See ???Install Vista on a New (Clean)
System,??? earlier in this chapter, for details on some of the screens you??™ll
encounter, and some tips about the product key. Otherwise, the upgrade
pretty much takes care of itself. If setup crashes along the way, or Vista
won??™t boot after you??™re done, see ???Potential Problems During Setup,??? later
in this chapter.
Special case: Reinstall Vista
You may find yourself in a position where you??™ll need to reinstall Windows
Vista, usually in an effort to solve a nasty problem or to repair a damaged
installation. The procedure you choose depends on the current state of your
computer.
If Vista won??™t start, see ???What to Do When Windows Won??™t Start??? in
Chapter 6. In most cases, you??™ll need to use your Vista setup disc, but you
won??™t need to reinstall.
If you??™re able to start Vista and it??™s working well enough to reliably access
your DVD drive, but poorly enough that you??™re considering reinstalling,
then you??™ll need to decide whether to reinstall (???upgrade??? as Vista setup
puts it) or install a second copy on your PC.
14 | Chapter 1: Get Started with Windows Vista
An in-place reinstallation is the easiest way to go, and despite the warnings
in the previous section, probably won??™t make things any worse. Just pop the
DVD in your drive and follow the prompts. When asked what type of installation
you want, select Upgrade and then follow the prompts.
But if your Vista installation is sufficiently munged, you may choose to install
Vista fresh without harming your existing installation, as described next.
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