Windows 7 clean install - BIOS questions & system startup time

[RedLad]

Hi everyone,

I am going to do a fresh install of Windows 7 Pro on my Dell Precision 7910.

I had a big thread on here before, with some very helpful people that talked me through a fair bit of trouble I had. Changing settings in Bios, Raid controllers and all from what I can recall. I will have to read back through it to do the same again this is the thread on the page that the PC subject started on (earlier pages were to do with my laptop)

Windows Startup Repair query

I wanted to ask about the BIOS:

1. If I do a clean install (on a brand new SSD) do I need to go back and follow all the steps that the guys helped me along with? Or will the BIOS remain the same as it is now?

2. For the PC to boot up, it takes longer than my laptop (that is about 30 secs or less)
The PC is currently taking about 1:30 mins to boot up. So, is there any other info you could give me to make this quicker? It isn't a massive issue, but I am more curios as to why it takes longer than the laptop.

Sorry for the long winded question. Looking forward to hearing back, thanks

Paul

 

[RedLad]

Any takers?

I wanted to start this tonight

 

[Paul Black]

Hi RedLad,

I am going to do a fresh install of Windows 7 Pro on my Dell Precision 7910.

If I do a clean install (on a brand new SSD) do I need to go back and follow all the steps that the guys helped me along with?

Have you got an installation DVD/USB in which to do the clean install with on the SSD?

If you were to do the clean install on the old HDD, you might still have the restore partition in which you could restore to the factory settings!

Amother option, is to do a Repair Install!

For the PC to boot up, it takes longer than my laptop (that is about 30 secs or less).
The PC is currently taking about 1:30 mins to boot up. So, is there any other info you could give me to make this quicker? It isn't a massive issue, but I am more curios as to why it takes longer than the laptop.

A repair install differs from a clean install in the fact that it ONLY replaces the corrupted OS with a new fresh copy. This means that ALL your User Accounts, Folders, Files, Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, Data Files, Icons, and any installed programs are left intact. It does however, delete ALL the Window updates, and can affect, sounds, services, visual effect settings and device drivers by re-setting them to default. You cannot do a repair install at boot, in Safe Mode, using a system repair disk, or using an integrated Windows update disk. Basically, this process can ONLY be performed from within the LIVE OS.

It might speed up the computer and is worth consideration!

I hope this helps!

 

[RedLad]

Hi Paul,

We meet again! I hope you are well. I do have the disc for it yes, Dell sent me out one with the mess I had relating to that thread I linked. 3 years back.

I do not want to keep any data, as I have it all backed up - so I want to do a clean slate on this. 100% from scratch. So I have the new Samsung 860 Pro ready to go, then I have a 4TB HDD in the PC currently, with any stuff I want to keep, backed up to an external hard drive. So this 4TB drive will be wiped too.

Wow, I have spent the past while reading back through that link I posted in my above post, two guys 'GokAy' and 'gregrocker' were immense help to me with all their replies, I had not realized I had so many pages in the thread! Pretty insane. They were so patient with me. I just hope I do not have to go through all of that trouble again!

 

[Paul Black]

Hi RedLad,

So I have the new Samsung 860 Pro ready to go, then I have a 4TB HDD in the PC currently, with any stuff I want to keep, backed up to an external hard drive. So this 4TB drive will be wiped too.

[1] What MOBO is the Samsung 860 Pro?
[2] Does it support Win 7?
[3] Have you got all the drivers that are not in the installation disk for it?

 

[Paul Black]

Hi RedLad,

Update System Specifications

Please update your system specifications in your UserCP => Edit System Spec setup. It will help us to help you!

This SevenForums tutorial [Published by Brink and written by CyberZeus] makes this task very easy and quick to do. Click here => System Info - See Your System Specs.

Thanks.

 

[RedLad]

Hi RedLad,



[1] What MOBO is the Samsung 860 Pro?
[2] Does it support Win 7?
[3] Have you got all the drivers that are not in the installation disk for it?

Hi Paul,

1. I do not know, how would I find out this? (Please keep in mind I am a bit of a newbie with all of this still)
2. Never thought of this, but just read a comment on Amazon where I bought it saying 'My God this thing is fast, windows 7 fully boots in about 15 seconds and opening programs is almost instant.'
3. I did not receive any installation disk with this new SSD - should I have got one?

 

[Paul Black]

Hi RedLad,

1. I do not know, how would I find out this?
(Please keep in mind I am a bit of a newbie with all of this still)

Download and run Speccy [FREE] from here => Speccy [FREE]. Post a screenshot of the MOBO tab.

