New Computer

[timlab1955]

Okay, I'm interested in learning what others would do and how you would do it, if you were getting a new computer from DELL. The specs are the same as this computer I'm on now, because this computer is going back to them (after 8 months). I'm interested in getting rid of the bloat software that they install, but interested in keeping the link (hitting F8) if I need to restore it. My thinking is this. First check if the drive (SSD) is align. Then use Reflect to make an image of the C drive and an emergency boot for USB. Then use wipe to clean the drive clean and reinstall windows 7 pro 64 bit w/service pack 1, and then install my software.

 

[Jacee]

You might want to check with other Dell users in their forums http://support.dell.com/

 

[gregrocker]

If you clean reinstall to C it will lose the hotlink to F8 Factory Recovery. You can ask Dell for Factory Recovery disks or save externally a Win7 backup image before clean reinstalling.

The Dell OEM partition contains the Dell Diagnostics tools which may keep their hotlink after reinstall but can also be downloaded from Dell's site to burn to CD or flash stick to run separately.

With those in mind, here are steps based on helping thousands of users here to Clean Reinstall Windows 7 Factory OEM

 

[wanchoo]

Your thinking is absolutely spot on. Armed with all these precautions you shall be able to go back to your factory settings whenever you would like to.

However you may also like to request Dell to give you an Installation DVD without bloatware. Usually they are very obliging, at least over here.

But if they do not oblige, you can download an ISO image of your OS (Windows 7 Professional 64bit) from Download Windows 7 ISO (Official 32-bit and 64-bit Direct Download Links) « My Digital Life and burn it on a DVD. After that try and install it on your new computer and use the product key provided by Dell. I have not tried it myself but most likely it would succeed and you shall have a system without an iota of bloatware.

In the most unlikely event of it not succeeding you can always go back to the image that you had created when you got your new computer.