HP Fresh Install

[Paul Lavigueur]

HP Pavilion Dv7-4273us (it's old, I know)
Windows 7 (OEM From HP)

Break down:

I would like to a clean install on this laptop. I would like to be able to re-partition drive the way I want it to be. Obviously it didn't come that way from HP. I already pulled the windows Key, it's been backed up all of critical stuff. I have all the latest drivers downloaded and security software I want/need.

Where I'm stumped though, is I can not find a way to be able do this clean install. I do not want all the HP add on stuff (never used any of it once) and then sit back through after a clean install and uninstall all of that. Just so annoying.

Has any one ever managed to do this? I do have an Win7 OEM disc for another rig, but everything I have checked, and tripled checked says it's not gonna let me do it the way I want to. Key won't match the disc. Other than buying another copy of Win7, anything?

Any advice? Links would be great.

 

[androbourne]

A few things to note here.

If you are not using the recovery partition that game with your system. You could have issues reactivating the Windows OS after reinstallation and if you try to call Microsoft about it, they will say its an OEM key and to contact HP, where they may charge you for them to send out to you an OEM Reinstall CD.

My recommendation for you is to use the provided recovery partition and then simply uninstall unwanted programs.

Now as a side note. Using an office reinstall CD from HP should automatically activate the Windows OS using an embedded chip in the system which contains an OEM key. However, again that is not full proof as it varys depending on the age of the system and you need to find an HP Windows Reinstall key for it to work properly.

 

[Hardware Brad]

Computer shops need to reinstall windows 7 on a daily basis. These shops use OEM windows 7 discs (or flash drives nowadays) to reinstall and activate windows 7. You will not run into any issues if you don't use HP media to reinstall windows 7. Just make sure you install the correct version. Meaning if you install windows 7 Pro, and the key or license if for home premium, this will NOT activate. Make sure the oem disc matches the windows version on the license.

 

[Paul Lavigueur]

Thanks for the reply.

I was trying to have to avoid contacting any one all together on this. Such a head ache.

Crazy how complicated this is. I guess I'll find another way around this.

Side note, I will never understand why when you create HP recovery discs, it needs 6 DVD's, while OEM Win7 only comes on 1.

 

[Hardware Brad]

Thanks for the reply.

I was trying to have to avoid contacting any one all together on this. Such a head ache.

Crazy how complicated this is. I guess I'll find another way around this.

Side note, I will never understand why when you create HP recovery discs, it needs 6 DVD's, while OEM Win7 only comes on 1.

The HP recovery disks are most likely creating a full system image, essentially backing up everything on the hard drive, while the OEM win 7 that you buy is compressed to fit on a DVD. During the installation it decompresses the data, which is why it may take up like 20GB of space on your hard drive, even though the DVD only holds 4.7GB.

 

[androbourne]

I am a computer shop lol speaking from experience. On some HP and Dell systems, if you try to use a default OEM disk that is not from the vendor specifically, it doesn't activate the chip during installation for activation.

Most shops found vendor specific install disk or create their own online. I actually resell HP and Dell all the time so I have reinstallation disks just floating around. They arn't hard to come by.

The safest route is to use vendor specific reinstallation disk.

in your case just to be safe, back up your system then feel free to wipe away trying all methods to find one that works for ya. No harm if you can just restore your system from a backup if needed.