Clean Install

richc46

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When I install Win 7, I will do a clean install. I prefer not to format, so that my old files will be located in the old files folder. It has been stated (and I agree) a clean install is better than an upgrade; but is there any reason that a clean install without a format (computer purchased in December) is beneficial? Current OS Vista Home Premium.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell XPS 420
OS
Windows 10, Home Clean Install
CPU
Intel Core2 processsor Q8200(2.33Ghz 1333FSB) Quad Core Tech
Motherboard
Dell
Memory
6 gb
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Radeon 256MB HD3650
Sound Card
Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell SP2009W 20"
Hard Drives
640 GB Serial ATA Hard drive
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Dell USB Keyboard
Mouse
Dell Premium Optical USB
Internet Speed
DSL 2.85
Less clutter for one! You also see a fresh primary to work with as well as removing any traces of the previous installation being the present one you have now as long as you have all of your important files already backed up.

Once I have the retail inhand here I'll simply delete the partition right off of the drive entirely to insure a totally clean install. That will insure there's no problems while a little more effort then required. If the partition information is intact and there are no other problems you should be able to see a good replacement install of 7.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    Custom builds = 2
    OS
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz - 965 2nd remote pc
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4-Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600 1.5v 16gb - Hyper X Fury 8gb 2nd
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 5750 1gb - MSI HD Radeon 6450 on mini tower
    Sound Card
    Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Audio P - Realtek onooard 2nd case
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VW199T-P 19" HP 2082a Main-HP 2082a 20" remote pc
    Screen Resolution
    Asus 1440x900 - HP 1600x900
    Hard Drives
    WD Black 1TB HD per OS W7, W10, and pending W11 presently on 500gb OS Drive - Pending Triple 1TB HDs for Spanned Storage/backup volume
    Single 2TB external USB enclosure, single 1TB System 7 Host/Boot drive, Pending 8TB external HD for system image b
    PSU
    Corsair 750TX - primary / Corsair CX600 - second
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible / NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A
    Keyboard
    AZIO L70 Backlit Letters Gaming - ONN Cordless/USB
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 Programmable, Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade - primary hard wired - mini tower usb WiFi
    Antivirus
    GFI VIPRE Internet Security 2014 on W7 2016 beta on W10,
    Browser
    Cyberfox, WaterFox 64bit FF variants, FireFox x64, Pale Moon
    Other Info
    Accomdata fan cooled usb 2.0 PIDE/Sata II, III external enclosure.
    Sambient usb/eSata PATA/Sata II, III external enclosure.
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    CUSTOM ASSEMBLY
    OS
    W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Deneb 3.6ghz - 965
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X Fury 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 6450 DVI Output
    Sound Card
    Realtek onooard Creative or Other separate PENDING
    Monitor(s) Displays
    VIZIO 32" LCD TV Separate LCD Pending
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 500GB OS Host/Boot WD Green 1TB Storage/Backup
    PSU
    Corsair 600W - THERMALTAKE 600W spare case
    Case
    NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Twin 120mm Top Fans - 240mm Side Cover
    Keyboard
    ONN Cordless/USB Logitech Cordless
    Mouse
    ONN USB/Cordless - Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    DSL 5G
    Browser
    MS Edge, FireFox, WaterFox x64, FireFox Nightly
    Other Info
    OS Testing-Remote Access to Main TeamViewer
i think it isn't so important that fomat your partition or not but if u do it is better becuase installer has a fresh partition and can do it faster than a partition that hasn't formated.
 

My Computer

OS
Windows Vista Home Premium x64
Internet Speed
ADSL 100 Mbps
Actually that would be a primary that hasn't been reformatted. When going to install any new OS here I plan on nuking the partition or even drive from the start.

Generally a fresh wipe of the existing primary for a fresh clean install is what to aim for rather then contending with any leftovers. For a preinstalled OS using an upgrade disk to move up from Vista's Home Premium you will want to follow the upgrade path correctly while a full system sweep with the original recovery disk or option for a fresh install of Vista would be preferred for the upgrade to 7 there.

