Guide: Installing Windows

[Hellbovine]

This guide walks users through the process of how to install Windows, as well as drivers, firmware, and other important aspects. It was created using Windows 10, but applies to others too. There are going to be a few places where the reader will need to do a little bit of their own research due to the nature of computers being so varied, but it is simple enough that by searching the internet or posting questions on this forum, someone with limited knowledge can still work through it, improving their skills and learning many great things along the way.

STEP 1: TAKING NOTES

Spoiler: click here to reveal text

You will first need to do some preparations, and gather information on a few things that are required later on.

1A) Make a backup of important files and put them in a safe location, such as a USB thumb drive, DVD, the cloud, or wherever else. Make sure that nothing vital is left on the computer, because the formatting process during a Windows install will delete everything.

1B) Write down your license key. If you purchased the computer from a vendor, such as Dell or HP the key may be attached to a sticker that is on your computer case. If you built your own computer then you probably bought a retail version of Windows and that key will be in digital form inside whatever store you purchased it from. If you have a key for an older operating system, such as Windows 8 and upgraded for free using Windows Update, your license is stored digitally on Microsoft's servers and it should activate itself once you are online.

1C) Make a list of your computer hardware. If you are not sure of what you have in your computer then use a program, such as Speccy by Piriform to assist. Below I have created a list using my old hardware as an example:

[Motherboard] Intel DZ77SL-50K
[Monitor] HP 22yh
[Graphics] Nvidia GTX 670 (EVGA)
[Storage] Samsung SSD 840 PRO
[Optical] Asus DRW-24B1ST
[Audio] High Definition Audio Device
[Network] Intel 82579V
[Printer] Canon Pixma MG3620

STEP 2: INSTALLING FIRMWARE

Spoiler: click here to reveal text

This entire step is optional, and may be skipped by inexperienced computer users. However, if you are a gamer or someone that needs every bit of potential out of their computer then this is something you will eventually want to put in the time and effort to learn.

Firmware is code that is kept on the physical hardware, rather than being installed as a driver in Windows. A lot of hardware has firmware that needs updating, yet it is by far the most overlooked part of tweaking a computer, but just as important as anything else. Firmware updates can be unsafe if you are not careful, the most important thing is if you lose power during the process it could potentially brick your system, so do not do this on a laptop with low battery or during bad weather, but otherwise it is not that scary.

Finding firmware can be difficult, because it is often addressed in an odd manner. For example, some companies will post firmware updates to forum posts or specific support articles, rather than putting them into the downloads section of their website. It may take a bit of detective work to find them all, but it is likely that everyone's hardware has pending firmware out there, including things people may not even think about updating, such as their DVD drive. You only need to check for firmware updates about once a year, since they are not released very often.

To find these downloads, check with the vendor of your computer, such as Dell or HP. If you built your own then you will need to visit the manufacturer of each piece of hardware. An advanced tip to find things in a Google search easier is to use Boolean Logic, and in this scenario we want to use quotes in our search, so if I was trying to find firmware for my optical drive I would do a Google search of "DRW-24B1ST" "Firmware" with a space between these two words, while including the quotes. This advanced search causes the results to show me content that matches this exact phrase, and both sets of words. Sometimes, you may need to try different keywords though, or remove one of them.

2A) Download and install firmware updates:

- Motherboard bios
- Disk drive firmware
- Graphics card firmware
- Optical drive firmware
- Monitor firmware
- Printer firmware

Note: After updating the BIOS, be sure to reset it to defaults, then save and exit.

STEP 3: DOWNLOADING DRIVERS

Spoiler: click here to reveal text

Next, we need to download all the drivers and save them somewhere for later, such as a USB drive, where they are available offline.

3A) Download and save the following:

- Motherboard chipset
- C++ 2015-2022 redistributable
- DirectX 9.0 June 2010 redistributable
- Graphics driver
- Monitor driver
- Audio driver
- Ethernet and wireless drivers
- Printer and scanner drivers

3B) Laptops have additional drivers that are required, so be sure to keep an eye out for anything that seems important while you are downloading the primary drivers listed above. Sorting through the many optional drivers on laptops is more complicated unfortunately, and is one of the downsides of a laptop compared to a desktop.

