E1705 Vista Ultimate clean install?

I just got my 1705 yesterday. I want to know how and if I should do a clean install? Other than Vista Ultimate what else do I need to reload? Are there other specific programs and drivers that will need to go back on to let it run properly?

Here are the system specs:

Inspiron E1705 Intel Core 2 Duo T7400
(2.16GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667 MHz FSB)
17 inch UltraSharp Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS
160GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R
Dell Wireless 1390b/g (54Mbps)
Windows Vista Ultimate
Microsoft Office Small Business 2007


I went through the setup when I initially turned it on. I also registered Office 2007. Other than just browsing through the programs and Vista applications I have not done anything else.

One thing I noticed is the occasional flicker when I open programs. The flicker got worse when I had the nVidia control panel open.

 

Do you have a Vista Ultimate retail edition, OEM edition, or upgrade edtion? If you have an upgrade or OEM edition, does it include a vista driver package? (It should say either in the docs that came with it or possibly on the DVD itself.) If not, do you have a seperate disc that has the preloaded software and/or drivers?

I just reread what I wrote and realized it's pretty confusing. All we really need to know to help you, is what discs do you have that came with the computer or vista upgrade? If you don't have any, you can go here and just download any drivers that seem applicable.

Edit: You have 32-bit ultimate, right?

 

The system came with the following disks:

-Operating System
Reinstallation DVD
Windows Vista Ultimate 32BIT

-Drivers and Utilities
For Reinstalling Dell Portable computer software

-Application
For Reinstalling Dell MediaDirect 3

-Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 (OEM)
Disc 1: Microsoft Office Small Business 2007
Disc 2: Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager

-Roxio Creator & MyDVD 9.0 DE

-Audigy Advanced MB
Vista Rev 1

 

The Operating System disc will let you do the clean reinstall. Then you can use the Drivers disk for any drivers you need (I needed the media card reader).

As long as you make sure not to delete its partition, MediaDirect will stay in place fine. However, you probably do want to whack the partititon with the Dell system backup.

 

I need to do the same thing as the original poster. When you say, "whack the partition with the Dell system." What exactly is that? Delete it?

Should I use the same steps as the XP guide (except install Vista) to complete a clean install?