Level – Beginner

First, store it somewhere safe. An external hard drive is an excellent choice. Create a folder for it and label it in a way which will remind you NOT to delete it. If you don’t have an external drive, burn it to a DVD and label it ‘name of whatever it is -  Master’. Now store it somewhere very safe.

So now what?

Place a blank DVD in your DVD drive. Cancel the option window which Windows throws up.

Double click your ISO file. It should automatically start the DVD creation process of any of the big name CD/DVD burning suites.

Ensure that you set a very low burn speed. The essence is to create a reliable installation DVD, not to break burning speed records. High burning speeds are ok for small data files, but NOT Applications and operating systems.

Resist the temptation to use the computer while the burn is progressing. It doesn’t take that long, maybe a few minutes of your life.

After the process has completed and the DVD has been ejected, label the DVD clearly.

Before running your newly created DVD..

If it is an application or you are doing an in-place upgrade of your operating system, disable your anti-virus and anti-spyware solutions. Sometimes, these programs block file changes that are necessary during the installation process.

In the event that you are upgrading to Windows 7 from Vista or doing a clean install, the new operating system may not recognize the Network Interface Card if the computer is a home or custom build. Download Vista drivers from the NIC manufacturer website and burn them to a CD or there will be no connecting to the Internet to get downloads or to activate your new operating system. Better to have something to try than nothing at all.

Lastly, get yourself into a positive mood. The best laid plans can go awry, and if you are upgrading and it seems to be taking a long time, don’t panic. Depending upon how much stuff is on the computer, an upgrade generally takes at least two hours and can take as many as twenty hours to complete.

In any case, you always have your backups if anything goes wrong. You have backed your system up, haven’t you? At least your important data files?

Good luck..      Access