Wiping Out Everything on Dell XPS 8100 Desktop

I have a Dell xps 8100 desktop thats i5-650 quad core processor that has 4gb ram and a 7200 rpm hard drive. I use to use it as my main desktop but not anymore. I have probably did the reinstallation of windows 7 64 bit on this desktop at least 5 times. However, each time i did this, i know i didn't wipe my desktop fully because it always seemed a bit slow even when formatting it and also, theres that old windows folder thats still there.


First off, can someone tell me if i need a reinstallation windows 7 cd for this? I don't recall if i had the cd or not when i did the reinstallation of it. It does have that sticker on the desktop so that might be what i need? The thing is the last time i used this desktop, i also formatted it and then stopped using it. I recall last time i looked at the instructions on how to wipe the hard drive fully clean etc but there was a step where i had an issue where i just couldn't do it due to me not able to click or something or the process didn't went through. I believe there were 2 different links that is here to follow the instructions to... is that correct? I know i couldn't do it due to it not working.


I then powered on my desktop again after some time and it is extremely slow and very laggy. So basically last time i formatted it but its still very slow. Also im sure this has to do with reinstalling windows 7 with dell usually has bloatware correct? I have a laptop thats asus and i know when i do a reinstall... which i cant do correctly b/c i had similar problem, theres ot of bloatware in asus computer and i dont know how to get rid of it.


Can someone tell me the steps where i would be able to completely wipe out the 7200 rpm hard drive and leave nothing there such as no old windows folder and no nothing so it can actually start really fast? I also like to say that when i first got this desktop, it always seemed pretty slow. I assume thats b/c i didn't remove the dell bloatware that came preloaded with the desktop?


I won't be using this desktop much but i want to basically make it brand new again and make it where theres no bloatware at all.

Everything needed is here to Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 based on what's worked best in tens of thousands of installs we've directly helped with here.

Be sure to read the Special Note to Dell OWners at the end for how to decide whether to keep the Utility partition, otherwise you'll delete all partitions during the booted install.

Pay close attention to how drivers are handled in Win7 which is not at all like XP.

You will get and keep a perfect install to the exact extent you follow the tutorial which has been used by a million consumers without a single complaint.

I took a look at the link and its a lot of steps. So the thing is im not sure if i have the dell reinstallation cd or not. BUt i have that sticker on the top of my xps8100. So that should be fine?

Also no matter what, i will have to download the iso file into a usb drive no matter what as well? I was going to do the wipe everything the xps 8100 today and everything but i wont be getting my new usb stick until later on. Does this mean i wouldn't be able to do this now then?

Yes you need a bootable DVD or flash stick to use for the install because it needs to be booted to do the install correctly, and you may need it for rescue or repairs.

Be sure to read the Special Note to Dell Owners at the end so you test your bootable Diagnostics partition to see if it will run and tell your hardware condition. If so then I would leave the Dell Utility partition, but delete all others and create and format a New one in their place. It tells in the tutorial how to decide on a partition scheme, e.g. whether you want your data kept separately from the OS to keep the C partition smaller for imaging purposes.

Which link am i suppose to click on to download the windows 7? I see some links with SP others without sp etc.

Windows 7 Home 64 Bit is What i have.

Is it the first english link thats 3.1gb?

Windows 7 Home Premium x64 SP1 U (media refresh)

Win7 Home Premium x64 SP1 English Official ISO download

okay the file im downloading now is the same one as the one you posted as same numbers so that should be it.

So i basically just drag this file to the usb flash drive right?

Also i took a look at the next steps. I do not need to keep anything in the desktop. Thus all the files that i have that i want to keep, i already have it on another laptop or i kept those files on an online storage site.

Can you tell me whats a good site to store documents/videos? At the moment i used adrive.com and it seems to be good enough.

Also when i wipe the computer and everything, isn't it a bad idea to put the videos/files that i currently had on the desktop in case those files has a virus/malware or anything like that?

Apparently you haven't read Step 2 yet. It tells how the ISO is written to stick.

You can save up to 15gb free to Onedrive. It shows here how to Sync, Backup and Store your Files to the Cloud with OneDrive

Before reimporting any data I would scan it with Malwarebytes | Free Anti-Malware & Internet Security Software and your AV. I use Panda free which is as lightweight but a little more powerful than Microsoft Security Essentials.

Be sure to read the Special Note to Dell Owners at the end of Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 to test your Dell bootable Diagnostics via ESC key at boot, as these are valuable to have. If they will boot and run and your hardware tests OK, then during install keep the Dell Utility partition while deleting all others to create new as you wish using the Drive Options pictured in Steps 7 and 8 of Clean Install Windows 7

If you want, you can create a 100gb partition in front for the OS and programs, then a second partition to store your data so that even if it's kept in the cloud via OneDrive you still have a hard copy on the HD.

This keeps the OS partition smaller for imaging purposes. You'll want to save a backup image after it's finished so you never need to reinstall again. Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup