Installing

Software
GENERAL PRINCIPLES & WINDOWS 7 I NSTALLATION AND
CUSTOMISATION
NICOLA TURING

REFERENCE: Form 3, Unit 2. Pages 42-60.

Senior Secondary Computer Studies, Andrew Nasalangwa.
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
1. Install an operating system, device drivers
and application software.
2. Upgrade an operating system, device
drivers and application software.
 “Copying a program into computer storage
in a form that it can be executed”

Fundamentals Operations involved in software installation:

of software
• Creation or modification of program folders &
installation subfolders
(program • Configuration of Windows registry

setup) • Copying of:

• Files
• Environment variables
• Shortcut icons

Most GUI-based software installations are

wizard driven and require minimal input
from the user.
Factors to consider before
software installation
• Type and speed of processor
System configuration including: • Amount of RAM
• Amount of hard disk space

• Minimum system requirements

Check user manual for: • Warnings
• User license agreement

Ensure that the software will

• Windows operating systems take up more space than Linux
meet the needs of the user to • Newer systems take up more space than older systems
avoid wasting disk storage space

Research your software • Make sure the operating system you want to install supports the
programs you want to use e.g. Microsoft Office will not work on a Linux
compatibility machine, many games that work on Windows will not work on Linux
File systems
Provide a way of organising a drive
Specify:
How data stored on a drive
What types of information can be attached to files:
 Filenames
 Permissions
 Other attributes

Types of file system

NTFS – most modern and used by windows for its system drive and most
non-removable drives
FAT32 – older system, less efficient, better compatibility with other systems
exFAT – modern replacement for FAT32, but less widespread
File systems
NTFS (New Technology File FAT32 (File Allocation Table ExFAT (Extended File
System) 32) Allocation Table)

Compatibility Windows All versions of Windows, Mac, Optimised for Flash Drives
MacOS (read only) Linux, Games Consoles and Windows
Linux (variable) USB ports Macs
Games Consoles (rarely) Linux (need appropriate
software)
Games Consoles (some)
Limits No realistic file-size or 4GB max file size No realistic file-size or
partition size limits 8TB max partition size partition size limits

Ideal use Windows system drive Removable drives where you If you need more
Windows internal drives need maximum compatibility compatibility than NTFS and
larger file size and partition
limits than FAT32
Other features • File permissions for security NOT for use for internal drives
• Change journal to help as lacks permissions and
recover errors other security features
• Shadow copies for backups
• Encryption
• Disk quota limits
• Hard links
 General steps for installing an
operating system
 Obtain an operating system
 Windows – either purchase in a store (DVD / flash drive) or download from internet
 Linux – this is free to download from the internet at https://www.linux.org/pages/download/ (note there are multiple versions of
Linux)

 If you are upgrading your system, make sure you have backed up all the files you want on an external hard drive.
 Note – you can’t back up programs, they will need to be reinstalled once the new operating system has been installed.

 Boot from your installation disc

 Adjust settings in the BIOS to boot from the disc drive
 Enter BIOS by hitting the designated setup key during the boot process (the key will be displayed on the same screen as your
manufacturer’s logo)
 Common setup keys
 Dell F2
 HP F10

 Wait for your setup program to load

 Choose basic options (e.g. language, keyboard layout, timezone – Central African Time for Malawi)

 Enter your product key (Windows only, not required on free versions of Linux)

 Choose your installation type (upgrade / custom starting from scratch)

Format your partitions

Wait for installation to complete

Create your Windows login

Install your drivers and programs

Setting up an operating system
Obtain Boot from Wait for setup
Back up all
operating installation disk program to
your files
system / flash drive load

Choose
Choose basic Enter product Format
installation
options key partitions
type

Wait for Install your

Create your
installation to drivers and
Windows login
complete programs
Windows 7 requirements

1 gigahertz (GHz) 16 GB available

1 gigabyte (GB)
or faster 32-bit hard disk space
RAM (32-bit) or 2
(x86) or 64-bit (32-bit) or 20 GB
GB RAM (64-bit)
(x64) processor (64-bit)