Since I run custom builds I naturally use the full version rather then upgrade disks. The last time I used an upgrade disk for my own system was an old 95 upgrade disk to move up from 3.1! That wasn't too last too long however since 98SE took it's place with a full retail disk there.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    Custom builds = 2
    OS
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz - 965 2nd remote pc
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4-Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600 1.5v 16gb - Hyper X Fury 8gb 2nd
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 5750 1gb - MSI HD Radeon 6450 on mini tower
    Sound Card
    Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Audio P - Realtek onooard 2nd case
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VW199T-P 19" HP 2082a Main-HP 2082a 20" remote pc
    Screen Resolution
    Asus 1440x900 - HP 1600x900
    Hard Drives
    WD Black 1TB HD per OS W7, W10, and pending W11 presently on 500gb OS Drive - Pending Triple 1TB HDs for Spanned Storage/backup volume
    Single 2TB external USB enclosure, single 1TB System 7 Host/Boot drive, Pending 8TB external HD for system image b
    PSU
    Corsair 750TX - primary / Corsair CX600 - second
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible / NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A
    Keyboard
    AZIO L70 Backlit Letters Gaming - ONN Cordless/USB
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 Programmable, Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade - primary hard wired - mini tower usb WiFi
    Antivirus
    GFI VIPRE Internet Security 2014 on W7 2016 beta on W10,
    Browser
    Cyberfox, WaterFox 64bit FF variants, FireFox x64, Pale Moon
    Other Info
    Accomdata fan cooled usb 2.0 PIDE/Sata II, III external enclosure.
    Sambient usb/eSata PATA/Sata II, III external enclosure.
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    CUSTOM ASSEMBLY
    OS
    W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Deneb 3.6ghz - 965
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X Fury 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 6450 DVI Output
    Sound Card
    Realtek onooard Creative or Other separate PENDING
    Monitor(s) Displays
    VIZIO 32" LCD TV Separate LCD Pending
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 500GB OS Host/Boot WD Green 1TB Storage/Backup
    PSU
    Corsair 600W - THERMALTAKE 600W spare case
    Case
    NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Twin 120mm Top Fans - 240mm Side Cover
    Keyboard
    ONN Cordless/USB Logitech Cordless
    Mouse
    ONN USB/Cordless - Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    DSL 5G
    Browser
    MS Edge, FireFox, WaterFox x64, FireFox Nightly
    Other Info
    OS Testing-Remote Access to Main TeamViewer
When I install Win 7, I will do a clean install. I prefer not to format, so that my old files will be located in the old files folder. It has been stated (and I agree) a clean install is better than an upgrade; but is there any reason that a clean install without a format (computer purchased in December) is beneficial? Current OS Vista Home Premium.
Is there any reason why you can't put Win7 on a different partition (other than Vista)?
Or do you have only one partition, because of a 'small' HDD?
If the HDD is big enuf, you could 'shrink' the single partition and create a new partition, using Win7 Diskpart, booted from install DVD.
That -should- give you a dual-boot, I believe, with your Vista and apps intact.

Win 7 can go onto a nice freshly formatted partition, clean install, and that -should- be that...
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Gateway GT5056
OS
XP_Pro, W7_7201, W7RC.vhd, SciLinux5.3, Fedora12, Fedora9_2x, OpenSolaris_09-06
CPU
AMD 64x2
Motherboard
Yes
Memory
1 gig
Graphics Card(s)
Dunno
Sound Card
Realtek something
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster 940MW w/TV
Screen Resolution
1280x1024
Hard Drives
250 GB WD, USB Seagate Freedesk 1.5 T
Internet Speed
Cable modem
Other Info
1 + 1 = 10b,
7 + 7 = 16o,
a + b = 15h.
I believe richc46 is more interested in replacing Vista with 7 not setting up any dual boot at this time.

