Partition and reinstall Win 7

When I get my new Studio 17 later this month, I'm going to want to create 2 partitions out of the 1 that already exists. I will create a C: for Windows 7 and software and a D: drive for my data. This means that I will nuke what's there and have to reinstall.

Hi Michael, When you get your new system it will have Win 7 preinstalled, and will have 3 partitions. The first being an small one for your diagnostic, the second being your main C partition, and the third being the D Restore partition, that will get your system back to factory state. You can create another partition for your data if you wish. You should get an reinstall disc for your OS, and drivers for Win 7. If you intend to install XP, then it will have to be an retail copy of XP, and there are no drivers for XP HERE on an studio 17., so getting  your drivers will not be easy. But, getting your chipset drivers, will take you to the Intel web site.

[quote user="mj_stev"] When I get my new Studio 17 later this month, I'm going to want to create 2 partitions out of the 1 that already exists. I will create a C: for Windows 7 and software and a D: drive for my data. This means that I will nuke what's there and have to reinstall.

Hi Michael, When you get your new system it will have Win 7 preinstalled, and will have 3 partitions. The first being an small one for your diagnostic, the second being your main C partition, and the third being the D Restore partition, that will get your system back to factory state. You can create another partition for your data if you wish. You should get an reinstall disc for your OS, and drivers for Win 7. If you intend to install XP, then it will have to be an retail copy of XP, and there are no drivers for XP HERE on an studio 17., so getting  your drivers will not be easy. But, getting your chipset drivers, will take you to the Intel web site.

I understand that "factory state" often includes lots of evaluation software that I don't want. I'm looking for a clean install. Will the restore partition contain the evaluation software or is it just the OS and drivers?

If so, then is it simply a matter of deleting the C; partition, creating C: and D: partitions, and then using the restore partition to get my Windows 7 back up and running of the C: partition?

Thanks,

Michael

I understand that "factory state" often includes lots of evaluation software that I don't want. I'm looking for a clean install. Will the restore partition contain the evaluation software or is it just the OS and drivers?

Hi Michael, There will be one or two bit of evaluation software, but not very much. If you use the D Restore method, then you will reinstall the evaluation software. 

Thanks for the replies.

Just to be clear, when you say above "You should get an reinstall disc for your OS, and drivers for Win 7." you mean that if I create the partitions I want and then reinstall using the Windows 7 disk, I will have a clean install with almost no evaluation software. Is this correct?

Thanks,

Michael

Hi Michael, If you do an clean install using the disc's supplied, then you wont get any evaluation software on your system. But, the best install is your D Restore, as the system is taken back to when you first got it.

Why would the D Restore be the best? Shouldn't they be the same?

Its factory setting, as tested by Dell technicians, Where the cd/dvd belongs to microsoft.