3C) It should also be noted that the DirectX 9.0 June 2010 package is still required to be manually installed on every Windows operating system, because it is not included in any of them, contrary to popular belief. This DirectX package has some "optional" components that happen to be mandatory for many games and other software.

3D) In this same regard, the C++ packages are also not included with any Windows operating system, even though these are also required by many games and other software. You should only install the 32-bit version if using a 32-bit version of Windows, but you need both the 32-bit and 64-bit installed on a 64-bit version of Windows.

STEP 4: WINDOWS SETUP

Spoiler: click here to reveal text

In this section we will be going through the installation of Windows. Be sure to print these instructions before proceeding!

4A) The most important task is to disconnect your internet (turn off router or unplug ethernet cable). This prevents Microsoft from hijacking your installation which normally would force you to create a Microsoft account, in addition to installing sponsored ads and apps, and updates for things we do not want or need, thus slowing down the install process, but also making the computer run slower overall too. On Windows 11, at the wireless setup screen, the user must press shift+F10 and enter OOBE\BYPASSNRO to continue.

4B) Boot into your Windows USB drive. This varies between motherboards, but usually you press a function key (F9, F10, etcetera) during the boot process. If you do not have a USB drive with Windows on it already, see the link at the end of this post for assistance with that.

4C) Follow the list below during the Windows Setup screens:

- At the first setup screen click "Next"
- Click "Install now" and then enter your Windows license key and click "Next"
- Click "I accept the license terms" and click "Next"
- Choose "Custom" installation and delete the 3 partitions that are from the old Windows
- Select the new "Unallocated" space and click "Next"
- Let Windows install and reboot, then follow the remaining steps below
- Click the microphone on the bottom left to disable Cortana's listening
- Click "Yes" for United States region
- Click "Yes" for keyboard layout as "US"
- Click "Skip" at the second keyboard option
- Click "I don't have internet" on the bottom left
- Click "Continue with limited setup" on the bottom left
- At the user screen type your first name (capitalize the first letter) and click "Next"
- At the password screen leave it blank and click "Next"
- At the privacy settings change all options into "No" and click "Accept"
- At the Cortana screen click "Not now"
- Windows will finish setup and take you to the desktop

STEP 5: INSTALLING DRIVERS

Spoiler: click here to reveal text

Once you reach the desktop, you can begin making the computer ready for everyday usage.

5A) Next we will install drivers. The order that things are installed matters, follow the list below for guidance on that, and be sure to always right-click on drivers and select the "Run as administrator" option. Also, reboot whenever a driver installation recommends doing so.

- Install motherboard chipset
- Install VC_redistributable (C++)
- Install DirectX 9.0 June 2010 redistributable
- Install graphics driver
- Install monitor driver
- Install audio driver
- Install ethernet and wireless drivers
- Install printer and scanner drivers
- Check Device Manager for missing drivers (exclamation marks)
- Install ad-blocker for browser, such as uBlock Origin
- Install games & other software

5B) Reboot again, and the last step is to flush out all activity that is waiting silently in the background. To do this, click on "Start" then scroll down to "Windows System" and click on the folder. Right-click on "Command Prompt" then go to "More" and select the "Run as administrator" option. In the prompt enter "rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks & pause" without the quotes. This will take 15-30 minutes to finish, depending on the computer hardware, but after it is complete and the computer is rebooted, the overall amount of Windows resource usage will dramatically decrease, since there is less being used on background activities.

Visit the Gaming Lounge to find more guides like these.

 

[BigBoyAdvance]

Could you explain more what "rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks" command does?

 

[Hellbovine]

It essentially tells the operating system to execute all types of pending job queues. If you do it soon after the clean install of Windows, it goes through a huge range of tasks, mainly by starting the task scheduler, which by itself handles over 100 jobs, ranging from things like .NET optimization to defrag.

