Transition to Windows 7

Assemble drivers

Before you make a move, look at what's attached to your existing PC. Special sound card or audio interface? Exotic video card? Brand new webcam? A printer from the dark ages?

Spend some time surfing for the latest drivers for these devices. You might not actually need the drivers, since Windows 7 comes with the best driver support of any previous version of the operating system, but you won't really know until you install Windows 7.

XP or Vista drivers will probably work if you can't find drivers that specifically say they are compatible with Windows 7. Assemble your drivers on a USB flash drive or an external drive, and then proceed to the next step.