Below is a step-by-step preview on how to install AutoCAD 2010.
AutoCAD 2010 CD case cover.
1. Select Install Products.
2. Select which products you wish to install.
3. Read the complete agreement always!! ;) and then select Agree.
4. Fill in your information, serial number, and product key. You will find these listed on the back of your AutoCAD CD case.
5. Review your information, configure if needed, then select Install.
6. If you have made no changes to the default configuration, you will get this message dialog. Select Yes if you're ready to continue.
7. Installing the compoents will now start. The time this takes will vary with your computer system.
8. Once the installation is complete, this dialog will appear and you can select Finish.
9. The install will place this shortcut for AutoCAD 2010 on your desktop.
You will be asked to migrate settings from previous versions of AutoCAD that have been detected on your computer.
This dialog let's you set your industry standard settings as default.
Here you can opitmize your settings for the type of work you do.
Here you can accept the default drawing template, or use a custom one.
You have the option to activate now, or within 30 days. It takes less than a minute to get the activation code if you're online.
Enter your activation code information. You will then be asked to restart your computer for the new settings to take place.
Above is the new AutoCAD 2010 screen menu with no changes from the default settings.
Enjoy!!
Posted by Arch Blocks
Sunday, January 31, 2010
How to Install Office 2010 without Upgrading Office 2007
Microsoft Office 2010, which came via Microsoft Office 2010 Technical preview & later got leaked on most torrent sites, it will ask you to upgrade your previous installed version or make a fresh installation after uninstalling previous installation such as Office 2007, Office 2003 or Office 2000 etc. However, if you want to keep Office 2007 and Office 2010 side by side without uninstalling or upgrading Office 2007, this will be possible.
One simple trick will help you in this case where you can keep both MS Office 2010 and MS Office 2007 in one computer. While installing Office 2010, install it on a directory other than the previous installation. Lets say you have already installed Office 2007 in C: drive’s office folder, you may change the drive location to D: or any other folder in drive C: while installing Office 2010 suite. In this way the previous installation files won’t get overwritten & they will stay intact along with Office 2010 files.
Follow the below steps while installing MS Office 2010 :
Run Office 2010 installation wizard and from the menu, select Customize
Click Browse to select a location which should not be the existing Office installation folder
Now the installation should continue on a new destination and you will get two Office suits intact
You are done.
One simple trick will help you in this case where you can keep both MS Office 2010 and MS Office 2007 in one computer. While installing Office 2010, install it on a directory other than the previous installation. Lets say you have already installed Office 2007 in C: drive’s office folder, you may change the drive location to D: or any other folder in drive C: while installing Office 2010 suite. In this way the previous installation files won’t get overwritten & they will stay intact along with Office 2010 files.
Follow the below steps while installing MS Office 2010 :
Run Office 2010 installation wizard and from the menu, select Customize
Click Browse to select a location which should not be the existing Office installation folder
Now the installation should continue on a new destination and you will get two Office suits intact
You are done.