Normally, this stuff would happen at a slower pace, over hours, days, or even weeks, because Windows is supposed to only work on these pending jobs when the timing is appropriate, which usually means some form of the computer being idle for long periods of time.

 

[Alex Corretor Do Brasil]

It essentially tells the operating system to execute all types of pending job queues. If you do it soon after the clean install of Windows, it goes through a huge range of tasks, mainly by starting the task scheduler, which by itself handles over 100 jobs, ranging from things like .NET optimization to defrag.

Normally, this stuff would happen at a slower pace, over hours, days, or even weeks, because Windows is supposed to only work on these pending jobs when the timing is appropriate, which usually means some form of the computer being idle for long periods of time.

Does this command only work if it is right after a clean install?

 

[Hellbovine]

It works any time, but there are many pending items after installing Windows, so that's a prime time to run it. This could also be used whenever it feels like the computer needs maintenance, or before doing something where performance or stability matters, such as a long gaming session.

 

[Alex Corretor Do Brasil]

It works any time, but there are many pending items after installing Windows, so that's a prime time to run it. This could also be used whenever it feels like the computer needs maintenance, or before doing something where performance or stability matters, such as a long gaming session.

Grato pela explicação!

 

[BoomBox]

First thing first, I want to thank Hellbovine for his tremendous work creating the image and the guides that are still very relevant. If only the folks at Microsoft were as half as thorough, methodical and committed...

I have few general questions about drivers. I know this topic was raised here a few times, but if this is not the right place, please correct me. Also, if the questions below were answered somewhere else, please point me to the right thread/resource - I really appreciate this group's opinion and so I would love to hear your take.

Context
For years, I have been struggling to fully understand the confusing world of windows drivers. I am a big fan of occasional clean windows installation and finding ways to optimize laptops/desktops for myself, family, and friends. Driver installation is by far my biggest hurdle. Each time I do an install (especially on a new machine), I always question whether I am installing the correct stuff and in the right order. I sometimes find myself installing the same system several times in a row because I keep getting slightly different behavior each time which drives me nuts.

I hate to admit this, but I know that much of my experience with drivers has to do with the way the machine and the installation process "feels" rather than proper analysis - and so a lot of it is psychological (a for of anxiety for sure)

Questions
1. When choosing between the various online sources to download drivers (OEM such as hp.com, component manufacturer such as Intel, or Windows Update), how can I compare the driver version number? Each source tends to version drivers differently making apple-to-apple comparison very hard.

2. Many laptop manufacturers ship the same laptop in various configurations. This means that often times the drivers listed on thier site include several drivers that might not be relevat to my spesific machine. How do I know if the driver is correct for me?
(The listed specs of the machine are sometimes not spesific enough to determine which components are included/excluded)

3. Will every driver installation replace the exsisting driver in place (if any), or is there a built-in logic in windows that checks for compatability and version number?

4. While unnessecary, is it harmful to install a driver for a component that does not exists?

5. In the past, when installing drivers for the first time on a clean windows, I used to get messages along the lines of "the version of the driver you are trying to install is older than the currently installed driver...". How can that be? Should I leave the the current driver (provided by windows) in place or replace it with the "older" version I downloaded?
(The driver I downloaded from HP, for example, seems newer based on the release date.)

6. How do I know if a driver for a giver component was provided by windows itself or via a driver install I initiated? Are there components that rely on windows exclusively to provide a driver?

7. Windows update will sometimes install additional drivers that were not included in hp.com (for example) or replace once that I just installed. How come? Who should be considered the ultimate authority when it comes to drivers?

8. Does the order of driver installation matters or is it a myth?

9. How to tell if a component can benefit from a driver that is not already included in windows.

My apologies for the lengthy thread. I truly want to get this driver business sorted and I really appreciate your input. Thanks!

 

[garlin]

Hardware drivers are actually written by the board or chip's OEM. Think of Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, or Realtek.

