The Complete Guide to Downloading and Installing Windows 7 - For Free

I'm sure you have bought more than one computer in your lifetime, and many people have two, three, four computers in their house for a world of uses.  There's the school computer, the work computer, the gaming computer...the list goes on and on.  Windows 7 runs roughly $200-$250 depending where you buy your computer(s).  Multiply $200 by two, three, or four computers (however many you have) and just purchasing Windows 7 on 4 different computers can run you $800-$1,000 per household, which is what you can buy a top of the line PC for nowadays.  Have a small business office of 8-10 computers and don't want to shell out $2,000 for software?  This tutorial will show you how this download can be installed on as many computers as you want for FREE.


Please note: If you have been using the computer you wish to install Windows 7 on and are upgrading from a version prior to Windows 7, you will want to reformat your hard drive to clean the contents of the current operating system before proceeding.  View your computer's manufacturing website for tutorials and info on reformatting if you are unsure of the procedure.  IF YOU ONLY HAVE ONE COMPUTER, REFORMAT AFTER THE STEP THAT TELLS  YOU TO REFORMAT, NOT BEFORE!


I will now show you how to download Windows 7 via BitTorrent, so if you don't know how to download Torrents, check out the Torrent section of my blog here.

I encourage you to read all of the steps before proceeding so you are familiar with each one.  None are that difficult; it's just better to be safe than sorry.


Step 1) With your BitTorrent client, download this Torrent.  This is the 32 bit version of Windows 7 Ultimate with automatic activation.  You only need to download the file "Windows 7  Ultimate - 32 bit (Auto Activation).iso".  You can uncheck all other files before downloading the Torrent.  The file is over 3.5gb so it may take an hour or two depending on your connection.


Step 2) Download this free ISO burning application.  You will be burning the ISO you just downloaded to a blank CD using this application.  Once you burn your copy of Windows 7, you will be able to use the installation disk on as many computers as you wish.


Step 3) Install and open the Imageburn application and select "Write image file to disk".  Locate the Windows 7 ISO file you downloaded and select it.  Burn the file to a blank CD.


Step 4) Backup any important files you may want that are currently on your system now.


Step 5) Reformat your hard drive to its factory state when you first purchased your computer.  This step is optional, but it will help your operating system run smoother upon installation.  


Step 6) With the Windows 7 Disk in the CD-Rom drive of the computer you wish to install, restart your computer.  


Step 7) As your computer is booting, you will get a message that says "Press any key to boot from CD".  Press any key on your keyboard to make the CD boot.  If you get to your normal login screen or your desktop, reboot and try again.* 


*If there is no message about pressing a key to boot from a CD, you will see a message that says "Press (an F key) to enter setup (or BIOS)"  Press the key that it tells you and change your "boot order" to make the CD-ROM (or DVD-Rom) drive the first on the boot order and restart your computer.  The computer will now load the contents of the CD, which will be the Windows 7 installation menu.


Step 8) Once the CD loads, follow the walk-through instructions to install Windows 7 on your computer.  You will get an option to either 1. Upgrade an older version of Windows or 2. Do a fresh install.  The fresh install will remove all files currently on your system.  Make sure you have a backup of all important files before choosing that option.  If you choose the upgrade option, your hard drive will be partitioned to include your old files, which can be found in a "windows old" file on your C: drive.  Installation itself takes some time-roughly 30 minutes or so, depending on the speed of your computer-so be patient.

Step 9) During installation, DO NOT download updates, choose to download them later.  The update KB971033 checks for a "genuine" copy of Windows 7 and will watermark your desktop with a message about your copy of Windows not being genuine.  While your operating system will still be usable, you will lose any customization of your desktop.  If you accidentally install that update, reformat your hard drive and start over.  You may install all other updates except for KB971033 at this time, but to be safe, I simply disabled Windows from updating so I don't have to worry about a patch coming out and disabling my operating system (which is very unlikely at this stage since Windows 7 has been out for a few years now).  

Step 10) ENJOY WINDOWS 7 - FOR FREE!

If there are any questions send me an email directly (found in the contact link on the bottom right side of the page) or simply comment and I will respond to any questions you may have regarding the process.  Anyone can do this, you don't have to be a computer engineer to burn a file to a CD and install it on your computer.  It's a very easy way to save the hundreds of dollars it costs to normally buy Windows, especially if you own multiple computers.