Alexa Check To Evaluate Your SEO Effort
If you want to get higher rank specially in Google or you want to increase pagerank of your site, than you would consider these three factors to your search engine ranking or your Search Engine Optimation effort. Alexarank, pagerank & backlink. Always use at least these three as parameters to evaluate your search engine optimation efforts. With at least these three factors as your search engine ranking or your Search Engine Optimation evaluation parameters than you can easily increase your pagerank. You can use this tool as a pagerank checker, alexarank checker or even as backlink checker
google_protectAndRun("render_ads.js::google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);
What is pagerank?Pagerank is how Google as number one search engine that most of internet users use to find anything on internet give a rank to your site. It gives ranking based on your quality backlink. So to increase pagerank of your site, you need to get as much as possible quality backlinks to your site. Quality backlink meant here is backlink from a site which its content is relevant with your contentWhat is alexarank? Alexarank is how Alexa give a rank to your site based on your unique visitor number. The lower the alexarank of the site so it means that the site have more unique visitors. So if you able to drive more & more traffic to your site, than you will get lower alexarank.What is backlink?Backlink is a link from other site to your site. A quality backlink is when your site got a link from other site which its content is relevant with your content. You can get quality backlink by submit your site to directory with relevant category or post an article or post a good comment in a blog that its content relevant to your content. Just remember that it just not the number of links but the quality of links
google_protectAndRun("render_ads.js::google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);
What is pagerank?Pagerank is how Google as number one search engine that most of internet users use to find anything on internet give a rank to your site. It gives ranking based on your quality backlink. So to increase pagerank of your site, you need to get as much as possible quality backlinks to your site. Quality backlink meant here is backlink from a site which its content is relevant with your contentWhat is alexarank? Alexarank is how Alexa give a rank to your site based on your unique visitor number. The lower the alexarank of the site so it means that the site have more unique visitors. So if you able to drive more & more traffic to your site, than you will get lower alexarank.What is backlink?Backlink is a link from other site to your site. A quality backlink is when your site got a link from other site which its content is relevant with your content. You can get quality backlink by submit your site to directory with relevant category or post an article or post a good comment in a blog that its content relevant to your content. Just remember that it just not the number of links but the quality of links
Windows XP Tips and Tricks
a. Code (cheat code) Freecell game is one of the default windows game. There may be among friends who love to play a game, but did not know about the cheat. If you use this code cheating, then you can be victorious.Here’s how to activate the code cheating freecell game.
b. Optimizing multimedia applications using the K-lite codeIf you want to improve the ability of multimedia applications in the multimedia files, then you can use the following free codec. Simply install the application automatically windows media player to recognize more in the maximum file fomat videoand audio.
c.How to install Widows Font,If you feel that the time a font of windows on your computer is still a lot less, then you can download the font from several sources that are free. You only need toenter the font you have downloaded into your Windows font directory.To begin the process of adding fonts to Windows to do the following procedures:
1. Try the site below for free fonts,http://www.1001freefonts.com
2. Once the page appears the following site, select the Font category (inthis case I take a name based on the font alphabet only, by pressing A)
google_protectAndRun("render_ads.js::google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);
d. Speed up close and error application (Crash Application), Sometimes because of the influence of bug or because the quota runs out of memory theapplication program which runs suddenly hangs. There are a few tips to speed up the application that hangs close itI. First way1.Magic 3 key combination Ctrl + Alt + Delete (all three keys pressed simultaneously), after a Windows dialog box appears select Task manager Processes tab, select the application that hangs, for example: DAP.exe (Download Accelerator Plus), then press the End Process (waitingapplication to close the error, usually need some seconds).
e. Clean up junk file using CCleaner By using CCleaner (freeware) you can clean up trash Windows file. Usage is very easy and the result is quite satisfactory. You should do first is to install to your computer. If you do not have the installer file (master file) CCleaner, can be downloaded hereUse the procedure is as follows:1. Open the application CCleanerStart -> Programs -> CCleaner -> CCleaner
f. Clean up the Registry file, In addition to clean up garbage files windows, software CCleaner (freeware) can also be used to clean the windows registry file. If you do not have the installer file (master file) CCleaner, can be downloaded hereIf your computer has been installed CCleaner, can do the following procedures:1. Open the application CCleanerStart -> Programs -> CCleaner -> CCleaner
g.Bios beep codes, When a computer is first turned on, or rebooted, its BIOS performs a power-on self test (POST) to test the system’s hardware, checking to make sure that all of the system’s hardware components are working properly. Under normal circumstances, the POST will display an error message; however, if the BIOS detects an error before it can access the video card, or if there is a problem with the video card, it will produce a series of beeps, and the pattern of the beeps indicates what kind of problem the BIOS has detected.Because there are many brands of BIOS, there are no standard beep codes for every BIOS.
b. Optimizing multimedia applications using the K-lite codeIf you want to improve the ability of multimedia applications in the multimedia files, then you can use the following free codec. Simply install the application automatically windows media player to recognize more in the maximum file fomat videoand audio.
