How to factory reset windows 7 w/out windows disk

Hello,

i am running windows 7 64bit on a Dell 1420. i would like to reinstall (factory reset) windows 7, erasing everything on the computer and starting from scratch. My computer came with windows XP and when windows 7 was installed, i believe the recovery partition was deleted. i do not have the windows disk. i have created a recovery disk and when i boot from it it brings me to this:



I dont believe i want any of these options. Is it possible to start from scratch with windows 7 given the above scenario?

thanks in advance.

Do you have a Windows 7 Product Key of 25 characters?

A so-called "factory reset", even if you could do it, would take you back to XP, since that is what it had on it from the factory.

Tell us about this recovery disk. Was it created at a time when XP was the operating system on this PC?

I understand that a factory reset will get me back to XP, and if thats my only option then oh well :/ I was hoping there would be a way to (for lack of a better term) "reinstall" windows 7 using a recovery method.

i do have the windows product key. the install was done by my school about a year ago.

the recovery disk (i may be using the wrong term here) is on my flash drive. i followed the instructions at the link below to create it today. most of what i have seen has instructed me to create a system restore point or an image created earier. both i assume would have saved data and my personal settings.

Create a USB Memory Stick with System Recovery Tools | 7 Tutorials

I'll ask again: was the recovery disk created at a time when XP was the operating system on this PC?

Or was it created after you had switched to Windows 7?

If you have the Win 7 product key, you can download an official Microsoft ISO, burn it to a disk, boot from it, install Windows 7, and activate with your product key.

the recovery disk on my flash drive was made today with windows 7. i am looking for an official iso of windows 7 from microsoft but initial queries are directing me to purchase it..

You can get the ISO here:

Official Windows 7 SP1 ISO from Digital River « My Digital Life

You need the exact same version as your Product Key.

Everything you need is here to Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 including special notes for Dell owners about preserving the Diagnostics partition if desired, or how to replace it.

The disk you have is a Win7 Repair CD used for repairs or reimaging the system after you save a backup image.