How to Install an Operating System on a Netbook

Most netbooks don't have CD/DVD drives, which normally isn't a huge deal. However, if you need to install a new operating system on your netbook, the lack of an optical drive is a real pain. Here's a step-by-step guide to installing an operating system on any netbook.

Get a large USB flash drive. You've got to have something to load the OS, and as netbooks have USB 2.0 ports, your best (and cheapest) bet is a 4-8GB USB flash drive. Look online. You should be able to get a decent flash drive for under $20.

Decide on an operating system. The best netbook operating systems are free. If you have a specific Linux distribution that you like, use it.

If you prefer Windows, you'll have to shell out some money. Windows 7 Starter comes pre-installed on many netbooks, but unfortunately, it's not available for purchase or download. If you look around, you might be able to dig up a copy of it, as Microsoft offered Windows 7 Starter for free last year. Unfortunately, that deal has ended, so you might need to use a Linux distro like MeeGo, ChromeOS or Fedora 15.

Know your netbook. Before you start installing your new operating system, you should have a solid understanding of your computer's specs. In particular, you'll need to know how much storage space your netbook has.

Many modern netbooks have hard drives, but some have flash memory or solid state drives. Some of the smaller netbooks only have about 8-10GB of memory, which will significantly impact your installation options. If your netbook doesn't have much space, you'll want to install a bare version of your operating system, especially if you're using Windows 7.

This basically means that you won't be able to install anything marked "optional." If you've got plenty of space, however, you can install all of the features that you want. Make sure to leave about 2-4GB of free space at the absolute minimum, as your computer will need this space for programs and various files.

Make your flash drive bootable. In order to install an operating system from your flash drive, you'll need to make it bootable. Check out LiveUSB Helper. It's a free program, and you can use it to quickly and easily set up your USB stick.

Copy your operating system to the flash drive. If you've downloaded an ISO file, you'll need a tool like DaemonToolsLite, which will mount the ISO image, allowing you to copy all of your files onto your USB drive. Copy every single file.

Restart your computer. When your netbook's starting up, you'll need to make it boot from your flash drive. Usually, pressing F11 or Del right when the BIOS screen flashes will let you change the boot order. Select your USB drive from the list and you're ready to go!

Remember that when you reinstall an operating system, you lose all of the data on your netbook, so make sure you've backed up anything important.

Follow the onscreen instructions to install your operating system. If you have any questions, post in the comments section below.