c.How to install Widows Font,If you feel that the time a font of windows on your computer is still a lot less, then you can download the font from several sources that are free. You only need toenter the font you have downloaded into your Windows font directory.To begin the process of adding fonts to Windows to do the following procedures:
1. Try the site below for free fonts,http://www.1001freefonts.com
2. Once the page appears the following site, select the Font category (inthis case I take a name based on the font alphabet only, by pressing A)
google_protectAndRun("render_ads.js::google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);
d. Speed up close and error application (Crash Application), Sometimes because of the influence of bug or because the quota runs out of memory theapplication program which runs suddenly hangs. There are a few tips to speed up the application that hangs close itI. First way1.Magic 3 key combination Ctrl + Alt + Delete (all three keys pressed simultaneously), after a Windows dialog box appears select Task manager Processes tab, select the application that hangs, for example: DAP.exe (Download Accelerator Plus), then press the End Process (waitingapplication to close the error, usually need some seconds).
e. Clean up junk file using CCleaner By using CCleaner (freeware) you can clean up trash Windows file. Usage is very easy and the result is quite satisfactory. You should do first is to install to your computer. If you do not have the installer file (master file) CCleaner, can be downloaded hereUse the procedure is as follows:1. Open the application CCleanerStart -> Programs -> CCleaner -> CCleaner
f. Clean up the Registry file, In addition to clean up garbage files windows, software CCleaner (freeware) can also be used to clean the windows registry file. If you do not have the installer file (master file) CCleaner, can be downloaded hereIf your computer has been installed CCleaner, can do the following procedures:1. Open the application CCleanerStart -> Programs -> CCleaner -> CCleaner
g.Bios beep codes, When a computer is first turned on, or rebooted, its BIOS performs a power-on self test (POST) to test the system’s hardware, checking to make sure that all of the system’s hardware components are working properly. Under normal circumstances, the POST will display an error message; however, if the BIOS detects an error before it can access the video card, or if there is a problem with the video card, it will produce a series of beeps, and the pattern of the beeps indicates what kind of problem the BIOS has detected.Because there are many brands of BIOS, there are no standard beep codes for every BIOS.
How To Install Windows 7
So you're thinking about going to Windows 7, eh? Chances are your head is swimming in a sea of Tlas and confusing chart -- enough to have the most adamant Microsoft defender reaching for a something with an Option key. Fear not, noble purchaser of legal software. Though XP users have been punished for skipping Vista by not being able to directly upgrade now, the process of backing up your data, formatting & installing Windows, and then restoring your goods again has never been easier -- even if you're on a netbook with less storage than your smartphone. Vista users have even less to worry about. We'll have our full impressions of the finally finalized OS later this week, but for now let's journey hand in hand down the gently sloped path of the upgrade process.
Sections:
1. Upgrading from XP Pro 32 to Windows 7 Ultimate 64 on a desktop
Return to Top There were conflicting reports ahead of the Windows 7 RTM release about whether XP users would or would not be able to upgrade without going through the whole backup / format / re-install / restore / cry over forgotten files process. When Microsoft finalized just who was in and who was out for the in-place upgrade party, it became very clear that anyone who took a bye on Vista had better get ready for some pain. Sure enough, our XP Pro 32-bit desktop didn't want anything to do with a Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit install disc, lacking even the dignity to display a friendly dialog box. So, it was time to make with the backups (detailed below), then boot that DVD.The bootable Windows 7 installation disc presents a prettier interface than previous Windows versions, which will do little to make up for the ire you may feel at having to format if you weren't planning to, but it is still far better than the old DOS-based installers Microsoft was pawning off just a few versions ago. Once the install interface has loaded, clicking on "Custom Installation" allows you to quickly get a list of your partitions, and we found that all our RAID and SATA storage was recognized immediately. Wiping and creating partitions is quick, with no need to wait ages for painful system-level formats like the good 'ol days. However, we were somewhat annoyed at the mandatory 100MB hidden system partition that the installer creates -- not such a big deal here with a large drive at our disposal, but responsible for a bit more pain on the 8GB netbook coming up next.It took 25 minutes from re-booting onto the installation DVD to get to the first Windows 7 login screen, and another three or four to get past the initial configuration to the first, honest-to-goodness Windows 7 desktop. That included deleting and creating partitions, the full install, configuring OS settings, & getting logged in. Not bad for 30 minutes work. Overall, the process looks like this for a clean desktop install:
