Looking to reformat my computer - help?

So my lap top is running terribly slow because of viruses and I have a bunch of shit on my lap top, most of which I don't care about. So I want to nuke my hard drive and start off with a clean slate. The problem is, I have never tackled a project like this before.

I'm looking to spend as little as money as possible doing this - meaning if I have to buy Windows 7 again, I will. What are some things I should be cautious of? My main concern is nuking my hard drive and then running into a problem, like not being able to get online. Any help here?

Your laptop should have a serial on the bottom of it which you can use to install Windows with. Most laptops come with this so that if you ever need to reinstall and change from the original OEM version, you can.

I offer a sidestep; try a bootable cd version of Linux. You will be amazed at how well provisioned most versions are; easily offering the equivalent of almost all the routine programs a Windows user might need. These don't even require a hard drive in your computer so you can experiment and decide whether to attempt a possible dual boot system. I have tinkered with Linux for over a dozen years and the only thing that keeps me using Windows is my TV card.

Did it come with an OS disk (Windows) or is it OEM? (OS in the partition)

Your laptop should have a serial on the bottom of it which you can use to install Windows with. Most laptops come with this so that if you ever need to reinstall and change from the original OEM version, you can.

hmm, I did not know that. I will look into that and see what I find out.

Did it come with an OS disk (Windows) or is it OEM? (OS in the partition)

Unfortunately, it did not.

Unfortunately, it did not.

What he asked wasn't a yes or no question.

It didn't come with the disk, so I guess that makes it OEM. I don't think that was too hard to infer now, was it?

You can always try to call the company that produces the laptop and say you're looking to reinstall, but need a disk. They may send you one. I know people who called Dell when 7 came out and asked for an upgrade disc for Vista, and Dell sent them over for free. So that may be a way for you to get a disc.

Could I just download a cracked copy of Windows 7? Or if worse comes to worst could I just go buy Windows 7?

What I need to do is clear my computer, but then I need another operating system that is like Windows, simply because I am familiar with it. I do want to give Linux a try, too. Could I just download a copy of Linux and burn it to a disc, clear my computer, and then install it? It just seems too easy if that is the case.

It didn't come with the disk, so I guess that makes it OEM. I don't think that was too hard to infer now, was it?

Start> Type in Search box - Recovery Manager

Start> Type in Search box - Recovery Manager

No matches were found

you can download windows 7 from thepiratebay and copy a bootable disk to wipe it

Could I just download a cracked copy of Windows 7? Or if worse comes to worst could I just go buy Windows 7?

What I need to do is clear my computer, but then I need another operating system that is like Windows, simply because I am familiar with it. I do want to give Linux a try, too. Could I just download a copy of Linux and burn it to a disc, clear my computer, and then install it? It just seems too easy if that is the case.

It really is just that easy; you don't even need to install it to use it. Just set boot from cd in bios (hit delete while booting to access bios) You can continue to work on resolving your Windows issues while you grow accustomed to Linux. My personal favorite is Puppy Linux; fully functional operating system on a cd with all the eye candy you could wish for with Compiz-Fusion enabled.

To reformat and reinstall Windows 7 easily figure half a day lost; two minutes to boot the Linux cd and you are off and running. I beg you to try it, you will be amazed.

Linux is pretty small too and light on the resources. When I dual booted, it took about an hour to fully install, update my drivers, and get a couple programs I like. That was Ubuntu 10.08 or whatever it was. I don't dual boot right now, but I'm considering doing it again.

Only problem with Linux is that you will not be able to use all the programs you could on Windows. Even with the emulators like Wine and such, some programs just don't really work, and if they do, not very well. You also won't have access to Netflix (if you use it) and gaming will be quite limited.

Id say just crack it.