Complete Walk-through For Doing A Clean Windows 7 Install

Even if there is a way to stop the Creative garbage from crashing, it offers nothing. Might as well install software that blinks a red square on the Desktop.

 

What about EAX?

 

Very detailed guide, thank you! Added to the Info Booth, under Miscellaneous. If it maintains popular and usefulness for a longer time, I'll consider making it part of the main list.

E.B.E., ASUS forum moderator

 

You are quite welcome.

Thanks.

****

Updated guide:

Added information from panzer06 about capacity limit using AI Recovery.
Cleaned up text.

 

Is the preinstaled verion of CyberLink Power2Go the full version?
If yes Hoe can i get it back after doing a clean install of the windows 7?
I can't find it on the disk that I have.
Thanks

 

I don't know, but I seriously doubt it would be the full retail version.

Unfortunately, you can't and it's not on the disc or available through ASUS. ASUS does offer WinDVD v8. See guide for download link.

Updated guide:

Added additional Fn key combos.

 

could someone please explain clearly the procedure to re-activate via the phone. earlier it was mentioned that:

"when asked how many computers installed with this code, I had been saying '0' as it's a new code. That was goofed it up -
I tried saying '1' this time and sailed thru the system and it's now activated."

is there any other advice ?

thanks in advance

 

You mean, other than follow the simple online instructions?

 

Hi,

Can you be kind enough to just skim over what I have to do different if I just have a Windows 7 64bit install CD instead of a recovery one? Thankss

 

Hi Kalim, thank you very much for the big effort in putting this guide together. I have an M60J, but most of what you advise will apply equally to a clean install for me.

However, as a relative newbie I am somewhat confused when I compare it against guidance such as Tim Fisher’s How to Perform a Clean Installation of Windows 7. Is that because his guide is based on installing a non-OEM version of the OS software, rather than an Asus OEM version from the "Windows 7 Recovery Media for Windows 7 Products" which launches the ‘Asus Preload Wizard’ with the 3 partioning options?
(This question may be related to the previous post by Goldensage1)

I am also unclear on partitioning. On a computer with only a single 500GB hard drive (as I haven’t yet added a second, though that option is available with the M60J), is there an advantage to installing Windows 7 OS only on a separate partition? If so what size should that be? And where along the process do I choose that?

Lastly, at what stage of the process is the product key is required?

regards, ncork

 

I just wanted to throw out a big THANK YOU to Kalim for this guide. Just got my G73 in the mail yesterday, and between this guide and several of the other threads from this board, I got it all cleaned up and ready for use.

Thanks for making the process a much less scary experience than it would have been otherwise!

 

srsly, Kalim you pwn. Someone should just start a "Kalim Praise" Thread. That would def. get hit up like every day!

 

Oh gawd no.

(silly10char)

 

I apologize if this has already been answered, but I am a little confused.

Does using the "Recovery Disc" re-install the bloatware that came pre-installed?
Or does the recovery disc serve the same purpose as a retail Windows7 DVD?

 

it puts it back to the same setup it was sent you, full of bloat

 

Great guide Kalim, very helpful. I had some quick questions about applying your clean install guide to an SSD install. As I understand it, the method in your guide uses the hidden partition on the hard drive to reinstall windows. I am interested in replacing one of my two 500g HDDs with an 80G SSD. I want to have windows on the SSD for fast boot times. How do I go about getting windows from the hidden partition onto the SSD for a clean install. Is this possible with the general method you used?

Thanks,
DLM

 

DLM, you are mistaken, I think. As stated in the Introduction section, Kalim's method uses the 2 discs that should have come with your notebook: "Windows 7 Recovery Media for Windows 7 Products" and the "Driver & Utility" discs.

Kalim,hopefully you will be able to answer my questions of a couple of weeks ago? Again, thanks for the guide.

 

Ok, so I got my computer yesterday. I turned it on last night, the only thing I did was make the recovery disks, and then went to bed.


When I follow just the beginning of your guide I dont get the asus start-up wizard, it asks me if I am ready to restore this image. Whats wrong here?

Thanks in advance

I see that I misread something in the beginning of the post (after reading the whole thing the first part was a blur)

So this wont work with the created back up discs?

 

Ok, so I went ahead and did what it asked first with the recovery disk, after the computer reloaded, and it started up the setup wizard and did everything your guide said it would do.

Ill keep updates on how it turns out.

 

Ok.. So after everything finished the computer booted up with everything still on it. Never even boot in the utilities disc. So not sure what happened.

Looks like im gonna be buying Windows 7... so annoying

 

Why dont you instead go ahead and dowlnoad the win7 iso if recovery disk method is not working for you. I opted for the win7 download method and it worked like a charm on my new G73JH.

Thanks to kalim for such wonderful guide!!!

edit: I noticed that you used the recovery disk which you yourself created and not the one which is shipped with ASUS. The method only works if you use recovery disk that is shipped by ASUS. It is clearly mentioned in the guide if you did not received the disk you have to use download iso method.

 

Click my 3rd sig link for Win7 ISO image. Just use your key on the bottom of your lappy to register, and you'll need to use the Phone Activation, but then you're golden.

 

Ahh see, I have been quite busy lately and haven't had time to do what ive wanted on the laptop much less do more research on it. So this I will try. Thanks a bunch guys.


Just for Clarifictation, the windows cd key is the product ID in the system menu correct?