DirectX 9 graphics
Internet access (to
device with
DVD-R/W Drive activate and get
WDDM 1.0 or
updates)
higher driver
 Installing Windows 7 from a DVD (1)
Set up your computer to boot from the optical drive
 Restart your computer
 As the computer restarts press Del, Esc, F2, F10 or F9 (depending on
the make of your computer) repeatedly until you enter Setup - some
computers tell you which button to press to enter the BIOS as the
computer starts up
 Use the arrow keys to navigate to the boot menu (your mouse will
not work in the BIOS)
 Navigate to the CD-ROM / DVD drive and select this by pressing
enter
 Place the Windows 7 Installation disc in the disc drive
 Save the changes in the settings. Press the button indicated on the
screen or select the save option from the BIOS menu to save your
configuration.
 Shut down your computer. Either turn off the computer by choosing
the shut-down option in your current operating system, or hold the
power button until the computer powers off.

Reference: How to install Windows 7 (Beginners) https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Windows-7-(Beginners)

Installing Windows 7 from a DVD (2)
Start your computer from the disk & select set
up options
 Turn on your computer (with the
Windows disk already in the optical
drive)
 As the computer is starting up, it
should see the installation disc or
drive and show a message similar
to Press any key to boot from CD
 Press any key on the keyboard to
have the computer boot from the
Windows disc or drive
 Choose your Windows set up
options and then click next

Reference: How to install Windows 7 (Beginners) https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Windows-7-(Beginners)

Installing Windows 7 from a DVD (3)
Windows installation process – starting
installation
Click the install button

Reference: How to install Windows 7 (Beginners) https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Windows-7-(Beginners)

Installing Windows 7 from a DVD (4)
Windows installation process – accepting the
license terms
Read and accept the license terms

Reference: How to install Windows 7 (Beginners) https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Windows-7-(Beginners)

Installing Windows 7 from a DVD (5)
Windows installation process – selecting type
of installation
Select the custom installation.
 This option allows you to do a clean install of Windows 7. This will erase all
your files on the installation drive.

Reference: How to install Windows 7 (Beginners) https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Windows-7-(Beginners)

Installing Windows 7 from a DVD (6)
Windows installation process – selecting the hard
drive and partition
Select a hard drive and partition you want to install Windows on.A
hard drive is a physical part of your computer that stores data, and
partitions "divide" hard drives into separate sections. NTFS file system
used to partition the drive.

Click the hard drive or partition you want to install Windows 7 on.
Windows 7 automatically formats the first drive, usually labelled C as
the primary drive.

If the hard drive has data on it, You'll need to use the following steps
to Delete or Format the drive. Be aware that this will permanently
erase all data from the disk.
◦ Select the hard drive from the list of hard drives.
◦ Click Drive options (advanced).
◦ Click Delete or Format from Drive options.

If your computer doesn't have any partitions yet, create one to install
Windows on it.
◦ Select the hard drive from the list of hard drives.
◦ Click Drive options (advanced).
◦ Select New from Drive options.
◦ Select the size, and click OK.

Reference: How to install Windows 7 (Beginners) https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Windows-7-(Beginners)

Installing Windows 7 from a DVD (7)
Windows installation

 Once you have selected

where to install Windows
and clicked “Next”
Windows will begin
installing.
 Your computer may restart
several times during the
installation process
 Installing Windows 7 from a DVD (8)
Windows installation – final steps
 Set up user name and password
 Enter product license key to install a genuine copy of Windows 7 (avoid
pirated software which may not work)
 Connect to the internet to install important updates (you can skip this step
if no internet available)

CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU ARE NOW READY TO START CONFIGURING (CUSTOMISING) WINDOWS 7

Note: officially the Windows 10 free upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8 through the Get
Windows 10 (GWX) app ended on July 29, 2016.
Customising Windows 7
Windows 7 allows you to customise the desktop in many ways.
These include:  R click the desktop
Changing the desktop background  Click Personalise
Changing the window colour  R click the desktop
Setting the screen saver  Click Screen Resolution
Changing the mouse settings  R click the taskbar
Setting the screen resolution  Click on the Windows start
Setting the screen orientation button
 Select control panel
Hiding the taskbar  Select Clock, Language and
Arranging multiple windows on the desktop Region
 Select Date and Time
Setting the date and time OR
 Click on Date and time in the
system tray
 Select Change date and time
settings
Personalisation
Change the visuals and sounds on your
computer
Changing the desktop background
To apply a new Theme:
1. R click the desktop and click personalise to access the “Change the
visuals and sounds window”
2. Scroll down the list of Themes and select the desired theme
3. You will see the theme has changed on your desktop behind the active
window
To apply a new background:
1. R click the desktop and click personalise to access the “Change the
visuals and sounds window”
2. Click on the Desktop Background icon at the bottom left of the screen
3. Select the background you want to use (note you do also have options
from the dropdown menu to be able to use photos from your pictures
library, top rated photos or solid colours)
4. Click “Save changes”
Desktop Background

