[georgewashington16]

If I need to Re-install Vista with an OEM copy what exactly do I need to do with the harddrive first. I have been told that I must wipe out the harddrive and then reinstall vista.

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I'm not sure about the licensing restriction nuances of the OEM version, but when I reinstall with my retail version of Vista I simply boot from the DVD and select Install... In the process I delete the partition Vista is on, then remake it and reformat it, effectively wiping the drive. Then I continue with the installation as normal. Hope that helps.

[stettybet0]

I'm not sure about the licensing restriction nuances of the OEM version, but when I reinstall with my retail version of Vista I simply boot from the DVD and select Install... In the process I delete the partition Vista is on, then remake it and reformat it, effectively wiping the drive. Then I continue with the installation as normal. Hope that helps.

[georgewashington16]

Yes it helps. But I was also wondering how do I reformat the hard drive?

Edited by georgewashington16, 01 February 2008 - 09:37 PM.

[stettybet0]

When you are repartitioning the drive it will be automatically reformatted.

[Doctor Inferno]

You don't have to do anything to the hard drive, just go to PC recovery or something like that in the start menu. and let the computer do it's thing. Select the Destructive option, this means that your OS will be brought back to factory settings and all data will be wiped out. You could also use the DVDs your burned at the first boot up (if you have one) to reformat the PC, but it will be slower.

Here's a guide on the HP website for HP computers, It would be almost the same for other computer brands.

PC Recovery