLD IT! Don’t install just yet. First things first…

Gather Required Drivers
While Windows 7’s driver database is one of the most complete I’ve ever seen (in contrast, Windows Vista’s was a train wreck), there are still some drivers for devices that you may have to install yourself.  For example, Windows 7 and Windows Update didn’t have the 32bit driver for the sound card on my wife’s Dell Latitude D610.  I found that at Dell’s Support Site.

The Fuji T4210 Lifebook that I am using at the office, an older tablet PC that originally ran Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, is a great example of "download the drivers before installing."  While Windows 7 had many of required drivers, the drivers from the PC’s support page (21 in all) were a better match for the devices; and there was at least one driver for a power saving device that neither Windows 7 nor Windows Update had. Without the driver file from Fuji, the PC wouldn’t function correctly under Windows 7.

My early 2009 13" aluminum, unibody MacBook is also another great example of a compatible, Windows 7 capable PC, but one that had special driver installation needs, especially for 64bit Windows 7.

Also, if you’re running a 2006 or earlier Intel based Mac, Boot Camp (the software Apple supplies to allow you to dual boot OS-X and Windows on your Mac) won’t support Windows 7.  You’re going to be stuck with Vista; or will need to run Windows 7 with either Parallels Desktop 5.0 or VMWare Fusion.

The bottom line here – The biggest chance for your Windows 7 installation to succeed from a technical perspective is to have all of your drivers handy so you can install them just in case Windows 7 doesn’t automatically do it during installation. The support section of your PC manufacturer’s website should have a way for you to easily locate all of the required drivers. Download them, stick them on a USB thumb drive or CD, and then stick it to the side in case Windows 7 doesn’t have all of your PC’s drivers.

My Documents and Your Data
Ok… this is the biggest part of your prep activities – figuring out what to do with your data. This is by far going to be one of the biggest issues you’ve got, as no one wants to lose their stuff; BUT its something that you really need to be mindful of. Depending on what OS you’re upgrading FROM, and the method you ultimately decide to use for installing Windows 7, insuring that you don’t lose anything is going to make you a hero and not a zero in the eyes of your family.  Effectively, you really only have one shot to get this right.  Thankfully, you have a couple of options:

1. Backup to a local hard drive or USB drive
   A simple copy will do. You don’t have to use a "backup" program, per se.  In fact, if you’re not certain if your backup program works with Windows 7, a straight copy is the safest bet. Get your data off your existing PC.

   If you have an extra drive in or connected to your PC (via USB cable, for example), and your data isn’t already on it, move your data there.   The transfer will be quick, painless, and you will be able to read and write to the drive long after the install is over.  If you don’t have an extra hard drive in or connected to your PC, I understand that Target will have a Black Friday special on 1.5TB (that’s terabyte or 1000 gigabytes) hard drives for around $60. If this isn’t an option for you, then you may want to consider an off-site solution.

2. Backup to The Cloud
   Cloud computing is all the rage now-a-days, but isn’t anything new.  Computing started off using this type of model – think mainframe and mini’s from back in the day. As more and more content moves to the web, and as these solutions become more and more secure, putting your data there is ok. Like many things on the Internet, some cloud based solutions are free.  The backup solution I like the best is called Drop Box. With it, you get 2-3 GB of FREE, synchronized storage (meaning it will automatically copy all your data up to The Cloud, and bring it back down when our upgrade is done). It will also allow you to have all of your data on multiple PC’s (like the one you have a work and the one at home, again, via secure connection) so you can work on things at home instead of spending long hours at the office). To back up your data with DropBox, follow the instructions below:

1. Install DropBox
DropBox can be found at http://dropbox.com. Download and install this free utility. It will create a folder in My Documents (or Documents, on Windows Vista) called "My DropBox."

Download Dropbox. The setup file is about 14MB in size

Most broadband connections should be able to download this file within a few moments.  Though the file is not yet a 1.0 version (notice, the version number is 0.6.570), and its technically still in beta, I want to remind everyone that Google’s Gmail was technically in a beta stage for over 4 YEARS.  I’ve been using Dropbox for almost 6 months, and its been flawless. Its one of the most stable applications I have on my computers, and I’m using it on both 32bit and 64bit versions of Windows 7.

The install is standard fare…

The application installs quickly, and is minimally invasive.  Its not going to scatter DLL’s (application components) all over your hard drive. 

