Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7. Published by. How to Clean Reinstall Windows 7 Information. A clean reinstall is often better than getting a new computer since most PC's come larded with sponsors' bloatware and duplicate utilities that interfere with much better versions built into Windows 7.
For this reason most tech enthusiasts clean reinstall using the Product Key on the COA sticker affixed to machine. This guide compiles everything that works best in tens of thousands of installs we've directly helped with here. Warning. Please read over all steps to be sure you understand them before beginning. Ask back any questions in the Comments section below.
Best Windows ever; Windows 10 is fast, familiar, and the most secure Windows ever built. It’s great for doing all the things you do. Buy and download now. CNET Download.com is your best guide to find free downloads of safe, trusted, and secure Windows software, utilities, and games.
Part of a series on: Windows XP; New features; Releases and editions (x64 · Media Center · Fundamentals) Development history; Criticism; Removed features; Vista vs. XP.
For example, it is important enough to understand exactly how drivers are handled in the first mostly driver- complete OS that these steps are printed in red. To save pages of space I provide blue links to illustrated tutorials instead of illustrating them in- line. You can open these in a new tab using your middle mouse button (scroll wheel) or from the right- click context menu.
Windows XP Frequently Asked Questions. Genuine Advantage Diagnostic Tool (1.5.0540.0) returned the message, 'Blocked VLK' beside the heading Genuine validation status. Trying to format a large external USB or Firewire hard drive to the FAT32 file system? Can’t do it? Only see an option for formatting the drive using the NTFS file format? Well if you answered yes any of those questions. I have a 160GB drive that was previously full of all my data, but is now appearing unformatted to windows XP SP2, and as 33GB to the BIOS. Capacity limit jumpers aren’t set on the drive, and some recovery software has been.
Contents. Find the right Windows 7 . Microsoft has taken down the Digital River ISO download servers and are only providing ISO's to retail customers.
This leaves those who bought a PC with Win. OEM Tech Support who except for Dell rarely will provide clean Reinstallation media, to borrow a retail copy, or search for a torrent download which can be risky if not checked for add- ins. If you have a retail copy of Windows 7, then you could try to download an ISO directly from Microsoft at the link below. The link is reported to only work in Internet Explorer. Microsoft Software Recovery.
You can borrow a friend's disk to reinstall, even extract the ISO image file using Img. Burnand then burn a new DVD using Img. Burn at 4x speed, write ISO to 4gb+ flash stick using Ultra. ISO Software To Create Bootable USB Flash Drive, or for UEFI installs use Option One of UEFI Bootable USB Flash Drive - Create in Windows.
If you have any doubt about the integrity of the ISO file or are forced to download the ISO from a torrent you can compare the SHA1 signature available freely on the MSDN Downloads page "Details" links, using a checker like Hash. Tab which adds a HASH calculator to the ISO file Properties tabs. Having these sums match assures ISO integrity and that nothing was added to the file.
If your licensed version is unavailable you can unlock all versions in any ISO by running ei. Sources folder on bootable flash stick. Check the HASH first before unlocking the ISO. I would use 6. 4- bit for 4gb or more RAM, 3. RAM. You can slipstream the latest Updates into the installer ISO to save at least an hour's Updating after install using Update 7 installation media.
However it may take an hour to do this so consider how much you want this. Burn ISO to DVD or to USB flash stick (minimum size of 4. GB required) using Windows 7 USB- DVD Download Toolwhich is sometimes fussy about the ISO, or alternatively to DVD using Img.
Burn at 4x speed, to flash stick using Ultra. ISO Software To Create Bootable USB Flash Drive. For UEFI installs format flash stick with Option One of UEFI Bootable USB Flash Drive - Create in Windowsmaking sure the settings shown in picture don't jump around after adding the ISO. You have a UEFI install if Disk Management shows an EFI System partition on the hard drive, the BIOS shows UEFI settings and it's Boot menu offers to boot the DVD or a UEFI- formatted flash stick as an EFI device. Backup your user data. If your files are not organized now is the time to sort them into the User folders for your named User account.
Windows 7 - How to Drag and Drop to Move a Folder - You. Tube. For all browsers other than IE which stores Favorites in the User folder of that name, export your bookmarks to Documents now. Import or export bookmarks - Chrome Help. Export Firefox bookmarks to an HTML file to back up or transfer bookmarks | Firefox Help. If your email is stored on computer, Google how to back up specific mail and account settings to get solutions like How do I import and export email, contacts, and calendars with Windows Live Mail? Microsoft Windows Help. Backup Quickbooks 2.
