Windows 7 - Guide from MSFT Install, reinstall & uninstall Windows

If you’re one of those who’ve bought a Windows 7 PC or a copy of the new operating system as a gift, Microsoft’s new Web site dedicated to how to install, reinstall and/or uninstall Windows might be a handy resource to have at your fingertips.

The new site has links to performing all three tasks for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. While terms like “custom install” may not scare off techies, they likely mean little to average consumers playing amateur sysadmin at home over the holidays. (My ZDNet blogging colleague Ed Bott has done his best to help simplify the upgrade questions Windows users have encountered as they have started the move to Windows 7, but there’s still room for more demystification around the steps users need to take to get Windows 7 up and running.)

On a related note, here are a few other Windows-related links of potential interest that I’ve collected so far this week:

Microsoft is offering PC makers an OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) for its free security suite, Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). Earlier this year, when I asked Microsoft officials whether they expected much OEM demand for MSE, they dowplayed the idea. PC makers get a kickback from security vendors who preload trial versions of their security software on new PCs, so why would they want to preload a free product for which Microsoft wasn’t going to pay them? I guess there’s been PC maker interest, after all — at least enough interest to release an OPK for MSE — which is slated to arrive on December 22.

Microsoft should take a lesson or two from this site on how to do a how-to guide,

Windows 7 (Win7) clean install Guides