Poll: Custom Installing Windows 7 = Formatting?

[VincentX3]

So I'm getting "Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit" today and want to go for the "Clean" purest install. Deleting everything else and having it like a brand new computer.

I've been reading tons about it and saw loads of videos, so It seems a lot faster and better than XP and bug free comparing it to Vista.

So anyway, If I CD-Boot it and choose the "Custom" Install which supposedly deletes everything, is it the same as formatting? Or is there any benefit from formatting before hand then installing?

My PC is fully compatible with the 64Bit, But I wanted to know if there could be any problem custom installing it over my 32Bit XP.

Thanks! Discuss

 

[Kabutos]

I've heard of some problems with installing Win7 on an XP formatted drive, leaving behind files from XP, but those are apparently simple to fix.

AFAIK, there are two options you get when you install Win7; format(ntfs) and format(ntfs quick) or something along those lines.

If you choose the quick option, then it will only remove the MFT, so going for the full reformat would be what you want.

 

[tiredinnuendo]

I usually just delete the partition and create a fresh one. Some versions of Win7 will want you to do that anyway, so they can create a hidden 100 MB "system" partition that you don't touch.

- J

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

I cant remember the options it gave me, but custom-wise should ask if you want to format the HDD, which you would say yes and do a full NTFS format, as it removes the "Master BOot Record" which stores data about previous versions of OS installed; Something I tried to get thru that thick brain of my co-worker at my last job and fired me for being right. (twat)

 

[Zedayen]

I have to install Windows 7 a lot, like 5-20-times-a-week a lot. When you boot off the DVD you get two options, Upgrade and Custom install. As you cannot upgrade from XP to 7, you will select Custom.

You will want to delete the partition(s) and create a new one, or many if so desired, then format before choosing it as your install destination. It will perform a quick-format, as a complete format will take quite a while with today's drive sizes.

If in the future you want to redo the install completely clean you will also want to delete the system partition that is automatically created when you create the first partition. This system partition houses some settings that can be transferred from one installation of the OS to the next.

 

[Ocoton]

I've heard of some problems with installing Win7 on an XP formatted drive, leaving behind files from XP, but those are apparently simple to fix.

AFAIK, there are two options you get when you install Win7; format(ntfs) and format(ntfs quick) or something along those lines.

If you choose the quick option, then it will only remove the MFT, so going for the full reformat would be what you want.

Windows saves files from a previous windows install into a folder called windows.old [or old.windows, cant remember] which contains all the system files from the previous install as well. This is so you dont lose data. So its practical to delete these afterwards for the drive space. I didn't realise when I upgraded and was wondering why 30 gigs of my then 70 gig drive were taken after a clean install.

 

[VincentX3]

I have to install Windows 7 a lot, like 5-20-times-a-week a lot. When you boot off the DVD you get two options, Upgrade and Custom install. As you cannot upgrade from XP to 7, you will select Custom.

You will want to delete the partition(s) and create a new one, or many if so desired, then format before choosing it as your install destination. It will perform a quick-format, as a complete format will take quite a while with today's drive sizes.

If in the future you want to redo the install completely clean you will also want to delete the system partition that is automatically created when you create the first partition. This system partition houses some settings that can be transferred from one installation of the OS to the next.

Why do you have to install it so many times?

Anyway I just installed it, everything went fine and updated everything etc etc
I selected format on both drives before starting and it took like 5secs which I found weird but it IS clean so it's fine.

Need to get used to the new interface =.= it's soo weird compared to XP but oh wells..

 

[Zedayen]

I have to install Windows 7 a lot, like 5-20-times-a-week a lot. When you boot off the DVD you get two options, Upgrade and Custom install. As you cannot upgrade from XP to 7, you will select Custom.

You will want to delete the partition(s) and create a new one, or many if so desired, then format before choosing it as your install destination. It will perform a quick-format, as a complete format will take quite a while with today's drive sizes.

If in the future you want to redo the install completely clean you will also want to delete the system partition that is automatically created when you create the first partition. This system partition houses some settings that can be transferred from one installation of the OS to the next.

Why do you have to install it so many times?

Anyway I just installed it, everything went fine and updated everything etc etc
I selected format on both drives before starting and it took like 5secs which I found weird but it IS clean so it's fine.

Need to get used to the new interface =.= it's soo weird compared to XP but oh wells..

I'm a part-time bench-tech and full-time tech-student, so I set up a lot of desktops and servers, run simulations on virtual machines, redo installs for technical documents and occasionally have to roll out SOEs to entire labs. Practice makes perfect I guess.

You'll get used to the flashy GUI pretty quickly, and you may find it difficult to go back to a machine running XP afterward.