A clean installation of Vista may not include all the available operating system accessories. Vendors often make some accessories available as a separate or optional download. Your pre-installation tasks should include downloading any optional accessories you want to install so they are readily available after the setup of Vista.

Essential Application
After performing a clean installation of Vista, you need to reinstall all your applications. You need to determine which applications are essential and assemble the software so you can readily install them when completing post installation tasks.

Essential applications vary depending on the hardware in a computer and the tasks you want to perform. If you plan to do word processing, Microsoft Office may be an essential application. Conversely, if you plan to use your computer for digital imaging, photo-editing software may be top on your list.

Typically, essential applications will include:

• AntiVirus/Spyware software
• CD/DVD burning software
• DVD player applications
• Office suite
• Digital photo-editing software

If you plan to install any older applications, you should also visit the vendor’s Web site to verify that the software is compatible with Vista.

Now that you are familiar with some pre-installation tasks, you are ready to move on to installing Vista.

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