Installing Windows on a blank hard drive or reinstalling it on your home PC is not as difficult of a process as you may think. Still, it is important to have expert guidance the first time you go through this procedure to ensure things go smoothly. Be Your Own IT has created this tutorial to help you safely install the operating system on your computer.
If you are reinstalling windows, make sure you backup all of your important files on a flash drive, CD-ROM or other storage device. Once you begin the reinstallation process your hard drive will be wiped clean, so it is crucial that you have a way to salvage any data you may want to hold onto. The most important files you need to backup to disk are your drivers. Without these files, your hardware may not function properly, if at all.
Place the Windows operating system disk in the disk drive and make sure your computer is set up to boot to a CD-ROM. To do this, start tapping delete as soon as you turn on your computer and locate the “boot device select” option in the menu that appears. Change your settings so that your CD-ROM drive is the first device to startup when you turn on the computer. Once you have done this, you can exit out and begin the Windows reinstallation process.
For more tips, check out Be Your Own IT’s online support forum and YouTube channel. Make sure to e-mail Jeremy from Be Your Own IT if you have a computer help question we haven’t addressed yet.