When a PC company like Dell, HP, Lenovo or ASUS includes a HW device with their system, they prefer to pick a specific version of that chip or board and standardize on it for as long as the OEM makes that model. This lowers their support cost, since keep tracking of fewer models or different combinations of models is far cheaper.

The chipset manufacturers are responsible for fixing their drivers, and will release new versions (until they stop). Some of the OEM's will directly provide their original driver sets to the public, others like Realtek only really release them to their PC partners.

In this model, your PC company picks a driver version and freezes it on their downloads site. Many times they will ignore a newer version that the chipset vendor has released, because again they want to minimize their support cost. The raw driver set can be repackaged with a fancy installer, and bundled with optional tools. But in the end, it's still the same driver provided by the OEM.

Many times, one PC maker will refuse to update their driver set with a newer driver release, but a rival PC maker has no problem updating their list. This is where you see recommendations to install a Dell or ASUS driver on a non-Dell or ASUS PC. The actual driver is compatible, but only those companies are willing to release them.

MS comes into play, when different OEM's will contribute their driver sets to Windows Update. This serves as a base minimum ("I can't find a driver anywhere"), or to update devices which are no longer actively supported by the PC makers. Again the real issue is cost, PC companies don't want to spend the time but the OEM is willing to work with MS.

To summarize the supply chain:

OEM writes driver -> may share it on their own site​

OEM writes driver -> releases it to PC companies -> PC downloads list​

OEM writes driver -> shares it with MS (but not as often) -> WU driver update​

Which driver version matters? This is where it gets tricky.

The general rule is choose the driver with the highest version number, or by later release date. With some OEM's like Intel, this rule is constantly broken. Some driver sets belong to different product families that bizarrely overlap (Intel RST drivers being the most infamous), so you'll need to do research if that driver really works for your chipset and Windows release.

1. When choosing between the various online sources to download drivers (OEM such as hp.com, component manufacturer such as Intel, or Windows Update), how can I compare the driver version number? Each source tends to version drivers differently making apple-to-apple comparison very hard.

You don't use the PC company's versioning. Sometimes they will repeat the same version number as the OEM, but mostly it's some random number made up. Dell likes using random letter combinations for more confusion.

The only way is to download the driver installer, extract it following whatever instructions are provided, and then open the INF file and check the version string near the top.

2. Many laptop manufacturers ship the same laptop in various configurations. This means that often times the drivers listed on thier site include several drivers that might not be relevat to my spesific machine. How do I know if the driver is correct for me?
(The listed specs of the machine are sometimes not spesific enough to determine which components are included/excluded)

Either a driver works or it doesn't. If you install a non-relevant driver, it simply takes up idle disk space. Windows will only load drivers for which it detects a matching HW ID. There some 3rd-party tools that perform a driver cleanup, by checking which drivers aren't loaded in memory.

3. Will every driver installation replace the exsisting driver in place (if any), or is there a built-in logic in windows that checks for compatability and version number?

No. Installing a newer driver will never remove any older instances. Otherwise you can't go into Device Manager, and rollback to an earlier version of the same driver. It's possible to pile up a stack of outdated drivers (ie. NVIDIA).

Again, you can use a 3rd-party cleanup tool to remove presumably the oldest driver versions if you feel the current driver set is stable. NTLite will never cleanup versions of a driver, it doesn't have that ability.

4. While unnessecary, is it harmful to install a driver for a component that does not exists?

No. Drivers are only loaded (or asked to be loaded) if a specific HW ID is detected. Windows scans all the INF files in the driver store to look for a HW ID match, and when it finds a good candidate will load it into memory.

Unless you're desperately short on disk space, it's best to leave the Windows default drivers available just in case you need them.

Now some image builders who have to support multiple PC models will add different driver sets so they can use the same shared ISO. This will grow the total disk space consumed by all drivers, but again it's about convenience.

