Let It Begin!

Once you select the partition and click Next, the Windows Vista installation routine starts copying the files to your PC's hard drive. At this stage, Windows Vista will install by itself and does not require any further intervention.

In Windows XP, there are a number of stages that would require your input before it continued the installation process. That made the installation process longer and more tedious. A Windows XP installation may take up to an hour to install. In comparison, it only took us about 40 minutes to install Windows Vista on our server.

What should you do while waiting for Vista to complete this process? Well, if you are with a really hot cheerleader, my young Padawan, this is the time to make your move! Be quick though. You won't have much time.

Once it's done copying and installing its files, Windows Vista automatically restarts after a delay of 10 seconds. If you are watching, you can speed it up by clicking on the Restart now button.

After The Reboot...

After the reboot, you should be greeted by this black screen, telling you that Windows is preparing to start for the first time. This is pretty misleading because it really isn't the end of the installation process.

After Windows Vista "prepares to start for the first time", the installation routine will appear and now, it finally shows the notice "Completing installation ...".

Heck, you would have thought it was completed earlier. Well, that, my young Padawan, teaches us that when you assume anything, it makes an ass out of you and me.

This "Completing installation ..." process actually takes quite a long time. Perhaps, this is when Windows Vista detects the hardware and installs the necessary drivers. The green bar at the bottom allows you to gauge how much longer the process takes though.

Now, this is a good time to make a move on that cheerleader, if you have not already done so earlier. Or a second time, if you tried earlier and failed.

After Windows Vista finally completes the installation, it will automatically reboot your computer once more. Will it be for real this time?