Clean Re-install Factory OEM Windows 7

[Conniff]

 

Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7

 

How to Clean Reinstall a Factory OEM Windows 7

Published by gregrocker

15 Mar 2012

Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7

How to Clean Reinstall a Factory OEM Windows 7

Information

A clean reinstall is often better than getting a new computer since most PC's come larded with sponsor's bloatware and useless factory utilities that have much better versions built into Windows 7. For this reason many tech enthusiasts clean reinstall using the Product Key on the COA sticker affixed to machine.

 

1.

Download the

latest official Win7 installer ISO with SP1

for your licensed version.

 

2.

Burn ISO to DVD or write to USB flash stick (minimum size of 4GB required)

using

=General%20Tips"]Windows 7 USB-DVD Download Tool

.

3.

Back up your files externally by dragging your named User account or active User folders to another HD, external drive, flash stick or disk. Don't forget to export your browser bookmarks first. If your email is stored on computer, Google how to back up mail and account settings.

Backup Quickbooks 2010+ Company files from User/Public/Documents, google your version's file location, or run a QB backup.

De-authorize I-Tunes

.

• For unbootable Windows copy data out externally using free

Paragon rescue disk

or

Copy & Paste - in Windows Recovery Console

.

4.

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

Macrium Image

of the entire HD.

• In addition to Recovery Disks some OEM Backup and Recovery options include making a

drivers

disk to have as an additional backup to the latest

drivers

on the model's Support Downloads webpage.

5.

Run an audit of hardware and software including installed Product Keys using

Belarc Advisor.

 

6.

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. The COA sticker looks like this:

 

 

7.

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 - HP owners see additional note below.

 

●

Many of the favorite apps needed and desired for reinstall are available in the terrific app

Ninite - Install or Update Multiple Apps at Once

.

8.

Unplug all other HD's and peripherals,

Boot the Windows 7 installer

, choose Custom Install, then Drive Options (Advanced) to Delete all partitions not needed, repartition as desired following illustrated steps given here:

Clean Install Windows 7

.

● If you have a Recovery or OEM tools partition, these may not run after clean reinstall so be sure to make your Recovery Disks.

● You can wait until afterwards 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

).

● If you don't want to keep any partitions but also don't have a new partition scheme in mind, just click Next after Deleting all to let the installer create and format your installation partition for you.

● Until Windows 7 installer is updated with USB3

drivers

use a USB2 port for flash install or load the USB3

driver

from the PC's Support Downloads webpage when prompted during install.

If you're prompted for drivers for any other reason during install it almost always means a bad installer.

9.

The installer is mostly

driver

-complete, with newer arriving quickly via optional Windows Updates. Just in case, have your Wireless or Ethernet LAN

driver

on flash stick or CD so you can install it to get online quickly - these can be found on the Support Downloads webpage for your model computer . Then

enable hardware driver auto-updating,

install all Important and Optional Updates.

 

10.

Any drivers still missing in Device Manager after several rounds of Updates can be found on the Support Downloads webpage for your model computer or device, along with possibly needed hotfixes which you can also wait to see if you need.

Driver Install - Device Manager

 

I would not replace any drivers given by the installer or optional Updates unless performance problems point to that specfic driver. We can help you troubleshoot these issues.

• Unknown Devices are often SID card readers, or can be traced using

Hardware Identification

.

• Co-processor, USB and Storage controllers are elements of the chipset.

11.

Install programs slowly over time to gauge performance changes after each. You can roll back most any Program installs or Update(s) using

System Restore.

 

12.

Don't let any programs write themselves into msconfig>Startup as they slow startup, become freeloaders on your RAM/CPU and can spy on you.

 

●

As illustrated in

Startup Programs - Change

uncheck everything except AV, gadgets (aka "sidebar"), Sync program in msconfig>Startup.

 

●

Then after reboots do the same in msconfig>Services after checking "Hide All MS Services."

 

●

Check back with both lists periodically to see if anything writes itself back in and turn it off in its Program Preferences or Uninstall the freeloader.

 

●

If you have any questions about a listing, Google it to learn what it does.

 

● However I would not install Google programs which are relentless spyware. Only use the stable Google search box in IE9 or Firefox and don't stay signed into any Google web apps.

 

● You can greatly diminish spying and reduce tracking ads - periodically

Opt Out of Network Advertising

.

13.

Use a lightweight free AV like

Microsoft Security Essentials

which works perfectly with the Windows 7 Firewall. If you're prone to infection add the paid real-time protection for

Malwarebytes,

otherwise run its excellent free scanner monthly.

 

14.

