Should I fresh reinstall on my new Vostro??

As the title says i am wondering if i should do a clean install on my new Vostro 1500, i have never wiped and reinstalled a computer before but keen on trying, i would also need to redo the partitions and stuff or should i get rid of them, anyone just do this on a new vostro?? any trouble, thinks i should watch for and do? any help would be great. thanks.

 

I don't see why not. Formatting is pretty simple and easy.
Did you read any guides on how to do this? There are some on these forums (search) or you could do a google search.

Did your computer come with a windows CD or a recovery partition?

 

I belive it came with both, do i need to reuse the partitions or can i make my own? would that be wise?

 

If you have the Windows CD I would delete the partition (since you don't need it).
You can delete the partitions if you want or create new ones (of whatever size you want). It's up to you. I myself don't partition my HDD but some people do (and they install windows on a partition by itself and use the other for everything else).
It's up to you.

So if you have your Windows CD and CD key that's all you really need. You also need your drivers (wireless card, video card, sound card, etc) but I just download them after I format (that way I have the newer ones). You should have a drivers CD anyway.

 

Ok cool i am going to look into re installing the OS, i will probably use a partition, but im hoping to get a little space back of a 80g hd i only have 46g left, with very few programs installed, thanks man.

 

Do you have MediaDirect? If so below may help

 

Hi,

I don't see a reason why you should reformat it, as long as everything runs fine. Many people, especially those who did never install a new computer before complain about things not working afterwards, driver issues etc.

I just remove the things I don't need from the factory install and everything's fine. Then everything works as it is supposed to be, including media direct, recovery partition, etc. and I don't have trouble to get it all running...

Dell's factory setups are pretty good,only some bloatware which can be removed easily.

Greets

 

On the other hand, it's a great learning opportunity and since the laptop is fresh you don't have any meaningful data to lose.

It's always fun to play around with how it came for a week so you really appreciate the speed increase when you do format.

 

But remember the speed increase will only last as long as you don't install much programs on the machine, and that is almost impossible for the average home user.
Most people (including me) have tons of different programs for dozens of puposes, and that makes a computer slow, so the few programs from the factory setup don't make much difference. But that's just my opinion, I know many people recommend reformatting a new notebook at first.

 

I agree 100%. It's a good chance to learn how to format your notebook and you'll enjoy not having any of the bloatware on it.

I have tons of programs on my notebook. The difference is: I use those programs. Most people never even touch the things that come with their notebooks, and what's worse is that half of the stuff starts up when windows starts.
If he doesn't format, he'll have all the original program PLUS the "dozens" he'll install. If he formats, he'll just have the dozen.
I see no reason why he wouldn't format it. He wants to give it a try and it is pretty easy to do, no DOS commands or anything like that, just put the CD in and follow the steps.
Some people get the wrong drivers or forget some drivers, which give them errors. If he has any problems with the drivers he can post here and I (and other members) will be more than happy to help me solve his problem. It's usually a simple mistake and can easily be fixed (and he'll know what to do next time he formats).

 

i'd do formats every day(probably not that often) if i could! lol it just a way to know what exactly is on ur laptop, plus it's just a good experience in general.

use cleaners, regedit, also try to minimize programs running on startup in msconfig, and u should not have any problems with ur laptop.

 

Yeah right, but he can also just remove the crap he doesn't need, as I did...

 

Remove all the crap and get a fresh start by formatting? Yes I agree.

 

There's pretty much no bloatware on a vostro unless you asked for it. When I turned on my computer for the 1st time all that was on the desktop was the recycle bin, internet explorer and windows media player. I guess you could do it if you want a learning experience, but if it's a new computer it is already fresh. I wouldn't do it... after reading about all the crap people dealt with trying to reinstall an OS. I already got enough things I have to do, I don't want to make more for myself for no reason.