Re-installing Win 7

Status Quo

• I have Win 7 installed and working (built from the Dell OEM DVD - Home Edtion 64 bit).
• I have all the 80 + updates/patches downlaoded and installed
• Everything is working good.
• My main partition is Drive C (system/boot/active) and I have an image backup of it stored on another drive
• My data partition is Drive D and I have file backups for it on another drive

Issues

• ALL IS GOOD EXCEPT on restarts , I get chkdsk / drive consistency problems.
• I am currently trying the tips suggested here,
• In the event I cannot clear out the errors, I may need to reformat

Question - Which, if any, of the two options should I go with.

OPTION 1
1) Boot from Win 7 OEM DVD
2) Select Custom/Advanced/Format
3) Let Win 7 format the drive and install clean.
4) BUT THEN blow away the WIn 7 version and recover Win 7 SP1 from the image backup

OR

OPTION 2
1) Boot from WIn 7 OEM DVD (same as Option 1)
2) Select Custom/Advanced/Format (same as Option 1)
3) Let Win 7 format the drive and install clean. (same as Option 1)
4) AND THEN continue from there ,ie start all over again to reload all the windows updates.

Hope this make sense

Thanks

Did you run the hard drive manufacturer's diagnostic tool?

Check the hard drive with the manufacturer's diagnostic tools.
Hard Drive Diagnostics Tools and Utilities (Storage) - TACKtech Corp.
HD Diagnostic

If you're stuck in Disk Check loop one solution is to boot the DVD Repair console or Repair CD to access a Command Line, run Disk Check on all partitions from the disk since it doesn't depend on possibly corrupted System Files.

Next test the HD with maker's diagnostics/Repair extended CD scan: HD Diagnostic

If the HD is bad you'll of course want to replace it, reimage Win7 onto the new HD along with the saved data.

If not and you have an image that was made before the chkdsk loop began, you can try it first to see if the problem vanishes. You could also try System Restore first to see if you can get before the loop began.

My struggle with Windows 7 SD (Self destruct continues, Looks like I am headed for another fresh intstall. My disk related ventures are posted here. Not really a h appy ending.

As to the original post, I have two questions:

1) Are both Options 1 and 2 viable?

2) As to a fresh install, I have looked at the tutorials, but I always pause when doing this, as its not 'obvious' where the option to 'install clean with formatting" is. I see the Upgrade vs Custom(Advanced) screen , and then the Drive OPtions link. But even there , where I see the Format icon and select it, it just takes me to the same/next screen (as if I selected nothing). No feedback that it has been 'selected. So I need to go through the whole process, and then look at the finished result to confrim that yup, looks like a clean C drive install. Am I correct?

Have you looked at those tutorials:
SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation
Partition the Hard Drive in a Windows 7 Install

Please keep to only one thread.

Thread continued here: Chkdsk runs everytime I restart


In big trouble now.