Can I Install Home Premium?

fishnbanjo · 07 Jul 2010

No need to really format the disk if you have the required space Windows 7 will install there, format it if you don't have anything there you need.

bigmck · 07 Jul 2010

squidgy said:

Thanks for all the quick responses

I guess it was a language thing with my original question. When I went to use the Upgrade Advisor, I thought it was going to look at my hardware and tell me whether it was sufficient to run 7. Apparently, what it's concerned with is not hardware but OSes - as in from what to what. Emphasis on upgrade not advisor, so to speak. So I ended up with an upgrade, not a clean install. I was wondering where all the hdd space went until I saw the windows.old folder. Also, I used the Dell re-install disk that came with the computer.

So I guess I'll do it again. When I had Dell support on the phone and had to reinstall HP over the previous HP installation, it did not seem concerned that there was a previous OS installed, it just did a reinstall of 7 and nothing about formatting the disk. Should I format the disk first and then let it go ahead and do a clean install?

Back up your files. Boot from the Windows 7 CD. It will ask you if you want to do a clean install (I don't remember the exact wording, but you will know). It will then format your drive for you and install Win 7. It takes about 45 minutes and you need to stay by your PC as you will have to click on OK a few times. Things will go smooth. Good Luck.

gregrocker · 07 Jul 2010

Boot the WIn7 DVD, choose Custom install, then Drive Options to repartition if you want (Delete>Create), then Format the partitions before installing to first partition.

To get the cleanest possible install, I would delete all of the partitions including the useless Dell OEM partition since those Dell utilities will not work in a clean reinstall and it can interfere with Win7. The Recovery Partition can go if you have or have made your Recovery DIsks.

There are screenshots here: Clean Install Windows 7

The installer is mostly driver-complete, with newer arriving quickly via Optional Windows Updates. Any drivers then missing can be found in the Dell Support Downloads webpage for your model or a drivers disk if you have one.

squidgy · 10 Jul 2010

gregrocker said:

Boot the WIn7 DVD, choose Custom install, then Drive Options to repartition if you want (Delete>Create), then Format the partitions before installing to first partition.

Worked fine. Much faster than XP.