Windows 7: best way to go about updating windows 7 from a clean install

last time i tried to update it kinda blew up on me, now i have a clean fresh install and want to begin updating windows.. what is the best way to go about this?

activate windows first?

Clean Install Windows 7

it just says, install windows updates.. just click go and install them all? and activate windows after installing updates? i figured it would be the other way around

No, you activate afterward. In fact, you have a grace period.

Just make it easy on yourself.

1. Install Windows 7
2. Load drivers from your MB disk.
3. Run Windows Update
4. Activate Windows 7 (It makes "Zero" difference if you Activate before or after updates)
5. Load your apps and enjoy...

The suggestions related to when to activate, or if you should load system drivers direct from the manufacturer or use Windows 7 drives, or any other sequence variables are no more than "urban legion" based on steps users have gone through to fix their own particular issues.

To suggest otherwise means that MS screwed up and that end users are fixing MS's incompetency... Hardly believable considering Windows 7 is being installed 1000's of time daily without issue. If there was a real problem we'd hear 'bout it!

Both ways should work but im going to throw my penny in the pond here

I actually installed all my drivers and had my system going and never bothered to activate windows untill the time was up then i updated windows nothing changed all the drivers that were installed windows marked them as certified and i went on about my business

Unless windows was corrupted that would be the only way the updates didnt work and if you reinstalled and repaired it then you should have no worries

Another personal opinion ... as far as Windows Updates are concerned, I believe it's better to install critical updates first, important updates second, and optional updates last (if you actually choose to install optional updates.) I'd also suggest installing just a few at a time rather than all at once. My reasoning is simple. You want to protect your machine from security vulnerabilities first and foremost. Other updates can wait.

By installing a few at a time (making sure there is a restore point set), if you experience any update incompatibilities it's a lot easier to figure out which update is causing those problems. I'm sure some people will jump in and say they've installed all updates in one session with no problems. I'm simply offering another opinion for your consideration.

I also follow the sequence of critical, important, and optional.

Use the drivers given by the installer, then updated in optional Windows Updates.

Only change out drivers given by Windows 7 if performance or graphics require it. This isn't XP.