Hello, Vista

Now you're ready to get the new OS up and running

1. Install Vista

To start the Windows Vista installation process, insert the Windows Vista DVD and reboot your system. Press the spacebar to boot from the DVD when prompted. On the first dialog, you’re probably safe sticking with the defaults, but if you need to change the install language, time and currency format, or keyboard layout, this is the place to do it. Then press Install Now to continue. The next screen deals with activation. You can enter the product key either when prompted or later. Vista will work for 30 days without an activation key. When it comes time to activate, you’ll need to use a key for the version you have installed. (It’s important to note that you can’t downgrade from Premium to Home Basic or from Ultimate to Home Premium without a reinstall though.) There’s an option to automatically activate Windows, but we recommend against using it, in case there are problems with your Windows Vista install on this particular system. Click through the rest of the prompts until you get to the hard drive selection phase.
If you are installing Vista on a brand-new (or empty) hard disk, select Unallocated Space on the drive you want to use and press Next to continue. Windows will handle the rest. (If you want to use BitLocker hard drive encryption, you’ll need to follow some different steps.)
If you’re replacing an existing Windows installation, you need to delete the old partition first. To do that, select the drive with your installation and click the partition you want to delete. Click Drive Options (Advanced) to display Delete, Extend, Format, and New Partition options. Click Delete to get rid of the partition, then select Unallocated Space and press Next to continue.
You’re almost done! After the system reboots, you’ll need to set up an account. Enter your user name and password when prompted and select a picture for your user account before moving to the next screen. Give your PC a name and select a desktop background, then move on to the next screen and select “Use recommended settings” to enable automatic security updates for your PC. On the final screen, you’ll need to select your time zone and adjust your system’s internal clock before the Windows installer completes.

2. Boot into Vista

The first time you start Windows Vista, it takes a few minutes to calculate the Windows Experience Index, which will give you a very rudimentary idea of how your computer performs. The Experience Index measures your CPU, memory, disk drive, and graphics performance.
Your first stop in Vista should be the System Properties control panel, where you’ll find the Device Manager. To open the Device Manager, click the Start menu; go to Control Panel and click System and Maintenance, then click System. Next, click the Device Manager, which is on the top-left portion of the screen. Should you see any exclamation points in the Device Manager window, you’ll need to determine what the problem is. Usually, getting incompatible hardware working is as easy as downloading and installing a new driver, but it can be more complex than that. When you’re done, you should check your computer’s Windows Experience Index base score to make sure everything in your system is working as expected.
While we’re in the Control Panel, it’s worth mentioning that many of the functions you’ve grown accustomed to have been moved around. However, the redesigned interface actually makes sense. The new design, when paired with the kick-ass search engine—which allows you to search for not only a control panel’s name but also individual functions inside the panel—works very well. If you want to change the background, simply type “background” into the search bar. We were very impressed with the usefulness of the search feature.