Installing the operating system through the BIOS from the disk. How to boot from an "installation" DVD or flash drive - BIOS setup in pictures

In this post, we'll take a look at how the . Using bios, you can change the order and priority of booting the OS. BIOS settings allow you to change the boot order of a previously installed OS, which is performed automatically when you turn on the computer. Using the same settings, you can create a command with which the windows 7 installer will automatically start running when you turn on or restart the computer and the previously installed OS will not interfere with its work.

Preparing your computer for OS reinstallation

You need to save important files on removable media, personal data and passwords. It is necessary to prepare in advance a list of all electronic components and devices of the computer. If some component or device does not work correctly after installing windows 7, then most likely it will be necessary to install a driver for this device designed to work with windows 7. After installing a new OS, it will be necessary to install all important and necessary programs again. You can save important information on the computer itself, using a pre-prepared hard disk partition for this, which can not be defragmented and formatted when reinstalling the OS.

Data that you do not want to lose when reinstalling the system can be saved on another logical drive, for example, as in this example - on drive I:

Preparing Windows 7 Installer Media

In bios, before installation, you will need to make an indication of the boot priority of the device from which windows 7 will be installed. This can be any removable media, hard drive, memory device or disk where the installer is located.

How to enter BIOS

To do this, you need to press a certain key while turning on, or restarting the computer before the old OS starts to boot. The required key combination should be indicated in the documentation related to the computer's motherboard. Often there are variants with F keys (F1, F12, F4, or other F).

Search for settings responsible for boot priority in bios

After you managed to enter bios, you need to find the settings responsible for the boot priority. These settings may be in the Advanced , BIOS FEATURES SETUP , Advanced BIOS FEATURES , Boot sections, depending on the bios itself, since computer manufacturers may use bios with different interfaces. You need to find the item First Boot Device, or Boot Device Priority, which contains the settings for managing the boot priority 1st Boot Device and 2nd Boot Device.

Boot priority setting

In order for the device that hosts the windows 7 installer to have priority when booting the computer, you must designate this device in the 1st Boot Device section. The second boot priority is the hard drive. Now you need to save the bios settings changes. To do this, you can use the corresponding key located on the bottom line of bios, or call the save settings panel using the Esc key, and then confirm the changes with the Y key. You can leave the settings in bios unchanged and force the program to work before starting the old OS by pressing the F9 key during the reboot.

Restarting the computer and confirming the start of installation from media

After changes have been made to the BIOS about the boot priority from the media containing the installation program for windows 7, you can restart the computer and give the command to start booting from the required media. It will be possible to do this within a few seconds, after the screen prompts you to press any key and confirm permission to start downloading from the desired media.

This article describes how to install or reinstall Windows 7.

Before starting the installation, you need to complete a few preparatory steps. At the beginning of the article, we have placed detailed content so that you can quickly view the entire sequence of actions and go to the necessary part of the instruction.

If you are interested in a specific question (eg installation errors, how to enter and configure the BIOS, etc.), the links in the content will take you directly to it.

If you are a beginner, then just follow the guide from start to finish: each item is described in as much detail as possible and includes links to auxiliary instructions.

What should be ready before starting the installation

Review the list below to verify that your computer and system are ready to install or reinstall Windows 7, and follow the steps to complete the preparation.

What are the installation types, how to save personal files and programs

There are two types of installation:

• A complete reinstallation of the operating system (OS), when the hard disk partition (or the entire disk) is completely erased, including all your programs, documents and files.
• An OS update that updates only system files.

OS update has a number of disadvantages. Therefore, it is recommended to carry out a complete reinstallation of the system, and for this you will need to save all personal files and program settings.

If you haven't done so already, read the article on preparing for installation, from which you will learn:

• how to save all important personal data;
• what programs will be needed immediately after installation and where to download them;
• is it possible to copy the installed drivers, where to find the drivers after installation;
• analysis of some special cases;

Save all data and proceed to the next step.

How to legally download the original image of Windows 7 x64 or x32 for free.