Backup data
Boot to Windows 7 installation disc
Select "Custom Installation" and re-create primary drive partition(s)
Patience (approximately 30 minutes)
Re-configure OS and restore backup
2. Upgrading from XP Pro 32 to Windows 7 Ultimate 32 on a netbook
Return to Top Our netbooks were up next, an 8GB 1000H Eee PC and a Sheashell model with a good bit more storage. We'd figured the 1000H would be a challenge, as Microsoft recommends 16GB free and 8GB of disk space as a requirement, so, we were expecting to have a little netbook with a juicy SSD bursting with the latest flavor of Windows and absolutely nothing else. Thankfully things weren't quite that bad, but they weren't far off. Again, in-place upgrading wasn't possible here on either of these two, so it was time to back-up and make with the re-partitioning.An external DVD drive makes the installation process simpler, but Microsoft has detailed exactly How to install Windows 7 from a USB thumb drive or some other form of external storage. The instructions there are simple enough, starting with the DiskPart Utility to format your thumb drive (an 8GB model will have plenty of room), copying the Win 7 install files over, and then making a one-way trip to Repartitionville. After that it is just a matter of modifying your boot order in the BIOS, running from the thumb drive, and going through the process of deleting and creating partitions before the install itself. You can also run the installer with a mere double click from Windows (as we did on the Seashell), but you get a bit less flexibility with partitions during the install -- booting to the drive is better.That mandatory 100MB partition was now a real annoyance, as we don't really feel the need to use BitLocker and, from what we can tell, that's all it is used for. After install we had only 1.2GB free on the 1000H; even after painstakingly deleting every optional Windows contrivance we could think of (including games, DVD maker, and Media Center) we were still only able to get that up to 1.3GB of room to breathe. Knowing that we could have gotten there without having to forsake Mahjong Titans for a seemingly useless partition left us a bit sore.The partitioning and initial installation process up to the first logon prompt took 36 minutes for the 1000H, and a further 15 were required to get to the desktop the first time. The Seashell took about the same time, and rather worryingly both suffered from black-screen crashes during their initial bootups. Thankfully this never occurred again on the 1000H, but the Seashell suffered frequent crashes after the installation was done. Factor in the time we spent poking through the Add / Remove Programs dialog for bits and pieces we could dispatch & you're looking at a solid hour total -- a little less if you have more storage at your disposal. Again, only 1.2GB of unclaimed bits were left on the 8GB SSD, and while that isn't much, we're guessing many netbookers are getting by with less -- and there's still that 30GB second SSD to fill with apps and junk.What the process looks like for a clean netbook install:
Backup data
Prepare thumb drive or other external storage with DiskPart utility
Copy Windows 7 installation files
Boot to external storage
Select "Custom Installation" and re-create primary drive partition(s)
Patience (about an hour)
Re-configure OS and restore backup
3. Upgrading from Vista 64 to Windows 7 64 on a laptop (in-place upgrade)
Return to top It wasn't all doom, gloom, and reformatting; we did manage one in-place upgrade, going from Vista 64 to Windows 7 64 on a DellStudio XPS 13 laptop. The process was easy: just put the disc in, run setup, & go get a cup of coffee. But, when we'd gone back for our second and third cups, getting jittery while the install kept going and going, we'd started to wonder if perhaps doing a clean install would have been the better way to go. Our fears were later confirmed when we noticed that post-install performance improvements were negligible.But, the installation itself was pain free, just taking ages to copy over documents and settings. Total install time was 55 minutes, which was a good bit longer than we'd have expected given the speed of the machine. But, beyond nagging performance disappointments, the upgrade was successful, with all documents, bookmarks & settings getting carried over (even an iTunes library). All the machine's hardware worked immediately except for the integrated card reader, which was up and running after a few restarts. Even Hybrid SLI worked (flawlessly, we might add) after we'd located the driver disc, despite Microsoft's Claimed disinterest. Here's the process for a Vista upgrade:
Backup data (always a good idea)
Insert Windows 7 disc and click "upgrade"
Patience (about an hour)
Double-check everything works
4. Easy Transfer app lives up to its name
