Solved Using Fdisk, Gparted, etc to reformat NTFS for Windows 7 installation

I am an avid Linux user but occasionally I use Windows as a dual boot for school or just whatever. Recently, I had Windows 7 dual booted with Linux. All was fine. I went to make a backup copy of Windows 7 using Acronis and mistakenly put their backup file (.bib) file on a seperate and unused portion of an extended partition that was enough size to hold the image. Well, later on I decided I wanted to try and copy that image onto a primary partition so I used a tool via Linux to do so, however I underestimated the free space available on the new partition and basically sda1 locked up on me and its created a mess. i don't mind using just Linux but of course Windows 7 and its hassles makes it so if I want to do something in Windows like now, I have to format the partition perfectly. I have used almost every means necessary including Fdisk, GParted and formatted the ENTIRE harddrive to NTFS and put the boot flag on the first 164 sectors of the first cylinder but even then when I think all is well, I run my installation disk and when it begins to expand files, it says the installation media or software necessary to install is corrupt. What does this mean? I've tried even another CD I had from a while ago with a whole other image on Windows 7 and it won't expand. I did try installing XP then last night which it did install but then just wanted to cycle again and again through the bootloader and never boot. Can someone do their best to specifiy as technically as possible where to put what and how many NTFS partitions do I need before installing Windows. I've even used the Windows 7 advance partitioner and deleted and created new partitions with Windows and it still doesn't want to install. My last idea is to download Vista and try its installer, perhaps. I can't figure out what is the problem cause I've wipe the whole hard drive clear before and these installations for Windows always work. Any ideas? Thanks.

Have you tried the clean command in Diskpart when booting from the Windows installation DVD?

No I had not used that method but excellent suggestion. Turns out I was trying too hard to format to begin with. After reading on paragraph out of a Windows 7 book I realized my blunder. So I just went back with Gparted, stripped all partitions and left unformatted. Then I put the Windows 7 disk in, which because all space was then unallocated it created the active partition but still gave me the install error. Well I found a Windows Server 2008 disc and put it in. When I got to diskparted, sure enough the first system partiion created by Windows 7 was there and so i just tested Server 2008 to install in the next unformatted partition and it worked like a charm, creating the boot partition Windows needed and so now I can either use Server 2008 or should be able to install Windows 7 now over the 2nd partition. I say this is resolved. thanks and if anymore problems arrise I will post them.