Windows 7 installation guide - Part 2

Written by Narmad

This installation guide will help you install Windows 7 on netbooks with ease. In the first part of this guide,  you have learned how to create bootable USB stick to install Windows 7 on your netbook. I hope you found this useful. In the second part of this guide, you will learn how to complete the installation of Windows 7 by compressing the system files so that it will fit into the limited storage space of your netbook. Read on...

As you have already prepared the bootable flash drive, keep it handy and proceed with the installation process. Make sure you have taken adequate backup of all your important files as you'll lose all existing data on your netbook.

Ø  Plug your USB flash drive and reboot your netbook.

Ø  Enter BIOS setup (normally F2 or Del key) and set the first boot device as USB drive.

Ø  Save setting and exist BIOS. ( normally F10 key)

Ø  During the reboot process, watch for the text "Press any key to..." on your screen and do what it says. Press a key!

If your SSD is smaller than 16GB or you would like to save some space, you'll need to perform this additional step:

When installation starts, wait until the first reboot. During boot process, modify the boot order and do not allow installation to continue for now! Choose 'Repair' at the Windows 7 Setup screen.

Go to 'Command Prompt' and enter the following commands:

C: (check which drive letter is assigned to your SSD)
cd \windows\system32
compact.exe c:\*.*/c/s/i

It may take several hours to complete the file compact process. Once this is done, manually change the boot order to prioritize the USB drive again and continue the installation. Rest of the process can proceed unattended and doesn't require you to break your head. Read this step by step guide for rest of the straightforward process.