Return to top Since we didn't have much luck on the upgrade front and wound up re-formatting most of our machines prior to installation (which honestly is a good idea anyway), we tried out a variety of other ways to back up important data and app settings, including selectively restoring pieces of automated backups from a Windows home server box and the 'ol "Copy everything I think I need to a thumb drive and hope I didn't forget anything" technique. But, far and away the easiest was Microsoft's Easy Transfer application. It's not a new tool, having been around since Vista, but we found it to be the most comprehensive way to move either from one machine to the next (if you're replacing an older PC with a new one), or to restore user accounts and permissions after a reformat. The tool is in the \support\migwiz directory on the Windows 7 DVD, and it has a simple wizard interface that lets you select which accounts to back-up and, for each account, what content to preserve. We chose to just back-up account & application settings, and then dumped the resulting archive to a thumb drive -- we even remembered to not use the one we formatted for the netbook install -- but you can push settings straight over the network to your new machine if you like.Each account required about 70MB, excluding any actual user-generated documents, but it included everything from usernames and passwords to the custom toolbars you spent hours getting pixel-perfect in Office. It only took about five minutes to bundle all that stuff into a backup file, and even less time to restore it all after the install was complete. This app won't archive your applications themselves, so you'll still need to dust off that leaning tower of installation discs sitting in the corner of your desk, but once installed (and re-activated, where applicable) it'll be like you and they were never parted -- many apps will even remember your most recently accessed files, just like you left 'em. Naturally, this works best with Microsoft apps & internal Windows settings, but it did surprise us by grabbing our Firefox bookmarks and history. Still, we'd recommend backing up important app settings manually to be totally sure it's all there.
5. Hardware gotchas
Return to top Overall the install process went well; even backing up and restoring data was straightforward, but naturally there would be a few incompatibilities. Windows 7 includes a fairly comprehensive device troubleshooter that will walk you through some steps to fix the issue, including running the driver installation process in Compatibility Mode, which allows specifying exactly which version of Windows your driver is supposed to work with. But, sometimes even that didn't work.Visioneer's ancient 4400 USB, for example, just would not function regardless of how we tried. But, since it didn't work with Vista either, that wasn't a surprise. In this instance we have to blame the manufacturer for not supporting their hardware past XP. In fact, the only hardware we could find that we could never get to work were things that wouldn't work in Vista either, confirming that Win 7 is at least not a step backward in that regard. The formerly 32-bit XP desktop has in it an older, PCI WinTV tuner and video capture card from Hauppauge that was dead post-install, but a quick trip to the company's website (once we looked up the right way to spell it) and a driver download had us back recording in time for the Mad Men season premier. Similarly, a PCI Creative Audigy2 ZS Platinum sound card did work fine after first boot into Windows 7, but the additional ports on the breakout-box it ships with didn't. Updated drivers from Creative's site (far easier to spell) made everything right as rain. For the Eee PC 1000H, everything worked out of the box except for Bluetooth and the shortcut keys. The machine was able to get on a wireless network and the touchpad worked, but multitouch was sadly missing, requiring custom drivers from Elan. Getting the shortcut and function buttons beneath the screen required additional downloads from Asus's (painfully slow) support website, as did getting other keyboard shortcuts, like Fn-F2 to enable/disable wireless connections to preserve battery life. Asus doesn't offer Windows 7 or even Vista drivers through its site, but the XP ones work just fine.Sadly, the Seashell suffered from frequent crashes and we eventually had to do a System Restore to an earlier state -- after which it seemed fine. Like with the 1000H the function keys for audio, wireless and display settings weren't working after the install, and the trackpad was lacking any sort of advanced driver, but the Bluetooth and card reader were picked up and installed by the OS without effort.Like we mentioned in the install, the card reader wasn't working out of the gate for the Studio XPS 13, but it was eventually solved by Windows Update and a few restarts. Most of the other drivers carried over fine, but we'd managed to uninstall the NVIDIA GeForce 9500 Hybrid SLI graphics drivers before we upgraded, and while Windows 7 seemed to detect something was amiss, it took inserting the driver disc to finally solve the problem. After that's we still had to run the Windows Experience Index to get full Aero graphics out of the machine.
Install done, time for testingOverall the install process for Windows 7 is relatively pain-free, but we really weren't expecting anything else. There are no major advancements here since Vista, and if anything the inability to do an in-place upgrade from XP is something of a step back. But, hardware compatibility is solid, the partitioning & installation process was quick and easy, and at the end we found ourselves with a suite of freshly reconfigured machines ready for testing. The results of that testing? Stay tuned for our full review later this week.Oh, and be sure to let us know about your own experiences with the Windows 7 install. Here's a poll to get you started:
What's your approach to Windows 7?
In-place upgrade off of VistaClean install over VistaClean install over XPHolding out for Windows 8... or at least a Service Pack or twoIs that kind of like Snow Leopard?Vote
Sections:
- From XP 32 to Windows 7 64 on a desktop
- From XP 32 to Windows 7 32 on a netbook
- From XP 32 to Windows 7 64 on a Laptop
- Easy Transfer app
- Hardware gotchas
1. Upgrading from XP Pro 32 to Windows 7 Ultimate 64 on a desktop
Return to Top There were conflicting reports ahead of the Windows 7 RTM release about whether XP users would or would not be able to upgrade without going through the whole backup / format / re-install / restore / cry over forgotten files process. When Microsoft finalized just who was in and who was out for the in-place upgrade party, it became very clear that anyone who took a bye on Vista had better get ready for some pain. Sure enough, our XP Pro 32-bit desktop didn't want anything to do with a Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit install disc, lacking even the dignity to display a friendly dialog box. So, it was time to make with the backups (detailed below), then boot that DVD.The bootable Windows 7 installation disc presents a prettier interface than previous Windows versions, which will do little to make up for the ire you may feel at having to format if you weren't planning to, but it is still far better than the old DOS-based installers Microsoft was pawning off just a few versions ago. Once the install interface has loaded, clicking on "Custom Installation" allows you to quickly get a list of your partitions, and we found that all our RAID and SATA storage was recognized immediately. Wiping and creating partitions is quick, with no need to wait ages for painful system-level formats like the good 'ol days. However, we were somewhat annoyed at the mandatory 100MB hidden system partition that the installer creates -- not such a big deal here with a large drive at our disposal, but responsible for a bit more pain on the 8GB netbook coming up next.It took 25 minutes from re-booting onto the installation DVD to get to the first Windows 7 login screen, and another three or four to get past the initial configuration to the first, honest-to-goodness Windows 7 desktop. That included deleting and creating partitions, the full install, configuring OS settings, & getting logged in. Not bad for 30 minutes work. Overall, the process looks like this for a clean desktop install:
Backup data
Boot to Windows 7 installation disc
Select "Custom Installation" and re-create primary drive partition(s)
Patience (approximately 30 minutes)
Re-configure OS and restore backup
2. Upgrading from XP Pro 32 to Windows 7 Ultimate 32 on a netbook
Return to Top Our netbooks were up next, an 8GB 1000H Eee PC and a Sheashell model with a good bit more storage. We'd figured the 1000H would be a challenge, as Microsoft recommends 16GB free and 8GB of disk space as a requirement, so, we were expecting to have a little netbook with a juicy SSD bursting with the latest flavor of Windows and absolutely nothing else. Thankfully things weren't quite that bad, but they weren't far off. Again, in-place upgrading wasn't possible here on either of these two, so it was time to back-up and make with the re-partitioning.An external DVD drive makes the installation process simpler, but Microsoft has detailed exactly How to install Windows 7 from a USB thumb drive or some other form of external storage. The instructions there are simple enough, starting with the DiskPart Utility to format your thumb drive (an 8GB model will have plenty of room), copying the Win 7 install files over, and then making a one-way trip to Repartitionville. After that it is just a matter of modifying your boot order in the BIOS, running from the thumb drive, and going through the process of deleting and creating partitions before the install itself. You can also run the installer with a mere double click from Windows (as we did on the Seashell), but you get a bit less flexibility with partitions during the install -- booting to the drive is better.That mandatory 100MB partition was now a real annoyance, as we don't really feel the need to use BitLocker and, from what we can tell, that's all it is used for. After install we had only 1.2GB free on the 1000H; even after painstakingly deleting every optional Windows contrivance we could think of (including games, DVD