Windows 7: Installing Windows 7 on a Dell system

Hi all;

I know this question gets asked a lot (yes I have searched the forums), however none of the previous posts have been particularly relevant to me. This is my first post, so here we go:



I recently won a competition where the prize was Windows 7 Ultimate (full, not upgrade, version). I also just bought a new Dell Studio XPS desktop (please see the specs. in my profile... if you can) which came pre-loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) (OEM version with no disc, of course). My question is this:

I want to (clean) install Windows Ultimate onto the new Dell PC. Will I run into any problems in doing this? I basically also want to get rid of all the Dell crap and 3rd party software that came with the computer, and set it up the way I want it. I have heard that Win 7 will install all my drivers automatically, so would I be right in saying that I do not need the Dell "drivers and utilities" disc that came with the system?

The internet is littered with people bitching about how their Dell keeps screwing up or how Windows isn't compatible with this or that, and I'd like to try and avoid becoming one of those people. Basically, I'm just wanting to know if there are any issues in straying from the Dell OEM operating system, and installing my own full retail version of Win 7.

Any and all help will be appreciated.
Also, I am not really a "tech savvy" guy, so simple terms would be great.

Cheers,
Kraney.

1) Make sure you clean your HD
SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

2) do a clean install is always best
Clean Install Windows 7

3) you need your drivers disk to install all miss drivers.

There are several ways to do this:

Since you have a new Dell it should have come with all the drivers on a DVD. So you can format the drive and load it anyway you want. The other option is to copy the Dell Drivers off the Root of C: to a USB Flash drive so you will have them during the install. I prefer to copy the drivers to the USB drive, because in most cases they are newer, and you only load the drivers and skip all the bloatware software. -WS

See if you can make Recovery DIsks off of the Recovery partition before you clean it off the HD (using theog's #1 link above) so that you can easily restore to factory condition in case you decide to sell or give away your computer and keep Ultimate for yourself. If not, you can always order Recovery Disks or unlock all versions in any Windows 7 installer to reinstall Home Premium with the Product Key on the license sticker underneath the battery.

The installer is nearly driver-complete with newer arriving quickly via optional Windows Updates. Any drivers missing in Device Manager can then be found on the Dell Support Downloads webpage for your Tag number, or the drivers CD which might also have some useful apps like Works or webcam.

Install your programs slowly over time so you can gauge performance changes. Don't let them write themselves into your msconfig>Startup list as they are then freeloaders on your RAM and CPU. I only allow AV and gadgets in there.

Use a lightweight effective free AV like Microsoft Security Essentials which doesn't bloat your system.

When you have it setup as you want, use state-of-the-art CCleaner "Run Cleaner" and Registry tab, then Auslogics Disk and Registry defraggers to perfectly clean and order the HD. Then save a Windows 7 backup image so you never have to reinstall again, just reimage the HD or replacement using the DVD in 15 minutes.

One more thing you can do is to unstall all the Dell crapware you want to, then image your system drive (C: partition) to an external drive (you get cheap usb ones). Keep it away safely. This achieves 2 things- one, it preserves your home premium license which you have paid for as part of the computer cost, and two, you can just restore your computer to this image, if you ever want to come back to home premium or use the retail ultimate copy on a different machine. Everything will be back to exactly it was when you imaged it- all apps, no crapware, no activation hassles. You can use Macrium free to image.

The dell drivers can be downloaded off their website. Manufacturer drivers are optimized. While in many cases Windows 7 will install generic device drivers, this may not be true for every single device on your computer.