Deleting my EFI/GPT partitions before reinstaling WIndows7

[Drumming Pete]

My SSD on my ASUS laptop looks like this.

I am afraid that a virus may reside on one of the first two partitions of my Disk0

Can I safely remove all three partitions first then begin reinstalling using a bootable usb with WIndows7 ?

If yes, how to proceed, I gather the first two paritions need some special attention to delete.

1. Delete all partitions
2. recreate all this EFI/GPT stuff with correct alignment (I don't know what EFI/GPT means)

 

[samuria]

Welcome to the forum. If you boot win 7 install it lets you during installation to choose were to install on that screen you can delete all partitions then let Windows create what it needs. The second partition is recovery to set your PC back to how it was when you bought it

 

[Drumming Pete]

Hello Samuria.

My laptop supposedly has an UEFI Bios. Is that first partition called 'EFI' necessary for correctly operating my machine?
Or can I just delete it? (I am going to install Windows7)

 

[samuria]

You can delete it windows will create what it needs

 

[Megahertz07]

The EFI partition has the boot loaders.
It has the windows boot loader and can have another boot loader as your system has a recovery partition. This second boot loader would be to launch Asus diagnostics and a Factory Recover.
If you delete all partitions you going to loose this Asus facilities.
If you're going to install from a Win 7 installation disk with the COA key, you should delete all partitions.
Be sure to boot Win 7 installation disk as UEFI and if you have another HDD, disconnect it prior to the installation. Attach it when done.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Pretty small ssd no need for gpt on it
Hard Drive - GPT or MBR

 

[RolandJS]

Folks, will the thread starter also have driver issues?

 

[Drumming Pete]

I did slipstream USB3.0 drivers into my Boot.wim on my bootable USB. The USB drivers were downloaded for my 7-series intel chipset. I hope these will take effect immediately during setup.

I need to know how to slipstream other hotfixes for correct operation during setup.

My last concern is, my Asus laptop has a keyboard with special function-keys, also a touchscreen and touchpad,

Can anone comment?

 

[Megahertz07]

Your laptop came with win 10, right?
You should do a Factory Recover disks before you begin with the installation of Win 7.
With win 7 you're going to loose the keyboard special function-keys, and touchscreen.

My advice is to reinstall win 10. Download and install. There will be no problems to activate. The drivers for keyboard special function-keys and touchscreen you download from Asus site.