5 Easy Steps to Install an Operating System

Before, I always thought that computers aren't the thing that I wanted to tinker with. But with the economy horrifying, I thought what am I to lose if I were to learn a simple technical knowledge with computers. Now I am happy to tell that over the months of tinkering with software and screwdrivers, I'm half way to being a techy person! I do not need to spend $20 or $30 or how much it should cost when my computer crashes anymore, because I know how to fix it. And it's honestly worth it.

For a start, I wanted to write this really simple tutorial on how to install your OS (Operating System) for total beginners. If you have had no knowledge so far, or you think you need to get a hang of the basics first, then this is what you need, a cross-platform walkthrough to installing an operating system.

It is quite easy and everyone can do it. The first method of installing an operating system that I wanted to tell you is a "clean install". With clean install, you wipe out every space in your hard drive to make way for a new system to run in the machine. This is how to do it.

How to Install an Operating System Step 1

Before you install an operating system, first you should back up all your important files in a removable media, e.g. a flash drive or a data DVD. If you have a partition on your hard disk and wanted to save your backup files there, you could. Just make sure you don't mistakenly erase or clean that partition too when you started installing your new operating system. If you do not understand what a partition is, or not sure how it works, then don't. You probably don't have a partition to start with, and will just risk your files. The safest way is to still backup them in a removable media storage device.

How to Install an Operating System Step 2

In order to install an operating system, you need a copy of a bootable Operating System Installer. After this, the process to each specific operating system like Windows may vary. So I preferred to make this guide universally easy and not go on with the details for each of the common operating systems.

Your machine will recognize a bootable disc and prompt you if you wanted to start your computer using the disc before it loads the current operating system. Normally, it is a black screen you see or DOS (disk operating system) which is default to your machine.

How to Install an Operating System Step 3

It isn't that hard as much as we fear to navigate the DOS. It is a really simple black screen with commands you can select with the directional and function keys on your keyboard. Don't worry if you don't know which command is it; there are designation guides printed somewhere on the screen that reads like "Q=Quit" or "D=Delete". You will commonly find these printouts on top and/or bottom of the screen.

So you know what your commands are; now you are ready to reformat the hard disk. After you have booted from an operating system installation disc, you will be asked if you want to "Reinstall" the current operating system, which means to fix it. Or you could choose to make a "Clean Install". Select Clean Install for this tutorial.

How to Install an Operating Syste Step 4

Next is the partition screen, still part of the DOS. Here you choose to delete/create a partition for your new operating system to use. For the sake of this being a cross-platform walkthrough, I will not go into specifics.

How to Install an Operating System Step 5

The last step is to actually install the Operating System, which is as easy as installing any basic software to your computer. After you selected a partition where to install the operating system, the setup function should copy all the necessary files and reboot your computer. This time, do not boot for the disc when prompted. Let your machine just load the copied files.

The setup should resume in form of an installation wizard that also guides you through the process. Nothing is so hard as watching progress bars and flashy screen tips on how to use your new operating system, and its better halves.

Enter a license code that you can find at the back of your Operating System CD case, when prompted, for when necessary. Some Operating Systems are just pre-activated, meaning you do not need license codes.

Your machine may restart several times so don't be alarmed when it happens.