- 1). Locate any remnants of the Microsoft game you're reinstalling on your hard drive. Remnants of the game may include game files, updates or saved game folders. Search for the remnants of the previous install in the "Program Files" directory of your hard drive or for saved game folders in the "My Documents" folder created when you installed the operating system. Access the "My Documents" folder by clicking on the "Start" button located at the bottom of your screen.
- 2). Delete any files in the game folder that weren't placed in a "saved game" folder. Leaving the files in place may interfere with the reinstallation process.
- 3). Open the drive tray of your CD/DVD drive, and place the game disc into the tray. Close the tray, and wait for Vista's AutoPlay feature to start the game installation program. The setup menu for the game opens in the center of your desktop. If the AutoPlay option is not on, start the game installation manually.
- 4). Open Microsoft Explorer, and double-click on the drive letter for your CD/DVD drive to navigate to that drive to begin the manual installation. Look in the root menu for the CD/DVD drive for an application called "Setup" or "Install." Double-click on the application to begin the install application for your game.
- 5). Choose the install options. When asked for the file path to place the game data into, choose the same game location as the remnants of the prior install to keep the saved game options from the previous install. If there are no remnants, then agree to the standard installation file path, or choose one of your own. Choose your own installation path by navigating to your preferred location using the Explorer window opened by the game installer. Create a new folder for your game if necessary.
- 6). Click on the "OK" button to confirm the file path name, and continue with the game installation. During the course of the installation, you may be given game setting options, such as graphics and sound settings. Choose the ones you want, and continue the installation until the final install screen appears with the check box options to read the readme file or play the game. Select to read the readme file to discover any last-minute changes made to the game or information presented by the game manufacturer, select the play option to go immediately into the game, or select to exit the installer to return to the Vista desktop.
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