Which partitions do I actually need?

Forget that, I've managed to boot Ubuntu from the cd, and now I'm moving over the files from the desktop. I'll do a clean install of windows. Should I do the clean command or clean all?

Diskpart Clean Command

Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7

Annoying I have to reinstall it, but thanks. I'll try not to muck it up this time.

Put a positive spin on on it. You haven't lost any of your data (at least as I recall throughout the thread), your hardware all seems to work, you've got OS install media. And although you spent more time on it than necessary, you've got to admit you've been able to take advantage of some learning opportunities!

Very true, and I've got a faster system, thanks to the clean install, and now Ubuntu seems to be working fine. Now I might not have to ask as many questions because of what I've learnt here.

Guess what! The volume light is still playing up! After install the driver/program, the light changes correctly for about 2 or 3 reboots, then it just stays red all the time. Any ideas? Thanks.

Does it affect adjusting the volume correctly?

What driver and program are you using? Is this from the computer or device model's Support Downloads webpage? Please post a link.

It's from HP's website, I can't give you a link at the moment for various reasons. I can still mute the computer, even without the software installed.

Do the volume controls work otherwise? Is only the light the problem?

Did the light work correctly when you had preinstalled HP Win7?

Look on the HP Downloads page for your model for any hotfixes for this particular problem. Google the model number and problem description to see if others have dealt with this.

Yeah it's only the light, but I do use it to quickly tell whether it's muted. The light worked before I installed Ubuntu before the reinstall, but not after. I'll give you a link asap.