The 7 installer will easily pack everything into the Windows.old folder. You still may want to back things up from the drive before proceeding just the same. Then if the need to reformat the drive comes up your files are safe and can copied back onto the drive after you have Windows up and running.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    Custom builds = 2
    OS
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz - 965 2nd remote pc
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4-Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600 1.5v 16gb - Hyper X Fury 8gb 2nd
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 5750 1gb - MSI HD Radeon 6450 on mini tower
    Sound Card
    Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Audio P - Realtek onooard 2nd case
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VW199T-P 19" HP 2082a Main-HP 2082a 20" remote pc
    Screen Resolution
    Asus 1440x900 - HP 1600x900
    Hard Drives
    WD Black 1TB HD per OS W7, W10, and pending W11 presently on 500gb OS Drive - Pending Triple 1TB HDs for Spanned Storage/backup volume
    Single 2TB external USB enclosure, single 1TB System 7 Host/Boot drive, Pending 8TB external HD for system image b
    PSU
    Corsair 750TX - primary / Corsair CX600 - second
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible / NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A
    Keyboard
    AZIO L70 Backlit Letters Gaming - ONN Cordless/USB
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 Programmable, Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade - primary hard wired - mini tower usb WiFi
    Antivirus
    GFI VIPRE Internet Security 2014 on W7 2016 beta on W10,
    Browser
    Cyberfox, WaterFox 64bit FF variants, FireFox x64, Pale Moon
    Other Info
    Accomdata fan cooled usb 2.0 PIDE/Sata II, III external enclosure.
    Sambient usb/eSata PATA/Sata II, III external enclosure.
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    CUSTOM ASSEMBLY
    OS
    W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Deneb 3.6ghz - 965
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X Fury 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 6450 DVI Output
    Sound Card
    Realtek onooard Creative or Other separate PENDING
    Monitor(s) Displays
    VIZIO 32" LCD TV Separate LCD Pending
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 500GB OS Host/Boot WD Green 1TB Storage/Backup
    PSU
    Corsair 600W - THERMALTAKE 600W spare case
    Case
    NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Twin 120mm Top Fans - 240mm Side Cover
    Keyboard
    ONN Cordless/USB Logitech Cordless
    Mouse
    ONN USB/Cordless - Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    DSL 5G
    Browser
    MS Edge, FireFox, WaterFox x64, FireFox Nightly
    Other Info
    OS Testing-Remote Access to Main TeamViewer
I believe richc46 is more interested in replacing Vista with 7 not setting up any dual boot at this time.

The 7 installer will easily pack everything into the Windows.old folder. You still may want to back things up from the drive before proceeding just the same. Then if the need to reformat the drive comes up your files are safe and can copied back onto the drive after you have Windows up and running.
I believe he is, too.

But he may not be aware of available options.

