How to Install SharePoint 2010 on Windows 7

SharePoint 2010 (Foundation/Server) allows you to install it on windows 7 as single server environment for development purpose. Now whenever you try to install it, it gives you error "Setup is unable to proceed due to the following error(s): This product requires Windows Server 2008 (x64). Correct the issue(s) listed above and re-run setup.". To get rid this error and install SharePoint 2010 on Windows 7, follw the below mentioned steps:

1.Copy the installer(setup.exe) to your harddrive of installation (e.g. C:\SP2010)
2.Rename the installer to sp2010setup.exe
3.Extract the installation files by opening a Command Prompt (Run > CMD)
4.Type: C:\sp2010\sp2010setup /extract:c:\sp2010
5.This will extract the installer
6.Navigate in your Windows Explorer to: c:\sp2010\files\setup\config.xml
7.Edit this file in notepad and add the next line <Setting Id="AllowWindowsClientInstall" Value="True"/> just before the </Cofiguration> tag (Case sensitive)
8.Then Save the configuration file
9.Now check the required Windows Features are turned on, so go to Control Panel and select Turn Windows Features on or off, see below mentioned pictures and compare your machine windows feature and select those option which is not checked 

If you face any problem to fix Features, then run the following command in command prompt

start /w pkgmgr /iu:IIS-WebServerRole;IIS-WebServer;IIS-CommonHttpFeatures;IIS-StaticContent;IIS-DefaultDocument;IIS-DirectoryBrowsing;IIS-HttpErrors;IIS-ApplicationDevelopment;IIS-ASPNET;IIS-NetFxExtensibility;IIS-ISAPIExtensions;IIS-ISAPIFilter;IIS-HealthAndDiagnostics;IIS-HttpLogging;IIS-LoggingLibraries;IIS-RequestMonitor;IIS-HttpTracing;IIS-CustomLogging;IIS-Security;IIS-BasicAuthentication;IIS-WindowsAuthentication;IIS-DigestAuthentication;IIS-RequestFiltering;IIS-Performance;IIS-HttpCompressionStatic;IIS-HttpCompressionDynamic;IIS-WebServerManagementTools;IIS-ManagementConsole;IIS-IIS6ManagementCompatibility;IIS-Metabase;IIS-WMICompatibility;WAS-WindowsActivationService;WAS-ProcessModel;WAS-NetFxEnvironment;WAS-ConfigurationAPI;WCF-HTTP-Activation;WCF-NonHTTP-Activation

1.Install SharePoint 2010 by running c:\sp2010\setup.exe as administrator
2.Choose the Standalone Installation (as I recommend) which will Installs SQL Server Express initially
3.After the installation is complete you, will be prompted to start the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard. Make sure Microsoft SQL Server 2008 KB 970315 x64 is installed Before starting the wizard.
3.You may need to install HotFix KB976462 available here  before running the configuration wizard.