There are many ways to install Windows 7 operating system on a computer such as installing Windows 7 with USB, installing with Windows disc. There is also another way is to install Win 7 from the hard drive, this is a way to directly install the Windows 7 operating system from the hard drive without the need for support from USB boot or Win installation disc. Useful when you don’t know Create a USB to install Windows or the computer is faulty / has no drive, USB connection port.
When using this method, it is important to have the necessary skills to install Windows 7 directly from an HDD. Therefore, today TipsMake.com will provide a detailed guide on the steps to install the Windows 7 operating system from an HDD.
- Instructions on how to install Windows 7 from USB
How to install Windows 7 directly from the hard drive
Configuration requirements:
- Processor: 1 GHz or higher.
- RAM: 1 GB or more (with the 32-bit version) and 2 GB or more (with the 64-bit version).
- Drive C with more than 20 GB of free space.
The C drive partition has been formatted with NTFS. You can find instructions on converting the hard drive partition format from FAT32 to NTFS in an article that explains how to convert FAT32 formatting to NTFS on Windows without any data loss.
Step 1:
First, we will download the Windows 7 file by clicking on the provided link.
- Download Windows 7 Professional (32-bit)
- Download Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
Step 2:
You need to close all programs running on the system. Then, move the Windows 7 installation file you just downloaded to a different drive partition than the one where the operating system is installed. Next, we proceed to unzip the file.
Step 3:
After decompressing successfully, users will find the installation file as displayed below when they access the extracted folder. Click on the “setup.exe file” within this folder.
Step 4:
When the file is opened, the Windows 7 installation interface will appear as shown below. We need to click on the “Install now” option.
Step 5:
Following that, the Windows 7 operating system installation process will commence immediately.
Step 6:
After waiting for a few minutes, users should open the installation interface as depicted below. In this interface, two options will appear as the following:
- Go online to get the lastest updates for installation: allows to install Win 7 but the computer needs to have an Internet connection. System installation time is relatively long.
- Do not get the latest updates for installation: install Win 7 from the hard drive even without an Internet connection.
We will select the option “Do not update to the latest version for installation”.
Step 7:
The next step is the Microsoft installation and use terms interface. Click on “I accept the license terms” to proceed with the installation of Windows 7. After that, click on “Next” to continue.
Step 8:
Then, the system will prompt the user to select the installation language, whether to solely use Vietnamese or not including English.
- Upgrade: install the upgraded version.
- Custom (Advanced): advanced options.
We will select the installation method “Customization (Evolution)”.
Step 9:
Afterward, you will choose the partition where Windows 7 will be installed and then click the “Next” button.
Step 10:
The user performing the installation will be notified by the system that it will replace the current version of Windows on the computer. During the next installation process, all data from the previous Windows version will be transferred to the windows.old folder in the newly installed Windows folder.
Click OK to accept and click next to initiate data replication.
Step 11:
Once the system automatically copies and decompresses the file, Windows will initiate a computer restart and proceed with the installation process until it is finished.
After that, various setup interfaces will appear, prompting the user to enter their Username, password, time zone, and Internet connection, similar to the process of installing Windows 7 from a USB. Therefore, the installation of Windows 7 from the hard drive is now complete.
Step 12:
Finally, we will remove the previous data that was overwritten in the windows.old folder. Before proceeding with the deletion, please ensure to inspect all the old data of the operating system and press the key combination “Shift + Delete”.
The installation of Windows 7 from the HDD has been finished. Once the installation is completed, the subsequent system setup procedures like entering user information, adjusting the time zone, etc. will be identical to the setup process during the boot creation for installing Windows 7 from a USB.
I wish you successful installation!