Restart & Boot

The process begins by booting from the Windows Vista DVD. Its very important that you boot from the DVD you created (or that Microsoft sent you) and that you do not run the install from within Windows XP. If you do try to install from within XP you wont be given the necessary options to install Vista alonside Windows XP. Instead it will want to upgrade XP to Vista thereby losing your copy of XP. I wanted to keep the two operating systems sitting side by side so that if I find something doesn't work in Vista I can use XP instead (and vice-versa)

Insert the DVD and restart you computer. If you are prompted to press a key to boot from the DVD then do so. If you don't get an option to boot from the DVD then you may need to check your computers BIOS settings for the correct boot order.

Language Selection

The Vista install program will begin to load and finally you will be able to choose your language and keyboard settings (figure 1). Pretty straight forward really.

A big 'Install Now' button. Useful?

A Random Button?

Next for some unknown reason you are confronted with a huge button. A slightly strange and possibly unnecessary step but one that doesn't require too much thinking about. Just click it. With any luck Microsoft will think about why they have a pointless button here before the final release.

Registration Key

When promted enter your registration key that Microsoft provided. It should be five sets of five characters like this: "AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC-DDDDD-EEEEE". If you downloaded your copy of the Vista Beta (or RC1) via BitTorrent/eMule etc.. you may run into problems as you wont have a unique registration key and so you may not be able to recieve updates... However this hasn't been verified so you might be fine, just a word of warning.

Terms & Conditions

Then comes the excessive terms and conditions. If you agree to them accept them, if you don't thats as far as you are going to get with the install process.

Select your installation type.

Install Type

Next select the "Custom" install type. We want a custom install as we need to specify some advanced details about where to put the Vista install. If you choose the plain ol' 'Upgrade' option Vista will overwrite your XP installation giving you no way back to XP if it turns out that Vista is not for you. (other than a fresh install of XP and thats just extra work.) If you really really really do want to use the 'Upgrade' option you'll have to boot into Windows XP and then insert the Windows Vista DVD. The install process then runs from within XP but numerous websites strongly suggest not doing this. Take the 'custom' choice and install Vista alongside XP. Its the sensible choice.

Current drive allocation

Select the size of your new Vista partion

Partioning & Install Location

Now comes an important step. Hopefully you have already read the guide on repartioning your drive. If you haven't your probably should. Assuming that you have already created a nice big chunk of 'unallocated space' you now have a choice. Do you just want to install Windows Vista alongside XP and call it a day at that? Or do you want to install Vista alongside XP and then maybe a few more Operating Systems as well? Solaris 10? Maybe a handful of Linux distrobutions?

For each of the operating systems you want to install you need to set aside a section of your hard drive. This guide is focusing on installing XP and Vista together and does not cover the additional compelxities of adding extra operating systems such as Solaris or a Linux distrobution.

Click the 'unallocated space' partion as shown in figure 2. (keep in mind your numbers will be different and you may have more/less drives than this!)

Now click the 'Drive Options (advanced)' link. This will allow you to specify (figure 3) the size of the new partion within that 'Unallocated Space'. I went for 30GB. Microsoft recommend that to take advantage of the 'Premium' features your PC should have around 15GB of free space following the install. Once you decide on which magic number is right for you (depending on your drive space available and how many operating systems you want to install) click 'Apply' and then 'Next.

Vista starts installing files

Installing...

Its off! Look at that baby go. It still hasn't got any quicker so with a mid-range PC you will be looking at roughly 30-45mins of copying time. Go do something else whilst it does its thing. In credit to Microsoft they have removed the estimated time remaining random number generator so it wont try and mislead you. Instead it will finish when its ready and not before.

Country & Language Part II

Whoa crazy... didn't we already do this in step 2? Just fill it in again and hope that Microsoft only make users fill these details in once in the final version.

Selecting how to manage updates

Auto Updates

Yes good idea. If it will let you turn them on then do so. However if you are experiencing difficulty with connecting to the network/internet then you may not be able to. (feedback on this step is especially welcome)

Set the Time

Good idea.

Another Button

Almost there now... You'll see yet another big button this time with "Start" written on it. Press it and then hold your breath. The screen will go blank and then the system should automatically restart after about a minute. Microsoft seem to have quite a thing for very large, possibly unnecessary, buttons these days.

The bootloader choice of XP or Vista

Bootloader

If you have opted to dual boot Windows XP and Windows Vista the bootloader will now appear. Here you see two Operating Systems listed. "Windows Vista" and "Earlier Version of Windows" Select Windows Vista.

The new Vista login screen.

User Set Up

Now you need to setup a user. This user will have admin privilages so be sensible and possibly imaginative with the password. The name of your dog/wife/cat/mum is not sufficient. Try harder.

You then get to login for the first time.

Finish!

You should now find yourself looking at the new Windows Vista desktop. Messages may popup depending upon your hardware; notification of networks, printers, updates, internet explorer etc.. You can act on these if you wish or you can ignore them all and come back another day.