Drupal's installation process has always been very easy to use, and the Drupal 7 installation makes things even easier.
Before beginning to install Drupal 7, you will need a web server running the Apache HTTPD web server. You can also use IIS on Microsoft Windows, but the Apache server is preferred and you will be able to obtain support from the community more easily if you use the Apache server.
Tip
Want to easily install Apache onto a Microsoft Windows machine? Try XAMPP, which is published by Apache Friends. This package includes Apache, MySQL, and PHP with a standard Microsoft Windows installer. You can download XAMPP from http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html. Other options include WAMP (http://www.wampserver.com/en/)
and MoWeS Portable
(http://www.chsoftware.net/en/mowes/mowesportable/mowes.htm)
Your server will also need PHP installed on it. Drupal requires at least PHP version 5.2.0. As of this writing, there are some hosts that still do not have PHP 5.2.0 or...