5. In the past, when installing drivers for the first time on a clean windows, I used to get messages along the lines of "the version of the driver you are trying to install is older than the currently installed driver...". How can that be? Should I leave the the current driver (provided by windows) in place or replace it with the "older" version I downloaded?
(The driver I downloaded from HP, for example, seems newer based on the release date.)

Windows Update will sometimes try to suggest a different driver. It's trying to be helpful, but honestly you should go figure it out since it has no clue whether it's recommending a better driver for your needs. If you don't like this behavior, the Guides have a section on disabling WU from making driver suggestions.

6. How do I know if a driver for a giver component was provided by windows itself or via a driver install I initiated? Are there components that rely on windows exclusively to provide a driver?

There are no components that require downloading new drivers from WU.

However some cheap OEM's like to brag their USB or BT device doesn't need any driver! It works out of the box! What they're really doing is expecting this device to be compatible with one of the included default drivers, or WU magically finding the correct OEM version.

7. Windows update will sometimes install additional drivers that were not included in hp.com (for example) or replace once that I just installed. How come? Who should be considered the ultimate authority when it comes to drivers?

MS doesn't try to replace the PC maker's primary role in releasing drivers. WU operates as a provider of the last resort, for drivers that are provided to guarantee a base level of stability, or to resolve known security issues. This happens with BIOS and other firmware fixes.

The PC maker is hoping MS can reach more PC's that aren't being actively maintained by their owners, thru neglect or lack of knowledge.

8. Does the order of driver installation matters or is it a myth?

YES IT DOES. There are many instances of the driver ranking algorithm (which decides when there's multiple drivers, which one to load) picks the "wrong" driver. Wrong as in this driver is supposedly better, but absolutely doesn't work with your PC.

Intel RST with VMD mode is infamous for this. WinPE boots and doesn't see your expensive NVME drive.

9. How to tell if a component can benefit from a driver that is not already included in windows.

Components have nothing to do with drivers. Windows features sit on top of what devices are exposed. If the driver doesn't report its full capabilities, then Windows will work in generic mode.

It's like when you forget to install the NVIDIA driver on a clean ISO. Windows defaults to some 1024x768 video mode, and won't unlock 4K support until the driver informs it that a higher resolution exists.

 

[Hellbovine]

I have few general questions about drivers.

Hey there, I asked a mod to move your post over to this guide, which is more relevant, since I talk about drivers here and many of the same sentiments behind your questions.

Garlin already gave a thorough reply, so rather than me trying to add anything more and create a pile of overwhelming information, for my part I'm recommending that you try the guide from the first post of this new thread we're in, from top to bottom as a learning experience, couple that with Garlin's information, and then get back to us with any further questions you have and we can elaborate more.

 

[BoomBox]

Thank you, Garlin, for the thoughtful response. I'll follow the guide at the beginning of the post and get back to you with any questions.

 

[BoomBox]

I came across a solution that I think will work well for my needs (I use the same drivers for years now given that my laptop is older and no new drivers are coming out): export drivers from a working image and import them in a clean image - this way I don't have to drive myself nuts.

I came across this earler post, and was wondering:
1. Does the minimum driver package, as obtained by exporting the drivers, usually includes all the necessary files for the hardware to work correctly?
2. What are some of the "helper files" that might be missed by the export?
3. Are there any downsides for using import/export drivers vs. download & install each time I do a fresh install?

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[garlin]

When a driver is integrated or formally installed on a system, it's added to the Driver Store with its own individual folder. Whatever files the INF references during driver install are written here. Exporting a driver set will dump this folder's contents.

Driver installers will sometimes bundle optional apps, and those files are placed in some System32 or Program Files folder. An example would be a HD audio mixing tool for Realtek audio.

If you need the extra add-on's, then you should just run the full installer package EXE from Post-Setup.

After using your PC for some time, you will reach some set of stable drivers so it's not critical to keep switching them out with newer versions. The exception being if a driver has a security-related problem. Keep a folder with your stable drivers, and import that folder whenever NTLite loads a clean ISO. The import is recursive search thru all the sub folders, so you can group different drivers together.