Reinstalling Windows 7

[Fiddycen]

can anyone tell me what to do before reinstalling windows 7
do i have to back up on the same hard drive or a different one?

[Realist Phill]

You back up you're important data on to a different hard drive. When you re-install an operating system, it generally wipes the hard disk clean and starts over from scratch. If you don't back up, you'll lose everything. Also you will need to re-install any programs you might have had when you install windows again.

[Syld]

You can back up on a different partition of the same hard drive, and after the install just delete it.

[Fiddycen]

any one know how to uninstall windows 7 ?

[lokii]

1. First off get an external harddrive. When you rebuild a machine you are going to destroy whatever exists on its current C: drive.
2. If you have a disk with your computers drivers great. If not, download them from the computer makers site, if not available you have to go the part makers website. Most important will be the network card and wifi.
2.Click Start and in the search pane type in Windows Easy Transfer
Tell it this is the old machine and leave the backup settings as is. This will grab most everything, but you will manually have to copy other things across if they do not reside in the default places it backs up. Save all this to the external drive then leave the external drive unplugged until you need it in the following steps. (Just making sure your saved data stays safe)
3. Make sure you have your windows 7 install disk
4. Make sure you have your windows 7 key. (usually a sticker on the bottom of the computer or in the battery compartment if a store bought machine)
5. Make sure you have all your keys for other software.
6. Put the windows 7 dvd in the machine restart the machine and repeatedly hit f12 to bring up your boot options and boot from the dvd. If you miss the window it is just going to start windows normally and which point reboot the machine. Also, when you get the screen up it will probably verify this a second or two later anyway so make sure to hit enter if it ask you to boot from the dvd.
7 click the install and make sure to choose custom when it pops up as a fresh new install is under this. when it gets to the point where it sees the drive spaces available to install, an option will be greyed out concerning the partitions (delete the old ones so all memory is unallocated then create a new one (it will create 2 don't worry). highlight the big partition click next then go through any of the following easy questions it asks.
8 The install will finish.
9. Install your network and wifi drivers since they most likely got wiped in the rebuild.
10. Start windows easy transfer and tell it this is the new machine and point it to the file it created on your external drive.
11. Run Windows Updates
12. Install your virus software.
13. download java from java.com
14 open windows explorer, highlight computer, choose manage, then open device manager. If you see any yellow warning signs you are missing drivers and have a few more to load.