Remove Stops
Using your pry bar, screwdriver, utility knife, and ingenuity, remove the stops. This calls for delicacy and you don't want to damage the surrounding materials. This is why I call for using everything from the utility knife (to slice paint that may adhere the stop to the window frame) to the pry bar (once you've got a gap going, you can switch to the pry bar). Shims are great, too, for protecting the surrounding materials when using the pry bar or hammer claw.Don't destroy the stops. Set them aside for later use.
Remove Sash
Remove the inside sash. Cut any sash cords or chains (only older windows have these). No need to remove the weights. Let them fall into their pockets. Cut away any exposed rope and let the rest fall down.Slide the outside sash down. Remove the parting beads. Parting beads are simply those vertical strips that keep the sashes on track. Discard, as you will not need them again.
Remove the outside sash. Do not remove the outside stops.
Clean and prepare inside faces of window jamb and sill to accept the new replacement windows: sand splintered wood, patch small holes with wood putty, and fill large holes with tufts of fiberglass insulation.
