I had a retail version of the genuine edition of Windows 7 Ultimate edition, but I threw away the disk upon moving. However I do still have the CD key for it.
I'm wondering how I can do a reformat of the hard drive without a CD/DVD. If there's an official ISO file out there anywhere, I could just enter my CD key again.
I have no way of getting to the desktop right now because of BSOD on boot (please see my other thread if you can help!), so any solutions that involves actually logging into windows will not work for me.
Thank you guys so much
You can use a System Repair Disc to only format or prepare your drive for a clean install.
If the destination machine is 32 bit then you need to make the System Repair Disk on a 32 bit machine.
If the desitnation machine is 64 bit then you need to make the System Repair Disc on a 64 bit machine.
rb: | type Create a system repair | Enter
Insert the CD
Now that takes care of making the CD.
You boot from the CD,
go to a command prompt,
use diskpart to prepare the drive for a clean install.
GO TO A COMMAND PROMPT USING A SYSTEM REPAIR DISC
1) Insert
System Repair Disc into optical reader.
2) Shutdown computer.
3) Boot up computer from the System Repair Disc
If your computer doesn’t boot from the optical drive, then
Immediately after pushing your Power ON button,
start tapping the F2 key to get to the BIOS to change the boot order
On some computers, Immediately after pushing the Power ON button, start tapping the F12 key and choose CD/DVD to change the boot order only for this time.
4) Wait while a mini-version of Windows is loaded and finally the
SYSTEM RECOVERY OPTIONS dialog appears.
5) NEXT |
SYSTEM RECOVERY OPTIONS dialog
will search your system for installed versions of Windows.
6) select the
Use recovery tools that can help fix problems starting Windows radio button |
7) NEXT | Choose C
ommand Prompt
Run desired commands and type
EXIT when finished.
Remove the System Repair Disc.
Shutdown computer.
Power on computer.
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PREPARE A DISK OR A USB FLASH DRIVE FOR USE
Go to a command pomptEnter following commands, each followed by hitting ENTER:
· DiskPart
· List disk (lists disks in your system)
· Select disk <numeral> (without the < and the >)
· Detail disk (info should let you know if you selected correctly)
· Clean ALL (your entire disk is being overwritten with zeros.
This can take a considerable amount of time. Leave off the ALL for a much shorter clean which only cleans the boot sectors)
· CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY (create a primary partition)
· FORMAT FS=NTFS (format the partition)
· ACTIVE (the partition can contain operating system startup files)
· ASSIGN (the next available letter is assigned to disk)
or
ASSIGN Letter=X (Assign X as drive letter. Use the letter of your choice)
· EXIT (only type after Clean is finished. Exits from DiskPart)
· EXIT (
this exits from the command shell)
