Installation choices for 32-bit consumer versions of Windows Vista

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SUMMARY

This article discusses the installation choices for consumer versions of Windows Vista. This article also discusses the steps to upgrade to Windows Vista from Microsoft Windows XP and from Microsoft Windows 2000. For upgrade information for Windows XP, follow all the steps. For upgrade information for Windows 2000, go to step 3.

This article does not include information about Windows Vista Starter, about Windows Vista Enterprise, or about versions of Windows Vista that you install by using Microsoft Volume Licensing.

This article is intended for a beginning to intermediate computer user.

You may find it easier to follow the steps if you print this article first.

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Preparing to install Windows Vista

Step 1: Determine the version of Microsoft Windows XP that the computer is running

Click Start. Then click Run.
Type winmsd.exe, and then click OK.
In the Details pane, locate and notice the OS Name value in the Item column.
In the Details pane, locate and notice the System Type value in the Item column. Determine the version of Microsoft Windows XP by using the following criteria:
- If the System Type value is X86-based PC, the computer is running a 32-bit version of Windows XP.
- If the System Type value is Itanium–based system, the computer is running a 64-bit version of Windows XP.

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Step 2: Determine whether Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 is installed

Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
On the General tab, verify that Service Pack 2 appears in the System area. If Service Pack 2 does not appear, Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) is not installed.
If Windows XP SP 2 is not installed, you must install it before you can upgrade a Windows XP-based computer to Windows Vista. To obtain Windows XP SP2, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com)

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Step 3: Determine whether the operating system is eligible for a Windows Vista upgrade license

To determine whether the installed operating system is eligible for a Windows Vista upgrade installation, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradepaths.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradepaths.mspx)
If your computer has Windows XP installed, follow these steps:
1. Click Download Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor.
2. Click Download, and then click Run.
3. Follow the prompts to install the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, and then click Close. Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor starts automatically.
4. Click Start Scan.
5. Click See Details.
6. After you have reviewed the details, close Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor.

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Step 4: Verify that the operating system language has upgrade support

We do not support upgrading from installations of Windows XP that have the following Language Interface Packs installed to the matching language of Windows Vista:
- Bulgarian
- Croatian
- Estonian
- Latvian
- Lithuanian
- Romanian
- Serbian-Latin
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Thai
- Ukrainian
We do not support upgrading from installations of Windows XP Media Center Edition that have the following Language Interface Packs installed to the matching language of Windows Vista:
- Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong)
- Traditional Chinese (Taiwan)
- Czech
- Danish
- Finnish
- Norwegian (Bokmål)
- Polish
- Portuguese (Portugal)
- Russian
- Spanish
- Swedish
- Turkish
We do not support upgrading from installations of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition that have the following Language Interface Packs installed to the matching language of Windows Vista:
- Czech
- Danish
- Finnish
- Hungarian
- Italian
- Norwegian
- Polish
- Portuguese (Brazil)
- Portuguese (Portugal)
- Russian
- Spanish
- Swedish
- Turkish

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Installing Vista

Installation choices for all versions of Windows XP

Upgrade

After you purchase the retail store package or after you download Windows Vista from the Microsoft Store Web site, follow these steps:

Insert the Windows Vista DVD.
Select Upgrade during the Setup process.

Custom installation

After you purchase the retail store package or after you download Windows Vista from the Microsoft Store Web site, follow these steps:

Back up all data and settings by using Windows Easy Transfer or by using Windows XP Backup. Windows Easy Transfer is available on the Windows Vista DVD. For more information about how to use Windows XP Backup, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
308422 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422/ ) How to use the Backup utility that is included in Windows XP to back up files and folders
Insert the Windows Vista DVD.
Select Custom during the Setup process.
After the installation is complete, you can restore the data that you backed up in step 1 from the backup media.

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Installation choices for Windows 2000

No upgrade installation path is available for Microsoft Windows 2000. However, you can perform a custom installation that uses an upgrade license by starting the installation in Windows 2000.

After you purchase the retail store package or after you download Windows Vista from the Microsoft Store Web site, follow these steps:

Back up all data and settings by using Windows Easy Transfer. Windows Easy Transfer is available on the Windows Vista DVD.
Insert the Windows Vista DVD.
Select Custom during the Setup process.
After the installation is complete, you can restore the data that you backed up in step 1 from the backup media.

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Download Drivers

After you set up Windows Vista on your computer, make sure you have the latest drivers and software upgrades. To do this, visit the following Windows Vista Compatibility Center Web site:

Windows Vista Compatibility Center (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/windows-vista/default.aspx)

To see the Windows 7 Compatibility Center, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/windows-7/default.aspx (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/windows-7/default.aspx) For information about Windows 7 Logo'd list, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://winqual.microsoft.com/hcl/default.aspx (http://winqual.microsoft.com/hcl/default.aspx)

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