 

....the windows cd key can be found beneath/ at the underside of the laptop...it somehow looks like this

 

any one have an image for windows 7 recovery media? or OEM disk? I would like to do a total clean install...

 

Well, you can't use the recovery partition... each is keyed to the laptop. However, my 3rd link has a Universal Win7 Install DVD and the Driver and Application Disc. Just use your laptop's key to activate Windows. This will get you started onto a clean install.

 

cool thanks

 

Kalim, if you are still out there, I would still very much appreciate clarification on these questions!

regarde, ncork

 

I think Kalim returned to the rock he spawned from unfortunately

 

i have an oem windows 7 64bit dvd.

can i use this with this method?

great guide.

 

As long as the version matches the key, sure

 

What I highly suggest for anyone to consider is to make a bootable USB windows 7 disk, as this is one of the fastest way to deploy windows.

The way how I went about with a fresh start is to get the original OEM key that was already present in the system (which not always are the same as the sticker), and I would install a fresh copy of windows that comes with no special drivers while armed only with the Asus driver disc which I use after the initial deployment of the OS. Activation of windows would come afterwords using the Asus certification file and the original OEM key.

 

My friend picked up a new G73 and my question to this tread is this: Does a clean install really improve the performance or it really marginal? He would be paying someone approx $80 US dollars to do this. Is it really worth it? I do have the clean install guide. Please advise.

 

If $80 also includes:
-installing all *latest* drivers and updates
-installing other useful things like java, flash, adobe reader, etc.
-installing and tweaking browser such as firefox with useful plugins such as adblock plug, flashblock, noscript, etc
-installing security programs such as antivirus, antispyware, firewall
-doing some performance tweaks such as removing indexing, forcing to rebuild layout.ini, etc.
-migrating emails, documents, etc from another system to the new one

then it definitely worth it!

But if it's just a re-install of windows, then it's not worth $80.

 

Does this guide work with the JW models? The JH and JW seem pretty similar aside from a few differences so I am assuming it would work but a confirmation would be appreciated.

 

I have the Win7x64 Driver and Utility disk Ver 2.0 for the G73JH-B1. If anyone is interested, I'd be willing to make an ISO and torrent it.

 

does it have new creative software or its still the 1.0???what are the difference with the A1 driver disc...

 

surely it would work....

 

The disk just says G73JH, it doesn't specify B1, though that is what I have.

On the disk, there are two things that might be what you are looking for:

Name <-> Version
Audio V6.0.1.6122
Creative V1.0

 

Man... how did mine get messed up. I just got my JW and I started out the process outlined in the beginning. First, I chose the two partition one and followed the instructions.

After the three CMD programs ran, Sysprep started but ran into a fatal error. Now everytime I restart Sysprep tries again and fails and I can't proceed with the process.

Not to mention I now have FOUR partitions across my hard drives... Gonna have to start over I guess...edd

EDIT: Ok, I chose the one partition option and everything finished properly this time. Though I now have three partitions. I hope that the OS partition is on the first drive and that my second drive is divided into two partitions. Don't know, just rather weird.

EDIT EDIT:

The JW includes a few programs that weren't listed in the OP. These include:

Mult: A quick google shows that this allows you to automatically resize windows to take up certain portions of the desktop. This is useful for when you have multiple windows you want displayed concurrently. It seems like most people can get by using the manual resizing but as a programmer I do a lot of multiple windows so I am going to keep this.

ASUSVIBE: Looks like a multimedia software. Dumped.

eManual Utility: Don't know about this one. It is listed in system specs for many of the laptops so it is hard to get a relevant search result. I didn't add it.

 

Just used the guide to do a fresh install on my new G73JW. AWESOME!
Thanks for the guide, it was very helpful - especially the step of saving your windows activation.

Thanks again!

 

Hi, i have a Asus G73JH-B1
i was wondering, is it posible to set the Hard Drive to a RAID 0 configuration on this laptop?
if so, how do you do that?

Thanks

 

Not possible. There is no hardware RAID controller on this laptop.

I was also disappointed to find this feature lacking.

 

I'm disappointed, but still great laptop

 

Didnt see it on the guide but the F8 key should give you an option to choose boot device @ startup without going into the bios for anything and its not permanent.

 

Wow... what a well put together guide!

 

I just wanted to thanks Kalim for his excellent guide, reinstallation went really smoothly.
One hick-up though from catalyst control center, since I updated form stock drivers to 10.8, CCC crashes at every windows starts. I have nod32 and I read somewhere that there might me a conflict between the two. Any idea on how to fix it?

 

i also use nod32 and i dont think there is any conflict....make sure to delete all old drivers and registry elements of of the old driver then installl the new one....known procedure:
uninstall old drivers...restart to safemode...driversweep ati ...restart....clean registry with ccleaner..restart...install the new drivers(10.8)...might have to restart again....

 

Ok I'll try that thanks silvela

 

Hi,

Thank you for the amazing guide. I have never installed an OS before, and you made it EASY.

I do have one question for you. My system didn't come with a Windows recovery CD, so I followed the instructions to create my own. I also used the program to determine the activation key of my pre-installed OEM version of Windows, in order to reactivate Windows after the fresh installation.

Is it possible to use that program indefinitely to give me an activation key if I ever need to reinstall Windows, or will I need a new activation key each time? I ask because I'm in the process of setting up a dual boot system with Ubuntu, and since it's my first time doing this, it's definitely possible that I might wipe out my new Windows installation accidentally...