maker, and Media Center) we were still only able to get that up to 1.3GB of room to breathe. Knowing that we could have gotten there without having to forsake Mahjong Titans for a seemingly useless partition left us a bit sore.The partitioning and initial installation process up to the first logon prompt took 36 minutes for the 1000H, and a further 15 were required to get to the desktop the first time. The Seashell took about the same time, and rather worryingly both suffered from black-screen crashes during their initial bootups. Thankfully this never occurred again on the 1000H, but the Seashell suffered frequent crashes after the installation was done. Factor in the time we spent poking through the Add / Remove Programs dialog for bits and pieces we could dispatch & you're looking at a solid hour total -- a little less if you have more storage at your disposal. Again, only 1.2GB of unclaimed bits were left on the 8GB SSD, and while that isn't much, we're guessing many netbookers are getting by with less -- and there's still that 30GB second SSD to fill with apps and junk.What the process looks like for a clean netbook install:
Backup data
Prepare thumb drive or other external storage with DiskPart utility
Copy Windows 7 installation files
Boot to external storage
Select "Custom Installation" and re-create primary drive partition(s)
Patience (about an hour)
Re-configure OS and restore backup
3. Upgrading from Vista 64 to Windows 7 64 on a laptop (in-place upgrade)
Return to top It wasn't all doom, gloom, and reformatting; we did manage one in-place upgrade, going from Vista 64 to Windows 7 64 on a DellStudio XPS 13 laptop. The process was easy: just put the disc in, run setup, & go get a cup of coffee. But, when we'd gone back for our second and third cups, getting jittery while the install kept going and going, we'd started to wonder if perhaps doing a clean install would have been the better way to go. Our fears were later confirmed when we noticed that post-install performance improvements were negligible.But, the installation itself was pain free, just taking ages to copy over documents and settings. Total install time was 55 minutes, which was a good bit longer than we'd have expected given the speed of the machine. But, beyond nagging performance disappointments, the upgrade was successful, with all documents, bookmarks & settings getting carried over (even an iTunes library). All the machine's hardware worked immediately except for the integrated card reader, which was up and running after a few restarts. Even Hybrid SLI worked (flawlessly, we might add) after we'd located the driver disc, despite Microsoft's Claimed disinterest. Here's the process for a Vista upgrade:
Backup data (always a good idea)
Insert Windows 7 disc and click "upgrade"
Patience (about an hour)
Double-check everything works
4. Easy Transfer app lives up to its name
Return to top Since we didn't have much luck on the upgrade front and wound up re-formatting most of our machines prior to installation (which honestly is a good idea anyway), we tried out a variety of other ways to back up important data and app settings, including selectively restoring pieces of automated backups from a Windows home server box and the 'ol "Copy everything I think I need to a thumb drive and hope I didn't forget anything" technique. But, far and away the easiest was Microsoft's Easy Transfer application. It's not a new tool, having been around since Vista, but we found it to be the most comprehensive way to move either from one machine to the next (if you're replacing an older PC with a new one), or to restore user accounts and permissions after a reformat. The tool is in the \support\migwiz directory on the Windows 7 DVD, and it has a simple wizard interface that lets you select which accounts to back-up and, for each account, what content to preserve. We chose to just back-up account & application settings, and then dumped the resulting archive to a thumb drive -- we even remembered to not use the one we formatted for the netbook install -- but you can push settings straight over the network to your new machine if you like.Each account required about 70MB, excluding any actual user-generated documents, but it included everything from usernames and passwords to the custom toolbars you spent hours getting pixel-perfect in Office. It only took about five minutes to bundle all that stuff into a backup file, and even less time to restore it all after the install was complete. This app won't archive your applications themselves, so you'll still need to dust off that leaning tower of installation discs sitting in the corner of your desk, but once installed (and re-activated, where applicable) it'll be like you and they were never parted -- many apps will even remember your most recently accessed files, just like you left 'em. Naturally, this works best with Microsoft apps & internal Windows settings, but it did surprise us by grabbing our Firefox bookmarks and history. Still, we'd recommend backing up important app settings manually to be totally sure it's all there.
