Reinstall-Windows-7-Without-CD-Step-12-Version-2.jpg/aid2958788-v4-728px-Reinstall-Windows-7-Without-CD-Step-12-Version-2.jpg' alt='How To Wipe Clean And Install Windows 7' title='How To Wipe Clean And Install Windows 7' />How to Wipe Clean an External Hard Drive 4 Steps with PicturesEdit Article. External hard drives consist of a hard disk inside a durable housing, and usually connect to a computer through a USB or Firewire cable. These devices provide a great way to back up data on your computer, transfer files from one computer to another, or just store additional files that wont fit on your computers hard drive. There are several reasons you may want to wipe all the data from an external hard drive in a process called formatting. You may want to remove clutter from the drive and start with a fresh volume, or you may want to remove any sensitive data before selling the hard drive to another person. How To Wipe Clean And Install Windows 7' title='How To Wipe Clean And Install Windows 7' />Download disk clean and drive wipe demo software to check its capabilities. Note This article received significants updates on October 25, 2009 and November 5, 2009. Microsoft Global Ime For Chinese Simplified 12 on this page. Cracker Barrel Product Submission here. Paul It was the final unanswered question about Windows 7. But now. How to wipe a computer using the windows 7 OS and then installing the windows 7 OS Windows vista is also very similar to this installation you can get away. How to clean install Windows the right way Performing a Windows reinstall can make your PC feel like new, but youll want to do some prep work first to. Formatting a drive will also allow you to change the file system used by the drive to organize data. Learning how to wipe clean an external hard drive can help you accomplish these tasks with ease. Clean Install Windows 7 with Upgrade Media. Note This article received significants updates on October 2. November 5, 2. 00. Paul. It was the final unanswered question about Windows 7. But now, thanks to numerous reader reports, my own hands on experience, and a briefing with the team at Microsoft responsible for this technology, I think we have some answers. Sadly, Microsoft is still making it difficult to clean install Windows 7 with Upgrade media, as it did with Windows Vista. But fear not, there is some good news. While you cant simply use Upgrade media to do a clean install of Windows 7 on a new or previously formatted PC, the workarounds this time are easier than ever. And thats what this article is all about Revealing the secrets to clean installing Windows 7 with Upgrade media. Remember how this used to work In older versions of Windows, Microsoft would actually prompt you to insert an install floppy or CD from a previous Windows version, to prove that you qualified for the upgrade version. But beginning with Windows XP, PC makers were able to dramatically change the Windows install disc, so much so that, in some cases, those discs werent even identifiable as valid install media to Windows Setup. Clearly a different system was required. In Windows Vista, Microsoft supported in place upgrades from Windows XP, but if you wanted to use an Upgrade version of the Windows Vista Setup disc to do a clean install, you had to perform a weird double install trick. I documented this process in How to Clean Install Windows Vista with Upgrade Media. When it comes to performing a clean install of Windows 7 using Upgrade media, theres no simple answer. For some people, it just works, and Ill provide information here so you can help ensure it just works for you, every time. Lets Be Clear About What Were Doing Here. First up, lets define what it is Im describing. For purposes of this discussion, a clean install or what Microsoft calls a custom install is when you boot your PC with Windows 7 Setup media typically a Setup DVD, but with this version it could also be a specially created, bootable USB memory device containing the Setup bits with the intention of installing just Windows 7 on the PC. There could be a previous version of Windows XP or Vista installed on the PC already. Neural Network Design Ebook. Readers routinely ask me whether its still possible to clean install Windows 10 with an unused Windows 7 or Windows 8. Over two years after Microsoft. Im currently pulling out hairs about a problem with my wifes new Samsung Book 9 laptop. Windows 8. She wants Windows 7 Pro. Ive. Windows 7 Forums is the largest help and support community, providing friendly help and advice for Microsoft Windows 7 Computers such as Dell, HP, Acer, Asus or a. Information about Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and 8 including tweaks, slipstreaming, install, registry, and forum for all Windows versions. Selling your computer How to wipe your PC with Windows 10 If youve just got a new PC and want to sell your old one, make sure all your data has been cleared. You will either install Windows 7 to a separate partition or will wipe out the previous Windows version during Setup. If its the latter, please please be sure to backup all your data first. Please. A clean install with Upgrade media is just what it sounds like You will perform a clean install of Windows 7 using an Upgrade version of Windows 7, instead of the so called and more expensive Full version. Upgrade versions of Windows 7 are far more common than Full versions, both because they are less expensive and because Microsoft offered and in some cases is still offering exceptionally cheap pricing on Upgrade media. Note One such special offer, the Windows 7 Family Pack, consists of 3. Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade media Setup discs and a single product key which can be used to activate three copies of the OS on three different PCs. The Family Pack costs 1. Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade. Its kind of a no brainer. But rememeber what youre getting there The Family Pack comes with Upgrade, not Full, product keys. But heres the paradox. While anyone with a valid, licensed copy of Windows XP or Vista qualifies for any Upgrade version of Windows 7 and by the way, thats pretty much every single PC user on earth only Vista users can do an in place upgrade, which is the install type for which Upgrade media is optimized. If youre an XP user, theres no way to do an in place upgrade. So you have to perform a migration, which consists of three steps. Backup your crucial data and settings using Windows Easy Transfer its on the Windows 7 Setup DVD and make note of the applications that are installed, because youll have to manually reinstall them again after the fact. Perform a clean install of Windows 7 using the Upgrade media. I describe this process in this article. Install-Windows-Vista-Step-6Bullet1.jpg/aid586922-v4-728px-Install-Windows-Vista-Step-6Bullet1.jpg' alt='How To Wipe Clean And Install Windows 7' title='How To Wipe Clean And Install Windows 7' />Restore your crucial data and settings using Windows Easy Transfer part of Windows 7 and then reinstall your applications. Put simply, there are millions of people out there who will be performing clean installs with Upgrade media. Many people have experienced issues with Windows 7 upgrades, especially those trying to do clean installs with Upgrade media, but if you follow the advice in this article, you will get up and running. You will get a legally activated, legitimate version of Windows 7 installed on your PC. Is this process bulletproof Im not sure yet, but I think so. In any event, heres a checklist of things to try, in order from least painful to most painful. One of these methods will work for you. Note In all of these methods, you should observe one simple rule. Do not enter your product key during Setup. Instead, you will attempt to activate Windows 7 manually after it is installed. So you can just enter your product key later. Understanding the Secrets of Clean Installing with Upgrade Media. Before we get started, here are some general guidelines to help you understand what will and wont work during Setup with Upgrade media. These tips and tricks represent the bulk of the information we didnt have before Microsoft shipped Windows 7 to millions of people in October 2. Each of these was confirmed by the team at Microsoft that created the Windows 7 Setup technology. If you have a previous version of Windows XP or Vista, try launching Windows 7 Setup from that OS first, even if you want to wipe out the previous Windows verison. If you run Windows 7 Setup from your previous OS, Windows 7 will always activate. If you boot your PC with the Windows 7 Setup DVD, as described below, and there is an existing install of Windows on the first partition, Windows 7 will always activate. If the existing install of Windows is on some other partition, Windows 7 should still activate. There are instances in which this wont work especially when people really muck around with directory structures and so on, but it should activate. Windows 7 Setup does its compliance checking before the phase of Setup where you format the disc. Unlike with Windows Vista. This means that you can format your existing hard drive, and blow away a previous Windows version, and not worry about activation. If it was there, Windows 7 will still activate. Recovery partitions dont count. While Windows 7 Setup will look for previous installations of Windows, it will not look for recovery partitions or use them for compliance checking. While I provide two workarounds for Windows 7 installs that will not activate, Microsofts preference is that you simply call Microsoft Support instead. The call is free, and they will get you up and running i. Method 1 Boot with the Upgrade Setup Media. Many, many readers report that they have been able to simply treat the Windows 7 Upgrade media as if it were Full media, and that it just works. And you know what It doesnt hurt to simply try this method, because if it doesnt work, you can then try methods 2 and then 3, in order, afterwards. There is no downside to trying this. Heres what you do. Insert the Windows 7 Upgrade DVD in your PCs optical disc, reboot the computer, boot off the DVD, and then follow the steps to install Windows 7.