Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 63 Chapter 2 Operating Systems settings, and applications. A clean install means that either there was no OS on the hardware or the previous installation is being completely replaced, overwriting all fi les, settings, and applications. Microsoft uses the term custom to refer to a clean install on top of an existing Windows partition. Before performing a clean install or custom installation, you must back up all data. After the installation process, the data can be restored to the system. Sometimes, upgrading from a previous version of a Windows operating system to a newer version requires a clean install. For example, to upgrade to Windows 10, the system must already be running Windows 7, 8, or 8.1. For all older versions of Windows, one would need to do a custom install, which would wipe out all data on the hard drive, and perform a clean installation of Windows 10. Be aware that hard- ware, software applications, and drivers used for the previous operating system may not be supported in a newer version of Windows. Before performing an upgrade or clean install, it is always a good idea to run the Windows Upgrade Advisor to ensure compatibility, especially on older hardware. It is recommended that in most cases, you do a clean install after partitioning and reformatting the hard drive. Th is will eliminate any fi le fragments and most reg- istry corruption from the previous operating system version. Th is also provides an opportunity to format the hard drive properly with the appropriate partitions and formatting needed for your installation. Before you perform a clean install, be sure you have all hardware device drivers available and a copy of all previously installed applications. Back up all fi les and be sure to turn off any antivirus programs. Windows installation can also be achieved through image deployment, which refers to three categories of available options for performing a Windows installation: 1. Modern deployment is the preferred method for enterprise management using Windows autopilot to install OS and applications or using Windows Setup to do an in-place upgrade. Th is method supports using enterprise tools such as Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and System Center Confi guration Manager. 2. Dynamic deployment methods provide tools to customize the OS install for a specifi c purpose like mobile devices using either subscription activation, Active Directory and Mobile Device Management (MDM), or Windows Imaging and Confi guration Designer tool with provisioning packages. 3. Traditional deployment methods use standard tools and methods to deploy operating system images. Th ere will be much more about disk images and image deployment in Chapter 21. Windows Versions and Editions Not every copy of Microsoft Windows is the same. Windows is available in diff erent versions and editions. A version of Windows most often refers to the major operating system releases, such as Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. An edition is a spe- cifi c type of version, such as Home, Pro, and Enterprise. You can think of versions and editions like makes and models of vehicles. Th e brand, or make, of the vehicle would be the equivalent to a Windows version, and the model of the vehicle would be the equivalent to a Windows edition. Every version of Windows has various editions and requirements unique to itself. Th is section will discuss the diff erences between editions. Windows 7 Editions Th e editions of Windows 7 you will most likely encounter are Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. Th ere are additional editions such as Starter, Enterprise, A+ NOTE TECH TIP Always back up the entire com- puter system before performing an upgrade or a custom install. Anything might go wrong. Without a complete backup, you may not be able to restore the system fi les or data fi les. The CompTIA A+ Exams often ask questions requiring you to match which operating system edition can be upgraded to an- other. Be sure you can answer these types of questions. A+ NOTE For the A+ Certifi cation Exams, be sure to know the difference between hardware recommen- dations for 32-bit, 64-bit, and tablet versions. 1001: 1.8, 3.8 1002: 1.1, 1.7