Back
Setting the window colour
You can also change the colour of your windows borders, start menu
and taskbar:
1. R click the desktop and click personalise to access the “Change the
visuals and sounds window”
2. Click on Window Color at the bottom of the window
3. Select your chosen colour, chose whether you want transparency and
the intensity of colour you want. You can also use the colour mixer to
adjust the hue, saturation and brightness of the colour. You can see the
changes you are making as you make them.
4. Click Save changes to keep any changes you have made and close the
dialog box
Window colour
Back
Setting the screen saver
When the screen saver is set, moving patterns or objects are displayed on
the screen if the computer is left idle for a period of time.
To set a screen saver:
1. R click the desktop and click personalise to access the “Change the visuals
and sounds window”
2. Click Screen Saver icon at the bottom right of the personalisation window
3. In the Screen Saver dialog box, select a Screen Saver from the drop down list
– you will see a preview in the image of the screen at the top of the dialog
box
4. Select the wait time ie the period of inactivity before the Screen Saver starts
5. Click “on resume, display logon screen”
6. Note: you can also access power management settings from the bottom of
this dialog box
7. Click Preview to check what the Screen Saver will look like
8. Click Apply to save your changes
9. Click OK to close the dialog box
Screen Saver

Back
Mouse settings
For accessibility reasons you may need to change the default mouse
settings (e.g. from L click to R click)
1. R click the desktop and click personalise to access the “Change the
visuals and sounds window”
2. Click Change mouse pointers
3. In the dialog box displayed click the tab at the top for the settings you
want to change (Buttons / Pointers / Pointer Options / Wheel /
Hardware)
4. Select the option you want
5. Click Apply to see your changes
6. Click OK to close the dialog box
Mouse settings

Back
Setting the Screen Resolution
The screen resolution determines the clarity and size of images. To
change the screen resolution and orientation settings:
1. R click on an empty space on the desktop and click on Screen Resolution
2. Use the Screen Resolution window to change display properties such as
display type, resolution or orientation
3. Click Apply – you will get a preview of what your changes will look like
that will automatically revert to the original settings unless you click
Keep Changes in the dialog box that appears. You may also get a warning
message if the option you chose may not work well.
Screen Resolution

Note that with the

lower resolution the
icons are larger

Note the dialog box

to keep your changes

Note the warning

messages

Back
Screen Orientation

Back
The Taskbar
Hiding the taskbar
1. R click the taskbar and click Properties
2. Select Auto-hide the taskbar checkbox
3. Click Apply
4. Click OK
5. When you have hidden the task bar you can still access it by moving your
cursor to the bottom of the screen. If you then move your cursor away
from the bottom of the screen the task bar will be hidden again.
The Taskbar
 Hiding the
Taskbar

Moving the cursor to the

bottom of the screen will
reveal the hidden taskbar

Back
 Setting the date and time
Ensuring the system date and time are correct is important because some system
tasks such as the scheduler depends on date and time to run.
To set the date and time:
1. Click Start button and select Control Panel then select Clock, Language and
Region and then Date and Time
OR Click the Clock in the system tray and select Change date and time settings
2. Change the date and time in the dialog box as required
3. Click Apply
4. Click OK to close the dialogue box
Setting the date
and time from
Control Panel
Setting the date and time

Back
Arranging multiple windows
on the desktop
Aero snap
1. Just drag a window to the side of the screen, and it’ll snap to fill half of
the screen
2. This is an easy way to allow you to view to windows side by side

Opening multiple windows from the taskbar

1. Hold down Ctrl key whilst selecting the icons in the taskbar for the
windows you want to open
2. R click on the taskbar and choose one of the options
1. Cascade windows
2. Show windows stacked
3. Show windows side by side
Aero snap

Back
Multiple windows

Back
Cascade windows

Back
Show windows stacked

Back
Show windows side by side

Back