When you have finished any mandatory software removals and downloaded your new drives, restart the installation process and click 'next' on the compatibility report screen to begin the upgrade.

After a couple of restarts, you will be presented with the Windows Vista welcome page... You will also be presented with a bunch of compatibility warnings. Any of your drivers or programs that load on startup and are not compatible with Vista will be listed here. Again make notes, then remove any incompatible programs via the 'start\control panel\programs\uninstall a program' window and install the Vista-compatible drivers and software you downloaded earlier.

Open the device manager to make sure all hardware drivers have been installed correctly. To open device manager, open the 'start' menu and right-click on 'computer'. Select 'properties'. Click 'device manager' in the left-hand pane.

Any entries in the device manager window with yellow exclamation points beside them you will need to install new Vista compatible device drivers for. Make sure you have not missed anything. After this final step, enjoy your new Windows Vista system!

Dual-booting Windows Vista

It's quite possible to dual boot Windows Vista with a variety of operating systems, and indeed fairly easy to do so, provided you have a free drive or partition. If you do not, it adds a few extra hoops, but nothing that a good guide can't clear up. Look for the PCSTATS guide to Dual-booting Windows Vista shortly!

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- 99 Windows Vista Performance Tips and Tweaks - Safe Mode in Windows Vista For Crash Recovery - Installing Windows Vista - 10 Steps to a Secure PC - 101 Tips and Tweaks for Windows XP - 104 Killer Tech Tips for Windows XP - 99 Performance Tips for Windows XP - Annual PC Checkup Checklist - Assembling Your Own PC - Back up and Restore Data in WinXP - Browser Hijacking and How to Stop it - Building a Home Theatre PC / HTPC - Burning CDs and DVDs - Cloning WindowsXP - Converting Videotape Into Video Files - Crash Recovery: The Blue Screen of Death - Creating a Weblog / Blog - Creating MP3 Music Files - Decrypting Lost Document & Zipped File Passwords - Diagnosing Bad Hard Drives - Diagnosing Bad Memory - Dual OS Installation of WindowsXP 32-bit/64-bit - Encryption and Online Privacy - Ergonomics & Computers - Flashing a Video Card BIOS - Flash Memory Data Recovery and Protection - Firewalls and Internet Security - Firewall Setup and Configuration - Forgotten Passwords & Recovery Methods - Formatting and Partitioning a Hard Drive - Fundamentals of Upgrading a PC - Hard Drive Data Recovery - Home Networking and File Sharing - How to Install An Intel Socket 775 CPU and Heatsink - How to Fix Homesite Design Mode to Work in WindowsXP/ Vista - How To Make a Budget Desktop Computer on the Cheap - How to Update a Motherboard BIOS - Installing RAID on Desktop PCs - Installing WindowsXP

- Internet Connection Sharing - Legally Copying Software and Music - Linux Part 1: Getting Familiar - Linux Part 2: Installing a PC - Linux Part 3: New Software - Little Known Features of WindowsXP - Making DVD Movies from Video Files - Most Common Ways to Kill a PC - Optical Drives & Recording Formats - Overclocking the CPU, Motherboard & Memory - Overclocking the Videocard - Preventing Data Theft from a Stolen Laptop - Printer Sharing on a Home Network - Quick Guide for Eliminating Spyware and Hijacker Software - RAM, Memory and Upgrading - Registry: Backups, Repairs, and Protection - Remote Access to Computers - RSS Feed Setup & Subscriptions - Setting up an FTP Server in WinXP - Slipstreaming WindowsXP with Service Pack 2 - Spyware Protection and Removal - Stopping Spam - Synchronizing Files and Folders - Unattended Windows 2000/XP Installations - Understanding & Creating Batch Files - Understanding & Tweaking WindowsXP Services - Upgrading A Motherboard Without Reinstalling - Upgrading Win98 to Windows XP - USB Memory Drive Projects & Tips - VPNs and Internet Connection Security - Website Hosting From A Home PC - Website Hosting With Apache - Windows XP Command Prompt - Windows XP Safe Mode Explained - Wireless Home Networking - Wireless Network Security Got an idea for a Guide we haven't already covered? Send it in.