Which partitions to delete on clean install

Im doing a clean install of windows 7, which partitions do i delete or do i delete any at all??

Disk 0 partition 1 OEM (Reserved
Disk 0 partition 2 System
Disk 0 partition 3 Primary

 

I just went ahead and formatted the primary 3rd partition and downloaded it on there, hope i choose the right thing

 

Another problem, finished install trying to install drivers by going to dells support website but it wont let me on the internet because it says i dont have the driver to connect. What do i do?

 

You need drivers to be able to go to Dell's support site. Do you have your drivers disc?

 

if its the black cd that says drivers and utilities on it then yes, put it in the laptop but have no clue what to do after that

 

How can I do a clean install of Win 7 on XPS 1645? Is it possible to burn Windows 7 CD or I need to contact DELL to get one? (I only managed to burn image of factory hard drive from hidden partition)

 

Well i just decided i am going to download all the drivers onto a drive on another computer and send them over to the xps. But there are so many drivers do i need to download all of them?? Like the network category has 6 do i need all of those

 

yea def not doing this again i would have been better off just not doing a clean install, its really just a pain.

 

Why? I did a clean install today, no problems. I've formatted the whole HDD since Dell's restore partition is of no use for me. You only need network driver (either Ethernet or Wi-Fi) to be able to connect to the Internet and download the rest of the drivers.

 

Do you dissasemble engines for a rebuild before understanding how an engine works or goes back together? You need to know what you're doing before you tackle a task such as a full wipe and load. Shouldn't take more than 45 min. from start to finish. As long as you've installed Windows and the drivers correctly, you are better off.

 

So is there really a big difference from the Dell drivers included on their Drivers Disk vs. their website? I don't see a major advantage to downloading all of them from the website if there's not much difference if any at all.

However if there is a significant difference I'll start the downloading ahead of time to have them ready to go post Win7 install.

Derek

 

Usually when I reformat, I'd just reformat the primary one. I leave the other two just in case disaster happens.

 

The dell drivers disk is in my opinion the first option to get your computer back up and running (without needing the internet). Remember, Dell updates the drivers periodically, and you should always check to make sure you're installing the latest drivers for each piece of hardware installed. You should also update your graphics card driver directly from the manufacturer for the best performance.

 

Also, if you don't have the dell driver's disk, you can call dell and have it shipped to you for free (best option), or you can download the drivers and put them all on a cd, making sure you label what each one is before you re-install (takes a while).