How to Use Recovery Disks on a Clean Install

Running a clean install on your computer means that you are installing an operating system, such as Windows 7, on an unused partition of your computer's hard drive; usually, the operating system is installed on the "C:/" drive. A clean install will wipe all information from the drive, so it is necessary to save files to another storage device before the clean install. The clean install process is normally performed in order to remove an existing operating system and replace it with a newer version; however, you can re-install your existing operating system using the recovery disk.

• 1

  Insert the Windows 7 recovery disc into the computer's CD drive and shut down your computer.

• 2

  Restart your computer by pressing the power button. When prompted to do so, press any key to continue.

• 3

  Click on your language, time and currency preferences on the "System Recovery Options" page, then click "Next."

• 4

  Click on "System Restore" and select the Windows restore point you want to restore, Windows 7. Click "Next" to restore your computer using the reinstalled operating system.