Reloading a new hard drive

I have what I think is a simple question.
THe laptop did not come with any disc's at all.

I am sure this is normal, but I hate it.

SO I used the system to make a 4 DVD back up or Restore kit.

Is this good enough if I want to remove the hard drive and replace it with a
7'200 rpm model instead?

Or do I need to do something else first?

Is there a simple guide to making the right type of back up so you can reload a new hard drive and still use the Product Key that came with the laptop?

Second question.. If I have access to Ultimate win7, would that be any better for gaming??

 

Yes, so long as it is the same size (capacity eg. 500Gb must replace 500GB) as the drive the originally in the computer.

Cheers,

 

Win7 Ultimate will not change your gaming experience.

If you do have access to Win 7 Ultimate, why not take out the HDD that came with it and replace it with what ever you want and do a clean install with the win7 Ult? Then you don't have to worry about the backup.

 

I am some what worried about warranties still...

Good to know about the Hard drive size thing. I was going to try for a new size but now I will not.