Download original image you can legally with the help of the program "Windows ISO Downloader": the download of the Windows image file will be done with Microsoft official website.

Program file Windows ISO Downloader with version 5.21 (dated September 20, 2017) is attached to the article (to the right of this text).
How to download the image correctly is shown in the figure below:

Select the Windows 7 partition, then the desired edition of the Windows 7 image, and then the Confirm button.

Attention!
We strongly do not recommend use assemblies of Windows 7 - use only original system images.

Microsoft has several aircraft hangars of a variety of equipment designed to test the operation of the operating system on various combinations of devices. Therefore, the official OS image works correctly for the vast majority of users.

Build authors don't have that kind of testing capability, so a certain percentage of users will experience issues while running the build that can only be resolved with a full reinstall of Windows.

Which version of the image to choose: 32 bit or 64 bit

Everything is very simple: a 64-bit OS is needed in two cases: so that the computer can “see” 4GB or more of RAM and so that you can work with “heavy” programs or games. Attention!
Some new programs and games may not run on 32-bit Windows.
Conclusions:

• If the amount of RAM is 4GB or more, feel free to choose x64 (64 bits).
• If the computer is old and complex programs (eg audio and video editors, design systems, multimedia packages) are not used, choose x32 (32 bits).

More information about the difference between 32 bit and 64 bit operating system is presented in this article.

The easiest way to see how much RAM you have is to right-click on the icon "My computer" → select item "Properties" in the context menu.

In the window that opens, the amount of RAM will be indicated, as well as the bit depth of the system currently installed.

Which version of Windows 7 should you choose: Home, Professional or Ultimate?

There are various versions (editions) of Windows 7, some of which differ greatly in functionality. You can read more about Windows versions.

Most often, when installing, choose between the versions of " professional " and " Ultimate ».
The best choice in terms of image version would be « Windows 7 professional » .
But don't worry if you have a different edition of Windows - the installation process will be the same. In the editorial " professional " Unlike "Ultimate" there are no services that most users will never use.
You probably haven't even heard their names: DirectAccess, Unix Application Launcher, BranchCache, BitLocker, and so on. Accordingly, hard disk space version « professional » take less.

How to burn an image to a DVD disc or USB flash drive?

If you have already recorded the image and the installation from it went well, then you can immediately proceed to the next chapter. If you don't know what programs can be used to burn an image to a disk or flash drive, then the following auxiliary articles will help you: Please note that installation from a flash drive is more reliable and also faster. If you have a flash drive with a capacity of 4 GB or more, then it is better to install from it.

The process of reinstalling Windows.

So, the preparation for installation is completed: all personal data is saved, the media with the operating system distribution kit is created, and the partition on which the image will be installed is prepared.

Boot device priority setting in BIOS

1. Restart your computer and enter BIOS.
   • on personal computers, most often buttons are used to enter the BIOS « DELETE» (« Del»), « F2", "Fone", "Esc»
   • on laptops - keys « Feight", "F9", "F12", "Esc»
     
2. After going into the BIOS, you need to find the menu section responsible for installing devices to boot the OS.
   The section can be in different places (depending on the type of motherboard and BIOS version), so you need to find the menu « FIRST BOOT DEVICE », « BOOT » or « BOOT DEVICE ».

1. You need to go to this menu section and set the drive to the first place DVD or HDD(your Flash drive) depending on which media the image is on.
2. After that, you need to exit the BIOS, saving the changes.
   Most often, to save changes before exiting, you need to press the key « F ten" , and then confirm saving by pressing « Y » or by selecting « Yes » in the dialog box.

If you are having difficulty entering BIOS, saving changes, or finding boot device priority settings, then check out the article on setting options in the BIOS.

In the article you will find instructions with examples:

• how to enter BIOS or UEFI with examples of different BIOS screens.
• how to find option BOOT DEVICA PRIORITY.
• table with a list of keys for entering the BIOS on laptops from different manufacturers.

