Upgrade To Windows 7

O.k.....An update......I have now reinstalled the ''pirate'' copy or whatever you want to call it.....on the installation screen it goes straight to install on the recovery partition, which is where I went wrong originally, you have to change it manually.......anyway, on the pirate copy, the drive options (advanced) option IS there, on the Amazon one it is NOT......is it to late to use the drive options to formatt the disc, by installing the pirate copy AGAIN......and if so can someone kindly walk me through it ?.......sorry to be a pain, but this is starting to do my head in......technology huh ?........Del.

It really is strange......the recovery partition has reappeared with 14.1 of free space......it has downloaded 15 updates......and it has been activated........ Marvellous !!

Hi there. I think you need to start again with a wiped hard drive. If you download "parted magic" onto a usb you can wipe the drive - then when you put the windows install disc you can just follow the basic instructions as you will have no partitions and can just let it install. There may be other ways of doing it, but that's what I do if I want to start with a clean disc. Or put a new disc drive in. Parted Magic isn't free but it's only about £3 or something. Once you've downloaded and installed it to usb (or download to a computer then copy and past the download to the usb), then

1) Put the usb stick in the computer while it is turned off.
2) Turn the computer on and press ESC key repeatedly until a list of boot options appears - select the usb stick
3) It will boot into Parted Magic and give you a list of options - the first one is already selected to boot into RAM so leave that as it is and just hit return.
4) Eventually you will see a desktop as if it was an installed distro but it's running from the usb stick.
5) Ignore country selection and double click on the icon that says "erase disk"
6) Out of the 'Internal' and 'external options that appear, click on 'External'
7) Select the first option "Disk - write zeros to entire drive using dd"
8) You then need to select the drive to be erased - there should be two - your hard drive and your usb drive - select the hard drive NOT the usb drive! Click Ok
9) You will get a warning that everything will be erased and ask if you want to continue - select 'yes'

Then just leave it wiping the drive - it could take a while - an hour or more - there's a screen that shows progress while it's in progress. When it's finished a box will come up and tell you and click ok, then turn off the computer and remove the usb stick (or SD card or whatever you've used).

Now start the Windows 7 install. Make sure you have no usb, sd cards or other drives or peripherals attached to the computer, put the windows 7 disc in and follow through.

I usually leave activation till later (that's an option when it asks for your product key), just ignore that page and click 'Next'.

When you get to the partitioning page after selecting custom install, you should just have Disc 0 Unallocated space. Click this to select it, then click 'Next'

Then just let Windows install fully. You could now activate it by right clicking on 'Computer' and selecting properties. Windows Activation is near the bottom - click on it and enter your product key (carefully).


Once it is installed and activated, put antivirus software on. I disconnect the internet and set the Internet Explorer home page to the antivirus download link - and save that page as the home page (helps if you get the web address first on another computer). Then connect internet, open Internet Explorer which will open on the safe antivirus page, download it. Unless you have a disc for antivirus, then install it that way. If you don't have a subscription or disc already, set the homepage for Microsoft Security Essentials and download that - you can change antivirus later at some stage.

Let your antivirus install and update.

Then do Windows updates - this could take overnight or longer - just leave it running somewhere, plugged in (should be plugged in throughout the whole process). Follow the tutorial on here regarding this - just keep checking for updates and more will keep appearing after the first round.

Just keep running Windows update until no more appear (might be 24 hours later! depending on how fast or slow your computer is). Patience.

When you are sure there are no more Windows updates and all is installed fine, then come back on here and someone can guide you through checking device manager to see if there are any further drivers need installing. Windows 7 downloads all the necessary ones really, but sometimes there is one missing for an sd card slot or something.

Once Windows is installed and all drivers checked, and the system is up and running fine, then you can make a system image of your clean installed system - and then add your programs and downloads - that way if any of your installed programs and downloads messes anything up you don't have to reinstall from scratch and do all the windows updates again, you just restore from your system image. You'll need an external portable hard drive to do a system image on, set to NTFS.

Again come back on here and someone will guide you through the System Image process (apologies if you already know how to do this).

AddRAM said:

We have posted the clean install tutorial a dozen times, have you even read it yet ?????

I told you, you have to delete the entire drive down to unallocated space, then you simply click next.

There are now 154 posts in this thread, going on a week, this is ridiculous.

I hate to sound harsh, but my daughter can do this in less then 15 minutes.

Read the tutorial

Clean Install Windows 7

The Recovery Partition didn`t reappear, you just never deleted it.

Post a shot of Disk Management please.

O.k....I thought that's what forums were for......Thank you....and Goodbye !!

Thanks to all for the help and guidance......reckon it's sorted now.....sorry to have gone on so much, but learning every day.......Cheerio !!