Check the system requirements. Operating systems have varying system requirements, so if you have an older computer, make sure that you can handle a newer operating system. Also, your CPU needs to be powerful enough to run the OS you want to run. Make sure that your computer can accommodate this. If not, you may need to install an older operating system, such as Windows XP. The requirements vary depending on the distribution you choose Ubuntu, Fedora, Mint, etc. Decide whether to purchase or download. Windows licenses need to be purchased. Each license comes with a key good for one installation. Research your software compatibility. Make sure that the operating system you want to install supports the programs that you want to use. There are substitute programs available, but the functionality may be limited. The number of supported titles is growing, but be aware that if you are an avid gamer your library might not transfer over smoothly. Obtain your new operating system. When you are installing a new operating system, you are most likely going to be wiping the hard drive in the process. This means that you will lose all of your files on the computer unless you back them up. Always make sure that any important files are copied to a backup location before starting the installation process. Use an external hard drive or burn the data to DVDs. It is still wise to backup important files just in case. Determine your installation order. If you are installing a Linux distribution that you want to run alongside Windows, you need to install Windows first and then Linux. Boot from your installation disc. Insert the installation disc into your optical; drive, and reboot your computer. Normally a computer boots from the hard drive first, so you will need to adjust some settings in your BIOS in order to boot from the disc drive. You can enter the BIOS by hitting the designated Setup key during the boot process. If you are installing from a USB drive, make sure that the drive is inserted and then select it as the first boot device. Your computer will reboot. Try your Linux distribution before installing. Most Linux distributions come with a copy that can be loaded directly from the installation disc. Once you are ready to install, click the Installation program on the desktop. Windows does not allow you to test out the operating system before you install. Wait for the Setup program to load. No matter which operating system you choose, the setup program will need to copy some files to your computer before it can continue. Enter your product key. If you are installing Windows 8, you will need to enter your product key before you can begin the installation. Older Windows versions will ask for the product key after installation is complete. Linux users will not need a product key unless it is a purchased version such as Red Hat. Choose your installation type. Windows will give you the option of Upgrading or performing a Custom installation. Even if you are upgrading an older version of Windows, it is highly recommended that you choose Custom and start from scratch. This will minimize problems that may arise later from combining old settings and new ones. Choose the option that best meets your needs. If you choose to install alongside Windows, you will be given the option to choose how much hard disk space you want to designate for Linux. If you are installing Windows, you will need to choose which hard drive partition you want to install it on. Deleting partitions will wipe the data on the partition and return the space to the Unallocated section. Select the unallocated space and create a new partition. Set your Linux options. Before installation begins, your Linux installer will ask you for your timezone, and you will need to create a username and password. You will use this to log in to your Linux distribution as well as authorize system changes. Create your Windows login. Once your Windows installation is complete, you will need to create a username. You can also choose to create a password, though this is not necessary. After creating your login info, you will be asked for your product key. After that, you can choose to either log in with a Microsoft account or use a more traditional Windows username. A good way to make setup faster is when you back up data, don't copy it, but move it, then defragment the disk. Try to do this the night before you install the new operating system, as the install will be able to format the disk much faster. This is especially true if you have an IDE disk that is over 40 gigabytes, or Serial ATA SATA disk that is over 500 gigabytes.
