This is a brief Windows 7 setup guide with screenshots of each stage of the installation process.

Before installing Windows 7 RC (release candidate) 1 on your PC, you will need to create  backup of all your data so that you can do a clean installation of the RC. Therefore it is advisable to install Windows 7 RC 1 on an empty (formatted) partition, thus saveing the trouble of juggling with data loss and recovery.

Although Microsoft Corp. considers this a stable and high-quality pre-release version of Windows, the RC is not the finished product. It could crash your computer or cause you to lose important files or information, let alone the fact that Microsoft doesn't provide tech support.

Internet connection: Be sure to connect to the Internet after you finish the installation. Being connected helps make sure you get useful security and hardware updates. We recommend you keep your PC set to automatically check for updates through Windows Update.

System requirements for Win7 are as follows:

1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

1 GB RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)

16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)

DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

You may start now the setup process of Windows 7 Release Candidate 1.

First of all, you need to download the ISO image from the Windows 7 RC download page.(link http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/Windows-7/download.aspx)

After downloading and getting a product key (in order to get the key, you need a Microsoft account such as Hotmail, MSN, Live) you'll need to burn the downloaded ISO file onto a blank disc before you can install it. You can use Nero software, ISOBuster or Active ISO Burner. I personally recommend  ImgBurn.

After burning the ISO image onto a DVD, you should be able to boot from that DVD in order to start the Windows 7 Setup process.

There's no possibility to upgrade an existing PC to Windows 7 RC, so if you’re using an existing PC and want to keep the information on it, you’ll need to back it up before you start.

All set now. When booting from the DVD, you will get the welcome screen: here you should select the installation language, time and currency format as well as the keyboard input method. Click 'Next' in order to proceed with the Windows 7 setup. (1)

Hit the 'Install now' button in order to continue the Windows 7 setup. (2, 3)

At this stage, you need to read and accept the Microsoft licence terms. Simply tick the checkbox and click 'Next' to proceed. (4)

Here, you will have to choose which type of installation you wish to perform. It is highly recommended to perform a 'Custom (advanced)' installation. (5)

I have chosen to install Windows 7 on an unpartitioned hard disk, so I had to create a partition by clicking on 'New', then installing the system on the newly created C: partition. (6,7)

Before the Windows 7 setup is complete, you can select to enter a username and a computer name, then select a password for the newly mcreated user account. You can also type in a hint in case you need to recover your password. (8,9)

After inserting the product key and ticking the box where asked to automatically  activate Windows 7 when online, click 'Next' to proceed to the next step. (10)

On the security settings page you should select to 'Use recommended settings' in order to automatically install updates and be able to check online for solutions to problems. (11)

Now, you can select your time zone as well as the correct date. (12)

In the following window, you will be prompted to select the type of network you are connected to. You can select either, since you can alter the settings after installation. By clicking 'Next', you will get to the end of the Windows 7 installation process. (13, 14, 15)

Welcome to Windows 7. Enjoy the new operating system launched by Microsoft Corp.