Tuesday, July 28, 2009

I attempt to instal the Windows 7 Release Candidate

Fed up with Windows Vista, I decided it was time to see what all this Windows 7 fuss is about. Haven't heard of Windows 7? Yeah, me neither. Nevertheless, I'm throwing caution to the wind and installing it on my PC (don't worry Apple fans, my MacBook is safe).

Turns out, Microsoft is practically giving away free copies of Windows 7 (in the sense that they are actually giving away free copies) for trial before the official release. I downloaded mine sunday night.

There are two versions-- x86 (for 32-bit processors) and x64 (for 64-bit processors). Turns out, I actually have a 64 bit processor.... So I'll be installing that. wheeeee.

First thing's first: I backed up my music, movies, and photos onto my 1 TB external HD. Sorry, saved games. You get to experience the wrath of a reformat.

Yes, that R word. Reformat. When 64-bit processors first came out, the device support wasn't all that great... so I went with the 32-bit Vista. You can upgrade from a 32-bit vista install to a 32-bit Windows 7 install without reformatting... but you can't go 32 to 64. That's okay... I needed to clean my hard drive anyway. . .

The download comes in the form of an .ISO file. You need some kind of DVD burning software to write an .ISO to DVD. I used a freebie from download.com. The burning was surprisingly quick.

Next step was to restart the computer and boot from the DVD drive. After a brief wait, a pretty blue screen (not of death) appeared. After a rather longish wait, a dialogue box greeted me. What language? English, please.

And that brings us all up to date with everything that has happened up to this point. Comments will now be in real time.

I'm now presented with a dialogue box prompting me to install. I have a big button "Install Now" and two smaller text links ("What to know before installing Windows," and "Repair your computer"). Guess which one I chose.

"Setup is starting..."

I like that Microsoft chose to tag an ellipse onto that. Gives a sense of anticipation.

Now, I wait. Holy crap! something just happened.

"Please read the license terms." Um, no. I'll just blindly click "I accept" like everyone else.

Good news, Everybody! apparently I don't have to reformat. Windows 7 installer will just copy all my vista files into something called Windows.old. I think this is kind of like what the bankruptcy courts did to GM and Chrysler. . . Just think of Vista as my PC's "toxic assets."

Now... more waiting. A lot more waiting. Many more ellipses, too. No estimate on how long the installation will take. Glad Microsoft finally gave up on that.

Time to take out the recycling and possibly fold laundry. I'll let you, my faithful reader (singular), know how things turn out (with the windows... not the laundry).