How to reinstall windows 7?

[icyshark]

I built my own computer and my hard drive failed after 3 weeks so I got a new hard drive + a new ssd and installed windows and everything was going smooth and then I started optimizing things for my ssd and that's where things went bad. Everything is just a huge mess, can't even install any programs now, so all I want to do is just make my ssd brand new and my hard drive brand new and reinstall windows... How do I do that? Is it the same process like booting off my optical drive? If it is, tell me how I can make my SSD like new and install windows.

 

[nhasian]

yes boot off the windows media and do a fresh install. at one point in the installation process you can format any drive or partition you like.

 

[tester321]

I built my own computer and my hard drive failed after 3 weeks so I got a new hard drive + a new ssd and installed windows

Question here, how did you install windows in the first place? If you find answer to that, the next thing is to repeat that same process.

 

[mesab66]

As tester said.

 

[RetiredChief]

^ NO NO NO, not if you did it incorrectly the first time.

First off Go to the SSD website and look for a bootable CD ISO file that will let you run "Secure erease" (Didn't list SSD). That restores SSD to "factory Fresh" - NOT a real biggy as over time Trim and Garbage Collector will restore close to factory specs.. You should also check to make sure both MB and SSD have latest firmware.

For Installation of Windows.
1) Disconnect the HDD so that the Only hard drive installed is the SSD. Windows May stick the "system" partition on the HDD if connected - You WANT this partition on the SSD - it's ONLY 100 mbs.
2) When Booting, First enter your BIOS and VERIFY that the HDD controller is set AHCI.
3) Install windows on SSD. NOTE: if you did NOT do the secure erease, NO Biggy - BUT select custom install and on page showing your SSD, select advanced and wipe out any and all partitions. returen and select the NOW unpartitioned SSD and do your windows install.

 

[icyshark]

I just did what I did the first time, boot off of the optical drive and I didn't format... I just deleted, what's the difference?

 

[RetiredChief]

And what is the bios set to; ahci, ide, or sata? what driver are you using?
Windows 7 Trim support is NOT available if Bios set to IDE.

You should download AS SSD and run it. You do not need to run the benchmarks, just open the program and look at the upper left. it will Identify:
SSD, make/model.
Firmware version.
Driver, If intel system should be iaSTor, msahic ecceptable, but slightly lower performance. What you do NOT want to see is "pcide = BAD"
Partition alignment, if correct will show "OK"

Does the SSD have that tiny 100 mb system partition on it? UNK, rt click My Computer, click on manage, on rt side click on disk management. You should see a diagram of your SSD. Should he HDD0, and should show a tiny system partition, with the remainder of the SSD as Your "C" drive.

If everything is OK you should take a looki at the normal Tweaks that are performed for SSDs, such as:
.. Disable hibernation
.. Manage your page file (virual memory).
.. Limit, or disable Restore points.
..... ect.