Easiest way to remove OS and format hard drive?

[Donkster22]

I want to use the hard drive from my old pc in my new one I am building however the old one has vista. I have windows 7 but I need to format the hard drive and remove the OS. I tried to do it through windows but it can't let you remove the OS by "accident". Anyway I was hoping someone here would know the easiest way to format everything. Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance!

 

[unoriginal1]

What do you mean you tried to do it through windows? You boot from the win 7 disk. You can format from there. Here is an VERY easy to understand Step by Step youtube video showing how to do it. BEFORE YOU DO THOU. Please understand by formatting you will loose EVERYTHING. IF there is anything at all you want please back it up to an alternate storage device first.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUDp1zKML08

 

[ram1009]

Just do a fresh install of W7. You will be given the option to format the HDD. Be sure the HDD has been moved to the new computer because (assuming it is an OEM version) the OS will forever be associated with the MB it was first installed to.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html

 

[Donkster22]

I do not have any of the original discs that came with the PC

 

[unoriginal1]

I do not have any of the original discs that came with the PC

Im confused. Do you have a Windows 7 disk? Forget the original disks that came with the pc .

 

[Donkster22]

Ahh yes I do and a CD key. I did some research and I found out i can use DBaN to format the hard drive and remove everything on my old pc then pop the HDD into my new pc and install my windows 7.

http://www.dban.org/

anyone had any experience with this? any other suggestions.

 

[ss202sl]

Put your HDD in your new pc. boot to the windows 7 cd, and it will allow you to format the drive before it actually installs windows 7. you don't need DBAN.

 

[unoriginal1]

Ya do what ss202sl said Donk.

Simply install the HDD into your new build. Boot to the windows 7 disk. And then follow the instructions on either the youtube video i linked or the instructions jacknaylor linked. No need for dban your making it much more complicated then it needs to be.

 

[Donkster22]

Alright cheers guys I'll do that.

 

[2Fatbear]

I'm having the same issue. Got a new computer and want to install my Windows 7 Ultimate 64bits on it, but the HDD came formatted with MBR. Being a 3tb HDD, it has 1tb unusable, so I want to convert to GTP.

I did what youre telling, but since the disk is already formatted, Windows install (from a boot from the DVD) simple dont offer to format, there isnt this option. It refuses to let me delete the working partition, the delete option is gray. Its infuriating. It has the 2tb partition and another 765gb unused and it doesnt let me do anything with this second one.

I started Dariks Boot and Nuke, it seems great, but it will take only 40 hours to finish!!!!

I wonder if there is a tools disk to do this formatting like DOS had the FDISK (I had a DOS diskette with everything necessary to format/install an HDD, was so easy), I simply cant believe this is such a difficult task to perform now!

 

[2Fatbear]

Actually the drama is worse. I decided to interrupt DBN at 2% and tried to install windows. It worked, disk had no formatting anymore. But, and a big but here, when I boot with Windows disk and try to format (disk options), it makes again the same structure (100mb partition for system, 2tb for Windows and 746gb unused (and error message if I try anything here). Absolutely no question about GTP or MBR. It just choose MBR... DAMN!

 

[2Fatbear]

Ok, here is what to do: go to http://www.partitionwizard.com/download.html and download PArtition Manager Bootable version (down on the page), burn the iso to DVD and boot it. Delete all format on HDD and format with GPT. Then boot Windows 64bits. But here is another secret, you have to set the motherboard to boot the CD as UEFI or windows will refuse to install.
FINALLY my Windows is installing on a full 3tb disk!!!!