5. Hardware gotchas
Return to top Overall the install process went well; even backing up and restoring data was straightforward, but naturally there would be a few incompatibilities. Windows 7 includes a fairly comprehensive device troubleshooter that will walk you through some steps to fix the issue, including running the driver installation process in Compatibility Mode, which allows specifying exactly which version of Windows your driver is supposed to work with. But, sometimes even that didn't work.Visioneer's ancient 4400 USB, for example, just would not function regardless of how we tried. But, since it didn't work with Vista either, that wasn't a surprise. In this instance we have to blame the manufacturer for not supporting their hardware past XP. In fact, the only hardware we could find that we could never get to work were things that wouldn't work in Vista either, confirming that Win 7 is at least not a step backward in that regard. The formerly 32-bit XP desktop has in it an older, PCI WinTV tuner and video capture card from Hauppauge that was dead post-install, but a quick trip to the company's website (once we looked up the right way to spell it) and a driver download had us back recording in time for the Mad Men season premier. Similarly, a PCI Creative Audigy2 ZS Platinum sound card did work fine after first boot into Windows 7, but the additional ports on the breakout-box it ships with didn't. Updated drivers from Creative's site (far easier to spell) made everything right as rain. For the Eee PC 1000H, everything worked out of the box except for Bluetooth and the shortcut keys. The machine was able to get on a wireless network and the touchpad worked, but multitouch was sadly missing, requiring custom drivers from Elan. Getting the shortcut and function buttons beneath the screen required additional downloads from Asus's (painfully slow) support website, as did getting other keyboard shortcuts, like Fn-F2 to enable/disable wireless connections to preserve battery life. Asus doesn't offer Windows 7 or even Vista drivers through its site, but the XP ones work just fine.Sadly, the Seashell suffered from frequent crashes and we eventually had to do a System Restore to an earlier state -- after which it seemed fine. Like with the 1000H the function keys for audio, wireless and display settings weren't working after the install, and the trackpad was lacking any sort of advanced driver, but the Bluetooth and card reader were picked up and installed by the OS without effort.Like we mentioned in the install, the card reader wasn't working out of the gate for the Studio XPS 13, but it was eventually solved by Windows Update and a few restarts. Most of the other drivers carried over fine, but we'd managed to uninstall the NVIDIA GeForce 9500 Hybrid SLI graphics drivers before we upgraded, and while Windows 7 seemed to detect something was amiss, it took inserting the driver disc to finally solve the problem. After that's we still had to run the Windows Experience Index to get full Aero graphics out of the machine.
Install done, time for testingOverall the install process for Windows 7 is relatively pain-free, but we really weren't expecting anything else. There are no major advancements here since Vista, and if anything the inability to do an in-place upgrade from XP is something of a step back. But, hardware compatibility is solid, the partitioning & installation process was quick and easy, and at the end we found ourselves with a suite of freshly reconfigured machines ready for testing. The results of that testing? Stay tuned for our full review later this week.Oh, and be sure to let us know about your own experiences with the Windows 7 install. Here's a poll to get you started:
What's your approach to Windows 7?
In-place upgrade off of VistaClean install over VistaClean install over XPHolding out for Windows 8... or at least a Service Pack or twoIs that kind of like Snow Leopard?Vote
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