Autorun installation of Windows from a DVD disc or flash drive

If you did everything correctly, then after restarting your computer you will see the following:

• if you are using DVD media, you will see the inscription "Press any key for load from CD..." (press any key to boot from CD). You must immediately press any key, because after a short amount of time (about 10 seconds) the boot will start from the next boot device installed in the BIOS.
• if you used a flash drive, the installation will start immediately

Remember!
When installing an operating system, you must be careful and careful about functions that you do not fully understand.
The site administration is not responsible for the result of your actions.

Installation start

Attention!
Your computer may have gray and blue USB connectors. If you are installing the OS from a USB flash drive, then be sure to plug the USB flash drive into the connector USB2.0 (grey), otherwise the installer may not see it.
You can judge that the operating system installer has started to work by the line that appears at the bottom of the screen.

Figure 1 Installer Windows 7 copies files from the media for further OS installation.
When the preparation for installation is completed, you will see the inscription Starting Windows .
After that, the Windows 7 installation window will appear.

Figure 2. Installation start Windows 7: Select the language, time format, and layout to be installed.
We will leave the time format, the language to be set, and the keyboard layout unchanged (as shown in Figure 2). Click on the button "Further" , after which you can start the process by clicking on the button "Install" .

Figure 3. Installation start Windows 7
You must now read and agree to the Microsoft License Agreement and click the button again "Further" .

Figure 4. License agreement for installation and subsequent use Windows 7.

Selecting the type of installation

• A system update will allow you to reinstall Windows on top of your existing operating system.
• A full installation will allow you to select an existing partition to install or repartition your hard drive. The system will be installed clean, so this option is more acceptable (we wrote more about installation types at the beginning of the article).

Figure 5. Selecting the type of installation of the operating system.
Choose "Full installation (advanced options)", as shown in figure 5.

Figure 6. Selecting a hard drive for further installation Windows 7.

Hard disk partitions for system installation

After proceeding to the full installation, we will be presented with a list of hard drives on which we can create or select partitions for installation. At this step, there may be several options for the development of events.

• You have only one hard drive in your system.
• You have a separate hard drive (perhaps an SSD) where the operating system will be installed, and separate drives for data storage.
• The installer does not see the hard drive or other errors occur (below are links to articles that discuss these problems step by step)

Attention!
If you have more than one hard drive, then move all your important data to the drive where your personal files will be stored and turn it off so that you don't accidentally mix up the drives when creating partitions or formatting. If you have only one hard drive (or SSD), then it is advisable to split it into parts (if the disk capacity allows it).

The disk must be divided into parts so that at least 50 GB is allocated for the system, possibly even more, because. for normal operation of Windows 7, it is desirable that the system partition has at least 15-20% free space.
The disk is partitioned to make it easier to reinstall the operating system in the future.

For example, you have only 1 hard drive in your computer with a capacity of 500GB.

You split it into 2 parts: 120GB (disk " C:") and 380GB (Disk " D:» )

Now on disk « D:» you store music, movies, photos, software installers, folders with drivers, games, etc., and on the disk « C:» you install programs for work.

Files from the "Desktop" and "My Documents" folders are also stored on the disk « C:». When in the future you want to reinstall Windows, you just need to transfer (copy) all important files from the desktop and other folders on the disk « C:» to disk « D:» , then perform a full reinstall with a disk format « C:» .
If the disk is not partitioned, then you will have nowhere to transfer data from the disk « C:», and you won't be able to format it.

Partitioning a Disk

At this step, you can create partitions on your hard drive if:

• the hard disk is not partitioned (new or all partitions were previously deleted);
• There are no important files on the hard disk, and all information can be deleted.

The new hard drive is immediately displayed as a single partition and is labeled as "unpartitioned" (see Figure 6).
If you are going to repartition the disk (and all important files have already been transferred from it), then you need to:

1. Delete all partitions of your disk sequentially using the button "delete" . Attention! All files on these partitions will be deleted!
2. Select the unallocated partition that appears with the mouse, click the button "Create" (See Figure 6).
3. Specify the size first for the system partition (which will be the drive « C :» ), then create a partition for the drive « D :» (and other disks if necessary).