To copy your files into the new install, open the storage folder, open each User folder (Documents, Pictures, etc.), from the Organize tab Select All, then drag the group to the corresponding folder on Explorer bar at left. Wait until the bar stops unfolding and hypertext confirms the copy location before releasing the left click. Do not copy over hidden AppData folders from User Accounts as these are a corruption path.

 

● The User's Favorites folder will populate IE Bookmarks. Import another browser's Bookmarks from HTML file backed up previously. Copy Quickbooks and other Program data into it's default folder location.

15.

Activation at Control Panel>System may require a robocall to MS the first time to record your hardware signature in their servers. It will

always

work as long as you install the correct version and input the key accurately.

 

16.

When finished, clean and order the HD perfectly using state-of-the-art

free CCleaner

"Run Cleaner" button and Registry tab. I recommend

Puran free boot-time defragger

+ Full Disk Check after checking Intelligent Optimizer on Additional Operations tab for state-of-the-art defrag which includes System Files. Periodically run these as well as a full scan with free

Malwarebytes

and

SUPERAntiSpyware.

● Avoid spyware tracking cookies placing interest ads by

Opting Out of Network Advertising.

17.

Finally,

save a Windows 7 Backup image externally

so you never have to reinstall again - just reimage the HD or it's replacement using DVD/Repair CD with the stored image.

 

●

You can keep your User folders backed up to the cloud, sync'd to your other devices, even accessed on the web using

Skydrive

free 7gb of storage with each Windows Live ID:

Sync Any Folder to Your SkyDrive Account

18.

Henceforth if required to contact your OEM Tech Support do not tell them you Clean Reinstalled but troubleshoot as if you have the factory install. Otherwise OEM's may refuse to support Clean Reinstall but cannot void Hardware warranty. If you ship the unit back for repair under Hardware warranty save a Windows 7 backup image and then run Factory Recovery beforehand.

 

Information

Special notes to HP owners:

HP Recovery will now do a Minimized OS Recovery when booting from F11, which retains only the OS, Recovery Manager, HP Support Asst, and HP Wireless LAN. This is as close to a clean reinstall as you can get without using a retail DVD with COA key.

● If you clean reinstall only to C and leave all other partitions intact, F11 Recovery key should still work later if you need it.

● You can also

Extract HP 3rd Party Software from RecovCD.

● Problems with volume control lighting and HP Quick Launch buttons have been dealt with

here

where you can also get further support.

 

 

 

Information

Special notes to Dell owners:

If your Recovery partition is triggered at boot from the F8

System Recovery Options

then it will no longer run after clean reinstall, so

make your Recovery disks

first, delete Recovery partition during reinstall.

●The Dell Diagnostics tools stored on the OEM Tools partition often

will

run from boot but not from the OS after Reinstall, or you can download a bootable CD/flash stick version of them from Dell's site to replace it

.

 

Information

Special Note to Sony Vaio Owners:

Software which enables Fkey functions and illumination must be reinstalled from the Sony Support Downloads webpage in the order as shown here:

Function keys don't work after clean install - Windows 7 Forums

 

[Bandit127]

Excellent article - thanks for that. Lucky here that I bought a standalone license of Win 7 so it is easier for me.

 

The only thing I might add, based on past experience (some of it bitter) is check, double check and then treble check you have backed up your personal data. They might exist in folders outside your user folders (for example my music has been in C:\Music since Win 95) and won't get copied over by instruction 3.

 

I still have my music from before 2004 but I don't have my pictures because I checked, double checked but didn't treble check my personal data. I lost all my pictures when I reformatted my disk in 2004 - no going back from that...

 

That is why I have a £40 500 Gb portable hard disk connected to my computer set to back up daily. Loosing those pictures was a hard lesson to learn.

 

Thanks again for an excellent post.

[Ford]

and, if want to delve deeper and tweak/streamline o/s services see here for eg blackviper.com

also, re startup items, processes etc check out ms autoruns, procmon, procexp.

[Conniff]

Nice one Ford. I know them well. If you could supply links, that would make this thread even more useful.

[stu007]

Hi

 

This is the Black Viper link: www.blackviper.com/

[Ford]

and, autoruns etc part of the ms Sysinternals utility tools

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default

[Conniff]

I haven't visited the 'Black Vipers' site in years. I would suggest that anyone interested in getting windows running lean and mean, pay it a visit. There is a wealth of good stuff in there.

[Ford]

and, if ever wanting to move a hard drive that has w7 installed to a new pc, or install a new mobo, (and get the usual blue screen), without having to do a complete clean reinstall see here eg

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/135077-windows-7-installation-transfer-new-computer.html#post1161038

also, http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/ for lots of 7 info/tutorials.

Edited September 28, 2012 by Ford