Company files from where you keep them, the default location User/Public/Documents, or google your version's file location, or run a QB backup to Documents before backing them up. De- authorize I- Tunes. You can back up your Sticky Notes to keep the one currently on your desktop following Sticky Notes - Backup and Restore.
Then back up your files externally by dragging or copying your named User account or active User folders to another hard drive, external drive, flash stick or disk. Copying files to an external drive - You. Tube. An alternative is to upload files to the cloud using Microsoft One. Drive which offers 1. Outlook/Live ID. Install and use the One. Drive app to drag User folders into One. Drive folder, monitor uploading progress by clicking Cloud icon in System Tray on bottom right end of taskbar.
Once files are all uploaded, rightclick the Cloud Icon again to choose Settings and Unlink so that any accidental file deletions are not deleted in the Cloud. Step 7 will pick up with reinstalling One. Drive to recover your files. Remember that any accidental deletions always end up in One.
Drive's as well as your PC's Recycle Bin. For unbootable Windows copy data to another HD or USB device using the Windows 7 disk to Copy & Paste in Windows Recovery Console, free Paragon rescue disk, or a Linux boot disk. You can Run and print an audit of hardware and software including installed Product Keys using Belarc Advisor. This audit assures you won't lose any paid software keys like Office.
Note that the Windows 7 Product Key found by Belarc or another key finder will be an SLP batch key used at factory, if it has not yet been activated from COA sticker Key used for a Clean Reinstall. This SLP batch key cannot be used for reinstall. Methods for backing up Factory SLP Activation if the COA Product Key is not readable are not supported here but can be found on the web. For unbootable Windows, you can read the installed Product Key and any Office key you don't have backed up using Produ. Key - Recover lost product key (CD- Key) of Windows/MS- Office/SQL Server.
Save essential system data. If you have a Recovery partition it may not run after clean reinstall. You may want to make your Recovery Disks so you have a path back to factory condition, following the steps given in your PC's setup literature or in the Manual located on the Support Downloads webpage for your model computer. As an alternative to Recovery Disks you can save a Windows 7 Backup Image or more flexible Macrium Image of the entire HD. You can wait until afterward to see if Recovery or (Diagnostics) Tools partitions will run from boot to decide if you want to delete those partitions and recover the space into C or elsewhere (using Step 3 here). This information may be provided for your brand PC in the Special Notes at the end of this tutorial.
Write down the Product Key from COA sticker located on back or side of PC tower, bottom or under battery of notebook. Make sure you get the characters correct as this is a main cause of activation failure.
You can input or Skip the key during install then afterwards activate at Control Panel> System, which may require a quick robocall. But put the key in a safe place so you have it for the life of the PC, which may outlast the sticker's readability. The COA sticker looks like this. Manage installed programs. Gather your program installers.
For those lacking disks, you may find them on the program's Support Downloads webpage. Favorite pre- installed apps may be found on the Downloads webpage for your model computer or manufacturer- provided Apps Disk. Others may be found by googling. Some pre- installed apps may not be available for clean reinstall - more about this for your brand PC in the Special Notes at end. You can download clean, safe copies of your licensed Office version to burn to disk (. Microsoft which can be activated with the Product Key you originally bought with it or audited using Belarc from Step 2 above.
A good free compatible alternative to Office is Open. Office - The Free and Open Productivity Suite. Many of the favorite apps needed and desired for reinstall are available in the terrific app Ninite - Install or Update Multiple Apps at Once. This makes a custom installer you can save which keeps all app installers updated within. Just in case, save in advance your Wireless or Ethernet LAN (wired) driver in your backup so if it isn't provided during install you can install it to get online quickly to install all Important and Optional Windows Updates - which will also provide most drivers.
Your network LAN driver can be found on the Support Downloads webpage for your model PC. The exact make/model will be listed in your Device Manager under Network Adapters. Install the Windows 7 . Unplug all other HD's and peripherals except ethernet cable to increase chances of it starting up connected after install. If not prompted for wireless key during install it's likely you'll need to install the wireless driver immediately after getting to the desktop, or if ethernet LAN is working wait for wireless driver to come in via Windows Update. Boot the Windows 7 installer, choose Custom Install, then at the Drive Selection screen access the Drive Options (Advanced) to Delete all partitions not needed, repartition and format as shown in Steps 7 and 8 of Clean Install Windows 7 which illustrated steps will guide you through actual install. Whether to use more than one partition depends largely if you want your data in the OS partition, or have it linked from another partition to make C partition backup image smaller - this way if Windows 7 becomes irreparable you can re- image the OS/Programs to C and the data will be current and waiting safely in its own partition.