If the disk was not allocated, then the OS installer will additionally create a 100MB partition to store special system files.

Selecting a partition for installation

If partitions on the disk have been created before:

1. Select the system partition (on which the OS was previously installed).
2. Click on the button "Format".
3. After formatting, select the cleared partition and click on the button "Further".

If the installer does not see the hard drive, requires a device driver, or has other problems, then look for and fix your error with the help of these two articles:

• Analysis of various types of errors when installing Windows 7 (including by codes).
• What to do if the installer does not see the device (drive, hard disk, keyboard or mouse, etc.).

In Figure 6, you can see a 35 GB unpartitioned disk.

Figure 7. Creating a partition on a hard drive
In our case, no section has been created yet, so you need to click on the button "Create" (Figure 7), then specify the volume of the created partition (Figure 8) and click on the button "Apply" .

Figure 8. Selecting the volume for a hard disk partition

Figure 9. Confirmation window for creating a partition
After that, the operating system installer will inform you that an additional partition will be created to store system files:

Figure 10 Installing Windows 7
Click on the button "Further", after which the installation will begin (copying all system files and the OS setup process).

The process of copying files will take 15-30 minutes and will not require any action from you.

Figure 11. Installation completion window
When the files are copied and unpacked, the computer will restart.

At this point, you must remove the DVD or Flash drive from your computer, as the installation will continue from the hard drive where the required files were copied to.

After the reboot, you will see a window with the installation completed.

Figure 12. Entering the username and network name of the computer for the installed system.
The completion process will take a few minutes, after which the initial setup of the operating system will start.

Completing Windows Setup and Initial Setup

When the setup process comes to an end, you will be prompted to enter a username to create your account, as well as a computer name for subsequent network identification (under this name your computer will be visible on Windows local networks).

Figure 13. Setting a password for an account (optional).
You will then be prompted to enter a password and a password hint. If you want to protect access to your account with a password, then enter it. Or you can skip this step by clicking the button "Further" .

This article shows you step by step how to clean install Windows 7. This method is suitable if the operating system (OS) is not yet installed, you want to replace an existing OS, or you want to install Windows 7 with a second system in addition to a system of a different bitness or manufacturer.

On this page:

Minimum system requirements

First of all, make sure your computer meets the minimum requirements:

• Processor: 1 GHz, 32-bit or 64-bit
• RAM: 1 GB (32-bit) / 2 GB (64-bit)
• Free disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)
• Video adapter: DirectX 9 graphics support, 128 MB memory (to enable the Aero theme)
• DVD Reader / USB Flash Drive
• Internet connection (for downloading updates)

Media preparation

If you have a disk with Windows 7 - go to.

If you have downloaded the OS image, read on.

Installation can be done:

• with USB Flash (flash drive)
• from DVD

Burning an image to a USB Flash (flash drive) or DVD

There are many ways to record, here are a few of them for you to choose from:

Preparing the hard disk (HDD) partition for installation

It is advisable to transfer all important information from it and format it (during the installation process).

In order not to get confused, you can set the volume label in advance:

We set the boot in the BIOS

I assume that you know how to boot from a disk or flash drive. If not, follow the link to find out how:

Installation

Insert a DVD or flash drive (if you have prepared one).

If the DVD is burned correctly and the boot priority is set correctly, this prompt will appear (you must press any key while it is on the screen):

This is done only 1 time, before starting the installation, during the installation process, just wait 5 seconds and the installation will continue automatically.

Installation start:

Select language settings:

We press the button "Install":

We read the license agreement, if you agree - check the box and click "Further":

Choose "Full installation":

Select the desired section and click "Disk Setup":

We press "Format"(desirable, but not required).

Attention, all data on the selected partition will be deleted!:

Installation continued:

The machine will reboot and the installation will continue:

For security purposes, set a password (preferably, but not required).

