Clean Install Windows 7 Using Upgrade Media

Many Windows 7 users who have come to to use the O.S. by upgrading from Windows XP or Windows Vista using an upgrade disk purchased at a discount are faced with a problem if they need to replace their hard drive – they have to have a qualifying older version of Windows installed to do the upgrade.

This means if course that then have to install a completely unwanted Operating System first, in order to upgrade it to Window 7. Fortunately, with a litttle extra work it’s possible to get round this and use upgrade media to perform a clean install.

    1. Insert your Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade disk into your computers optical drive and reboot the machine.
    2. Follow the steps through, the boot sequence selecting the appropriate language and keyboard settings when requested, and accept the licence agreement.
    3. Now, when presented with the types of installation that you require, DO NOT select the option to upgrade, instead select the ‘Custom (Advanced)’ option.
    4. Work your way through the partition allocation options, and allow Windows 7 to install itself, you will see plenty of update screens as to what Windows 7 is doing, and there will be more than one re-boot along the way, this is all normal. We thoroughly recommend that you set a user password along the way.
    5. Once Microsoft Windows 7 has installed and is ready to run for the first time you are presented with the screen below for Product Key entry – DO NOT enter your product key at this stage, make sure you un-tick the option to automatically activate Windows 7, and click Next (some versions may say Skip).

    1. Click through the remaining screens accepting the default options (although we would recommend not to select automatic updates at this stage), and you will eventually come to your Windows 7 desktop
    2. Once you’re back at the Windows 7 desktop, open your optical drive and re-insert your Windows 7 disk.

You will now be presented with a screen where one of the options is to Upgrade to Windows 7 select this, and run through the various screens installation screens as before, but this time it’s safe to enter your product key, and activate your copy of Windows 7, once completed you will have a full, working, activated copy of Windows 7.