How to easily install Windows 7 Ultimate to NEO Basic Laptop

This question is send to us by Ms. Amelia Sylvia from Surigao City, Philippines.

I am very interested with NEO laptops because they are producing laptops for average which are very affordable and upgradable. They are so creative to think about laptops that could run the latest systems of today without actually putting much expensive parts.

In your case, you are using NEO Basic B3233 which is pre-installed with Windows 7 Starter. The Starter version of Windows 7 is fine if you are a beginner or just want an operating system to use Microsoft Office and play your music and videos. But, as the word “Starter” implies that there are more to discover, choosing Windows 7 Ultimate is a good idea then for you to experience the real power of Windows 7 which the Starter version is just previewing you.

Good news for you because NEO Basic B3233, a very affordable laptop, is actually compatible with the highest version of Windows 7. However, based on the specifications of the netbook shown below, it can only support the 32-bit version of Windows 7 Ultimate:

2 GB RAM (compatible)

Intel Atom N450 Dual-core 1.66 GHz CPU (compatible)

Intel Graphic Media Accelerator 3150 (32-bit only)

Requirements for a Windows 7 Ultimate installation:

Windows 7 Ultimate DVD

WinToFlash software (latest version)

4 GB or more USB drive

Internet Connection

How to install:

STEP 1: USB preparation – We need to use a USB drive in booting Windows 7 Ultimate because your laptop doesn’t have a DVD drive.

• First, insert the DVD to a computer with DVD drive. Take note of the drive letter the DVD is assigned (might be E, F, G, or Q).
• Second, insert the USB drive. Take note of the drive letter the USB drive is assigned (might be E, F,G, or Q).
• Third, run the WinToFlash software. Use the WIZARD for the easy process. Assign the drive letters for the USB drive and the DVD drive where you inserted Windows 7 Ultimate.
• Lastly, start the configuration and just wait for approximately 10-20 minutes until the software finish the process to make your USB drive bootable.

STEP 2: Booting with USB

• First, turn-on your laptop then while booting press F2 to go to your BIOS utility. Go to BOOT menu and then find the name of your USB drive (mine is labeled Kingston).
• Second, use the + or - button to assign your USB drive as the first boot priority. This means when your laptop restarts again it will boot from your USB inserted to it.
• Lastly, Press F10 then YES to save and exit the setting.

STEP 3: Actual Windows 7 Ultimate Installation

I suggest you divide your hard disk into two partitions. Since you have a Hitachi 150 GB IDE HDD, you can divide it by putting approximately 100 GB to drive C and 50 GB to drive D using the Windows 7 disk partition tool. Install the 32-bit operating system in drive C. The rest will be just filling in the blanks such as naming your computer and assigning passwords. Be sure to connect your laptop to the internet during the installation to make sure all driver programs are properly installed.

STEP 4: Starting Windows 7 Ultimate

After the installation is finished, the computer will reboot. Anticipate this time because you’ll need to have a fast hand in pressing F2 again while booting to reassign the first boot priority. Go to BOOT menu then assign Hitachi IDE HDD as the first boot priority. Press F10 and YES to save and restart your laptop. Your laptop will now always boot on your hard drive just like it normally does.

STEP 5: Updating

While your internet connection is on, update Windows by going to CONTROL PANEL, SYSTEM and SECURITY, Windows Update, and then check updates. Install all necessary updates. You can also go to your Device Manager and check if all drivers are working properly. Just simply right click any unresponsive hardware and press Update Driver Software.

Your NEO Basic B3233 is now ready for the Ultimate Action. Remember always when you want to install any kind of applications, choose the 32-bit version because you are running a 32-bit version system. You can read the following related tutorials as well to make increase the performance of your laptop running Windows 7 Ultimate.