Entering the BIOS to select the order in which hard drives and other storage media are accessed when installing Windows 7 is a desirable but not mandatory item. The user can select a device to boot from the boot menu once. However, if you have to reboot several times in order to make other settings in the basic I / O system, it is desirable to know the correct sequence of actions. We will talk about it today.

How to enter BIOS to reinstall Windows 7?

Before dealing with the necessary settings, you still need to get into the BIOS. This is done by pressing a specific hotkey, which is different for equipment from different manufacturing companies.

“Hot keys” can be Del, Esc, buttons F1 to F3, as well as F10, Ctrl+Alt+Esc or some other “exotic” combinations. The easiest way to recognize them is by a specific model of laptop or motherboard.

Entering the BIOS on Windows 10 (for the subsequent installation of the “seven”) from modern, powerful machines can become a certain problem. Thanks to the special technology of accelerated loading, the owner of the PC will not only read the prompts, but simply will not have time to click on the correct key in time. If this problem is relevant for you, go to:

• “All settings” -> “Update and security”;
• click “Recovery”-> “Special boot options”;
• click "Restart now";
• after reboot, in the window “Select action” -> “Diagnostics”;
• find “Advanced Settings” -> “UEFI Firmware Settings”;
• reboot, get into the UEFI BIOS.

How to reinstall Windows 7 via BIOS - setting BIOS settings

When login attempts are successful, we will find ourselves in the traditional BIOS interface. However, issues from different companies may differ in the location of sections and paragraphs. Therefore, for example, we will consider the AMI BIOS version from American Megatrends:

• from above, using the arrow keys, go to the “Boot” tab;
• press “down” and reach the line indicating your input device, which hosts the Windows 7 image (“CD\DVD-ROM Drive” for booting from a disk, USB HDD for a flash drive);
• using the “+” button, we put forward the desired one to the top of the list;
• to save our positive progress, press the F10 button;
• a window with options appears, select “Save and Exit” (as an alternative, go to the “Save & Exit” tab with the “arrow” and save in the same way).

This completes the BIOS setup, boot from your media and follow the recommendations on the screen to install Windows 7. When it completes successfully, do not forget to return to the BIOS settings using one of the methods described above and set a new disk operation sequence. Now the priority should be the hard drive on which the “fresh” OS is located. If this is not done, the PC will take longer to boot, polling the devices in order, or even not be able to enter the operating system at all.

Very often a situation arises when you need to boot from a CD-DVD drive, for example, when installing windows, or loading other applications directly when you start your computer.

To make such a download, you need to make small manipulations with the BIOS settings, there are no difficulties here. All you need to do is press the keys on the keyboard a couple of times.

Depending on your BIOS (Ami or Award), you will be able to configure it to boot from a CD-DVD disc. You will understand which BIOS you have from the pictures in the instructions.

Set boot from CD-DVD in Award BIOS.

2. Using the arrows on the keyboard, select the Advanced BIOS features tab and press Enter

3. Select the First Boot device tab, press the Enter key, in the window that appears, also use the arrows on the keyboard to put the pointer in front of the CDROM inscription and press Enter.

4. Exit the BIOS while maintaining the settings, to do this, press the F10 key on the keyboard, After the red window appears, press the Enter key. The computer will reboot and if you have a CD-DVD drive with a boot sector installed in your drive, it will try to run its contents, for example, installing windows.

Set boot from CD-DVD drive in Ami BIOS.

1. We launch the BIOS settings by pressing the Delete key at the time the computer starts.

2. Using the arrows on the keyboard, select the Boot tab, then select the Boot Device Priority item, use the Enter key to enter this item.

3. Select the item 1st Boot Device, in the window that appears, select your CD-DVD drive and press the Enter key.

4. Exit the BIOS while maintaining the settings, to do this, press the F10 key on the keyboard, select OK in the window that appears and press the Enter key. The computer will reboot and if you have a CD-DVD drive with a boot sector installed in your drive, it will try to run its contents, for example, installing windows.