It has been a while since I done this. I know to back up key/cert. first. My question is during installation though. They always have a D: partition holding the recovery section. During windows 7 install. I select customize. Delete D: and then highlight C followed by selecting format correct? Then go on with the install. Or am I missing something?
I think you misread my post. That is the thing. I do not want to keep the recovery partition. I will be doing a clean install of 7. Like I said. Its been a while on a OEM machine. Just wanted to verify I was doing it correctly. Please re-read my post. Thanks!
I was saying delete all partitions including the recovery partition and reinstall windows 7. I hope this solution works for you (after backing up all data) 1. Download partition wizard boot cd and burn to cd 2. boot from cd after making bios boot from cd. 3. Delete all partitions. 4. Create the first partition (boot cd makes logical by default but choose primary) and make it active. 5. create more partitions (primary). 6. remove the partition wizard cd, insert windows 7 dvd, boot from this dvd ensuring point 2. 7. install windows 7 on active partition. I did this same thing: I had a OEM preinstalled Win 7 HP. Just deleted everything incl. recovery.
Seems like extra work? Does it really need all that? I have no problem doing it. I just thought you could delete recovery. Format C: and off you go.... Guess I am wanting to do it the lazy way.
Yes you can do that. Just ensure that if you have more than 1 partition you have only 1 active partition on which you will install. Also delete/format recovery partition (assuming that you intend to never use that in the future). Partition wizard boot cd only makes it neat and is much better than parition mgt in windows 7 disk mgt.
Got to thinking. When I get to my main partition during install. What would be the difference between choosing to delete instead of format? If you delete. Do the old files get stored some where when installed? Does format essentially do the same thing? Or are they that much different from one another?
Both essentially are the same thing. Formating and/or deleting achieve the same purpose which is quick format or erasing. Let us say that you had 3 partitions before you did anything. If you delete everything, the entire disk becomes unallocated, and one can create new partitions. The same thing can be achieved by not deleting any partitions, but by resizing the existing partitions-3 existing can become 4 but to make it 2, a partition needs to be deleted to make that space unallocated and ready for merging/creating etc. Suggest you try out Partition Wizard boot cd to find out more. Very easy and once you learn (quite quickly), no need to go to any other solution. Create your partitions and then boot from windows 7 dvd to install on active partition. Keep the active parition as the first one.