He never -really- said... :D
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Gateway GT5056
OS
XP_Pro, W7_7201, W7RC.vhd, SciLinux5.3, Fedora12, Fedora9_2x, OpenSolaris_09-06
CPU
AMD 64x2
Motherboard
Yes
Memory
1 gig
Graphics Card(s)
Dunno
Sound Card
Realtek something
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster 940MW w/TV
Screen Resolution
1280x1024
Hard Drives
250 GB WD, USB Seagate Freedesk 1.5 T
Internet Speed
Cable modem
Other Info
1 + 1 = 10b,
7 + 7 = 16o,
a + b = 15h.
All we can do now is wait for richc46 to reply to what he decides on.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    Custom builds = 2
    OS
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz - 965 2nd remote pc
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4-Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600 1.5v 16gb - Hyper X Fury 8gb 2nd
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 5750 1gb - MSI HD Radeon 6450 on mini tower
    Sound Card
    Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Audio P - Realtek onooard 2nd case
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VW199T-P 19" HP 2082a Main-HP 2082a 20" remote pc
    Screen Resolution
    Asus 1440x900 - HP 1600x900
    Hard Drives
    WD Black 1TB HD per OS W7, W10, and pending W11 presently on 500gb OS Drive - Pending Triple 1TB HDs for Spanned Storage/backup volume
    Single 2TB external USB enclosure, single 1TB System 7 Host/Boot drive, Pending 8TB external HD for system image b
    PSU
    Corsair 750TX - primary / Corsair CX600 - second
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible / NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A
    Keyboard
    AZIO L70 Backlit Letters Gaming - ONN Cordless/USB
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 Programmable, Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade - primary hard wired - mini tower usb WiFi
    Antivirus
    GFI VIPRE Internet Security 2014 on W7 2016 beta on W10,
    Browser
    Cyberfox, WaterFox 64bit FF variants, FireFox x64, Pale Moon
    Other Info
    Accomdata fan cooled usb 2.0 PIDE/Sata II, III external enclosure.
    Sambient usb/eSata PATA/Sata II, III external enclosure.
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    CUSTOM ASSEMBLY
    OS
    W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Deneb 3.6ghz - 965
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X Fury 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 6450 DVI Output
    Sound Card
    Realtek onooard Creative or Other separate PENDING
    Monitor(s) Displays
    VIZIO 32" LCD TV Separate LCD Pending
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 500GB OS Host/Boot WD Green 1TB Storage/Backup
    PSU
    Corsair 600W - THERMALTAKE 600W spare case
    Case
    NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Twin 120mm Top Fans - 240mm Side Cover
    Keyboard
    ONN Cordless/USB Logitech Cordless
    Mouse
    ONN USB/Cordless - Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    DSL 5G
    Browser
    MS Edge, FireFox, WaterFox x64, FireFox Nightly
    Other Info
    OS Testing-Remote Access to Main TeamViewer
I am not interested in a dual boot system. I am hoping to use my computer knowledge (just enough to get into trouble) to update to Windows 7. Most of the members of this forum may not understand this, due to their extensive knowledge of computers, but changing an OS, is a bit intimidating to me, since this is the first time I have attempeted such a procedure and really do not know what to expect. All of your help is making it a lot easier. I am sure that you will be hearing from me, again.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell XPS 420
OS
Windows 10, Home Clean Install
CPU
Intel Core2 processsor Q8200(2.33Ghz 1333FSB) Quad Core Tech
Motherboard
Dell
Memory
6 gb
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Radeon 256MB HD3650
Sound Card
Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell SP2009W 20"
Hard Drives
640 GB Serial ATA Hard drive
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Dell USB Keyboard
Mouse
Dell Premium Optical USB
Internet Speed
DSL 2.85
Experience is the best real teacher! :D If you never try you never learn! :shock::huh::o:confused::cry::sick: That's kind of the simple formula to remember.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    Custom builds = 2
    OS
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz - 965 2nd remote pc
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4-Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600 1.5v 16gb - Hyper X Fury 8gb 2nd
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 5750 1gb - MSI HD Radeon 6450 on mini tower
    Sound Card
    Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Audio P - Realtek onooard 2nd case
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VW199T-P 19" HP 2082a Main-HP 2082a 20" remote pc
    Screen Resolution
    Asus 1440x900 - HP 1600x900
    Hard Drives
    WD Black 1TB HD per OS W7, W10, and pending W11 presently on 500gb OS Drive - Pending Triple 1TB HDs for Spanned Storage/backup volume
    Single 2TB external USB enclosure, single 1TB System 7 Host/Boot drive, Pending 8TB external HD for system image b
    PSU
    Corsair 750TX - primary / Corsair CX600 - second
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible / NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A
    Keyboard
    AZIO L70 Backlit Letters Gaming - ONN Cordless/USB
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 Programmable, Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade - primary hard wired - mini tower usb WiFi
    Antivirus
    GFI VIPRE Internet Security 2014 on W7 2016 beta on W10,
    Browser
    Cyberfox, WaterFox 64bit FF variants, FireFox x64, Pale Moon
    Other Info
    Accomdata fan cooled usb 2.0 PIDE/Sata II, III external enclosure.
    Sambient usb/eSata PATA/Sata II, III external enclosure.
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    CUSTOM ASSEMBLY
    OS
    W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Deneb 3.6ghz - 965
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X Fury 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 6450 DVI Output
    Sound Card
    Realtek onooard Creative or Other separate PENDING
    Monitor(s) Displays
    VIZIO 32" LCD TV Separate LCD Pending
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 500GB OS Host/Boot WD Green 1TB Storage/Backup
    PSU
    Corsair 600W - THERMALTAKE 600W spare case
    Case
    NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Twin 120mm Top Fans - 240mm Side Cover
    Keyboard
    ONN Cordless/USB Logitech Cordless
    Mouse
    ONN USB/Cordless - Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    DSL 5G
    Browser
    MS Edge, FireFox, WaterFox x64, FireFox Nightly
    Other Info
    OS Testing-Remote Access to Main TeamViewer
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