Installing the Operating System

In computer technology, interactionuser with applications and hardware components is provided through the operating system (OS). Previously, to run programs, only a special interpreter was needed - a small file that converts programming language commands into computer codes. Now the decision of this task is assigned to the OS. Therefore, the installation of an operating system is vital for the operation of the entire computer. In today's article, we will look at some of the main points associated with this process.

The installation of the operating system starts withchoice of OS. Currently, the market is divided among themselves by three operating systems: Windows from Microsoft, Linux and the system from Apple. We list them in order of decreasing popularity. Suppose that the user chose Windows 7 or 8. In the case of a recently purchased computer, on the hard drive of which no valuable information is available, everything is simple - reinstalling the system does not require preparation. Otherwise, you may need to download from a pre-prepared LiveCD and save important data on a storage medium.

In general, the installation of the operating system is simple. You will need a CD with the installation distribution kit OS or a specially prepared flash drive with the system. While more popular drives. In order for the download to start from the disk, the computer needs to point to the boot device. If, after a few seconds after turning on the computer, you see a device selection prompt at the bottom (for example, F12 - boot device), then the operating system installation is simplified. Turn on the computer, insert the disk and quickly press F12 (it can be F8 or F9 - carefully read the prompts). In the list, specify the drive or flash drive. Download from this media starts. If the moment of pressing is missed, then you can use the Reset button on the system unit. Then follow the prompts of the installation program.

In some cases, to select a bootabledevices need to go into the BIOS and make changes to the configuration. That is, if the above hints do not exist, then right after switching on, we often press the Del (Delete) button - the BIOS settings appear. Here you need to find the point in which the order of the boot devices is specified, and specify the CD (do not forget to save changes when you exit).

The first dialog is the choice of language. Everything is intuitively clear. Then you can select the recovery or installation mode. Recovery is necessary if the hard disk already has an OS, but for some reason it has stopped loading or damaged some of its files. A running wizard will evaluate the state and try to return the system to a usable state. We choose the complete installation.

The following dialogue requires the user to doSelect the partition (disk) where the OS installation will be performed. Clicking "Settings", you can reformat all partitions, delete them and create them again - the most basic functions of working with partitions are provided. Note that formatting will destroy all data. It is not mandatory.

Then begins the process of copying filessystem to the hard drive. This process can take up to half an hour, depending on the hardware configuration. After the first reboot, you need to go into the BIOS and specify the first bootable device to be a hard drive (this is necessary if the drive was exposed in this way).

The operating system boots and continues.installation. The user needs to enter a name, come up with a password (can be left blank), enter a key block of digits, if any. With updates, each solves individually: for a licensed system with a fast unlimited Internet update should be enabled. For slower connections, you need to "postpone the decision", because the amount of information downloaded from the network can be quite impressive.

It will remain to select the time zone and start setting up the operating system. Installing the OS is only a small part of the time spent.