2. Never thought of this, but just read a comment on Amazon where I bought it saying 'My God this thing is fast, windows 7 fully boots in about 15 seconds and opening programs is almost instant.'

Excellent!

3. I did not receive any installation disk with this new SSD - should I have got one?

It the computer that you are going to do the clean install on NEW?

 

[RedLad]

Here is the Motherboard:

The PC is not new no, was bought in 2015 I think!

 

[RedLad]

Ah sorry, how do I attach images here again??

Can you see this?:
Imgur: The magic of the Internet

 

[Paul Black]

Hi RedLad,

The PC is not new no, was bought in 2015 I think!

OK, I only asked because if it is one of the newer generations of MOBO you would have needed to integrate the drivers into the install.wim and then created a new installation DVD/USB.

Ah sorry, how do I attach images here again?

This tutorial [Published by Brink] will show you how to upload the file =>
Screenshots and Files - Upload and Post in SevenForums.

I hope this helps!

 

[RedLad]

Hi RedLad,

Update System Specifications

Please update your system specifications in your UserCP => Edit System Spec setup. It will help us to help you!

This SevenForums tutorial [Published by Brink and written by CyberZeus] makes this task very easy and quick to do. Click here => System Info - See Your System Specs.

Thanks.

That is done now

 

[iko22]

It's a Dell 0215PR Workstation motherboard.

Edit: Sorry I am three posts behind.

 

[iko22]

The BIOS should be unaffected by the Windows clean install, So, you should:

Remove all disks.
Install the new SSD.
Continue from about post #205, from your former thread link.

 

[Paul Black]

Hi RedLad,

The BIOS should be unaffected by the Windows clean install, So, you should:

Remove all disks.
Install the new SSD.
Continue from about post #205, from your former thread link.

I agree with iko22. I think you are probably good to go!
If you want detailed instructions on the clean install process then please let us know!

 

[RedLad]

The BIOS should be unaffected by the Windows clean install, So, you should:

Remove all disks.
Install the new SSD.
Continue from about post #205, from your former thread link.

Hi iko22 (sorry I don't know your actual name)

That is very kind of you to have checked out my other thread, thanks so much!
I will let you know how it goes

 

[RedLad]

Hi RedLad,



I agree with iko22. I think you are probably good to go!
If you want detailed instructuctions on the clean install process then please let us know!

Cheers Paul, I will give it a shot, if not tonight then tomorrow at some stage. I will let you know how it goes

 

[Paul Black]

Hi RedLad,

Cheers Paul, I will give it a shot, if not tonight then tomorrow at some stage. I will let you know how it goes.

You are welcome. Good luck!

 

[RedLad]

Hi guys,

OK so I am back, but of course I have some issues after the clean install ( I just expected there to be something that would have to go wrong!) I will try to outline everything here as I want to explain exactly what I did and what happened:

- Upon installation, at the partition screen I saw my new SSD listed, which was good. So I clicked on the 'New' option and the size it gave I just said OK to that.

- It then decided to create 3 different partitions - the one that was already there, the usual system reserved one. But another on got created too, I cannot fully remember the letters it has in brackets after this 3rd one. I think it was MPR maybe? My question is - was it a bad idea to go ahead with the 3 partitions there? I installed to the biggest one, just so you know.

- Got to desktop

-Installed my WiFi adapter to try get online

- When I clicked on the TP link listed in the available connections, the screen went black. I left it for a few mins, nothing was happening.

- I force powered off and turned back on.

- Went online and installed Avast Free & Malwarebytes Free.

- I noticed the Shutdown button had the '!' symbol, so I went ahead and shutdown to install the updates.

- The usual shutdown blue screen showed 98 updated had to be installed.

- On 43 of 98 if decides to freeze and stays on that screen for a while before going black (it looks almost as if it was trying to kick into a screen hibernation/rest mode)

- I force powered off yet again

-When I was back at the desktop I noticed the C: drive said 404GB free of 476BG - I have no idea why it says 72GB is taken up. Nothing was installed, just the fresh base Windows 7 install, along with the two antivirus bits of software.

- While I did nothing, it decides to freeze again on this screen (Computer) and I thought the mouse just stopped working. But nothing from keyboard or even when I pressed the windows key to bring up start menu, nothing happened.

- Then the black screen returned after a few minutes.

So I think that covers everything that happened. Would there be any issues with the new SSD not being compatible, or some other nonsense maybe? If anyone could help me out, that would be very much appreciated.


Paul

 

[Paul Black]

Hi RedLad, before we go any further, can you post a screenshot of Disk Management.