2. Configure Dropbox
After the application is in, you can configure it with the Preferences dialog box.

The General tab of the Preferences dialog box…

Note the Dropbox Folder Location, above.  This is where you’re synchronized files will be located.  Anything and everything that’s located in that folder (subfolders included) will be copied up to your Dropbox account at dropbox.com.  You can change the location of your Dropbox on your PC, but its recommended that you leave it where it wants to be.  The folder "My Dropbox is going to be created by the application no matter what you try to do (so specifying any OTHER folder as your Dropbox folder isn’t going to work).

The Network tab of the Preferences dialog box…

If you have any special requirements for your network (proxy settings, an maximum upload/download rate, you can specify them on the Network tab of the Preferences dialog box.  In most cases, you won’t need to worry about this tab.  However, if things don’t work right, you might want to look here for possible solutions.

The contents of my Dropbox folder…

In order to get things into your Dropbox account, simply copy them into your My Dropbox folder.  Once they have been copied up to your account, each file or folder will have a green circle with a checkmark next to it (see above).  That means that object (and in the case of folders), all of its contents, have been successfully copied up to your account. Once everything is green, the copy is completed, and you can move on to the next step.

Upgrade or Update?
This is a huge question.  I have had a ton of people ask me if they should do an in-place upgrade (meaning simply let Windows upgrade OS files, keeping all of your applications and data in tact) or wipe the drive and do a clean install (or update).

There are a few things to keep in mind here: 

1. If you have Windows XP, you CANNOT do an in-place upgrade.  Windows 7 is going to make you wipe the drive and do a clean install. The OS differences are just too vast to allow an in-place upgrade. You’re going to have to reinstall all of your programs and restore your data afterwards.
2. If you’re coming from Windows Vista, Windows 7 will let you do an in-place upgrade to an equivalent or better version of Windows 7; but you may not want to. There have been some reports of in-place upgrades taking as long as 21 hours to complete. There have also been reports of incomplete upgrades (where outdated OS files didn’t get upgraded or deleted) as well as application and driver compatibility issues afterwards.
3. If you decide to install a 64bit version of Windows 7 and you’re coming from a 32bit version of Vista, you’re not going to be able to do an in-place upgrade.  The OS files are vastly different, and you’ll be required to do a clean install.  Users coming from a 64bit version of XP will also be required to do a clean install.

Based on the above, my experience has shown me that a clean installation is always the best way to go.  With DropBox or a copy of your data on an external drive, its easy to put your data back on your PC.  While reinstalling all of your software may be, lets face it…a pain in the butt, especially if some of it was "creatively" acquired, its still the best way to get everything in with the fewest amount of problems later on.

While most may just wing it, and do the in-place upgrade thinking everything will be ok, I’ve had to help a few friends through some pretty rough OS installs gone bad.  It sounds trite, but an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure.  Prepare for the install.  Gather your PC’s drivers, backup your data, and then make the right install choice for you.

Next time, we’ll talk about doing the actual Windows 7 install.

Questions..?  Send them to chris (at) itechgear.org, and I’ll do my best to get answers to you as quickly as possible.

Series:

Setting up Windows 7 for the First Time? Welcome to the (House) Party…

I was recently fortunate enough to be selected as a Windows 7 Launch Party host by House Party.  The theme of my party is, "The Ease of Setup." Since this is a brand new operating system, and since many people have been using Windows XP since the dawn of the New Millennia (read since 1999/2000, depending on when you started counting), they haven’t upgraded their operating system since they ditched Windows 98 or Windows 2000 back in the day.  Yes, Windows XP sure has been around for a long time, hasn’t it.  In order to make Windows 7 setup easier on everyone, I am publishing a multipart series here on JAMM and at iTechGear.

 

 

I’m planning on a six part series over the next few weeks. Without further ado, here’s what I’m going to cover:

• Part 1: Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda – Is Windows 7 Right for Me?
• Part 2: Eany-Meany-Miney-Moe – Choosing the Right Version of Windows 7
• Part 3: The Right Tool for the Right Job – Hardware Requirements and YOUR Computer
• Part 4: Pregame – Preparing for the Update..?  Upgrade..?
• Part 5: Ripping the Band Aide Off: Installing Windows 7
• Part 6: Post Partum: Things to do Immediately After Install (oh, and Welcome to Windows 7!)

This is going to be an interesting time, kids.  Windows 7 offers a great deal, and those of you who haven’t seen it yet, should really give it some serious consideration.  It’s really something that most Windows users will like, and it hasn’t disappointed me here yet. Stay tuned, kids!