thanks to everyone for your help.
The reinstall worked fine, but now I seems I need to reinstall device
drivers from the dell cd to get 'direct sound' , etc. Do I need to boot into
the dell cd , instead of opening it within vista ?
And I found this on the web which seems to second Rick's opinion that a
clean install may be better in some cases than the upgrade that I performed.
copied from website:
It's a fact: a clean install of Windows is *always* preferable to upgrading
a new version over top of a previous Windows installation.
Why is this so?
The answer is three words: The Windows Registry. For example: when you
install and uninstall programs to a Windows PC, things get added to the
Registry -- the 'heart' of the Windows Operating System.
The Registry is a complex database that keeps track of installed programs,
program preferences, user data, operating system settings, and the like.
However, over time, some programs may not install or uninstall properly, and
the Registry becomes compromised. Hint: that's why it's important to use
utilities like Registry Mechanic to keep Windows running smoothly.
When you upgrade to a new version of Windows, some of the previous
information in the Registry -- including erroneous entries (otherwise known
as 'registry errors') -- are transferred over to the Upgrade.
If a previously installed program isn't compatible with the Windows Upgrade,
or, if the Registry has errors, this may cause the system to develop error
messages and possibly even crash Windows. And that's why it's preferable to
format your hard drive and then install Windows clean: because you would
essentially be starting from a 'fresh slate.'
In response to a recent article, Hermann M. details how you can save money
using the 'Vista Upgrade' DVD -- a significant savings over the Full Install
DVD -- to do a clean install of Windows.
He writes:
" Dear Infopackets Team,
.... Vista Upgrade has an undocumented feature that allows you to do a clean
install of Vista to a hard disk that has no prior copy of XP or Windows 2000.
.... This is usually the preferred method when installing any new operating
system. You must, in essence, install Vista twice to take advantage of this
trick. But Vista installs much faster than XP, so it's quicker than
installing XP followed by Vista to get the upgrade price.
Here's a simplified overview of the steps that are required to clean-install
the upgrade version of Vista. The steps are taken verbatim from Brian
Livingston, Editorial Director of WindowsSecrets.com.
How to do a Clean Install of Vista Using the Vista Upgrade DVD
Step 1. Boot the PC from the Vista DVD.
Step 2. Select 'Install Now,' but do not enter the Product Key from the
Vista packaging. Leave the input box blank. Also, turn off the option
Automatically activate Windows when I'm online. In the next dialog box that
appears, confirm that you really do want to install Vista without entering a
Product Key.
Step 3. Correctly indicate the version of Vista that you're installing: Home
Basic, Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate.
Step 4. Select the 'Custom (Advanced)' install, not the 'Upgrade' install.
Step 5. Vista copies files at length and reboots itself one or more times.
Wait for the install to complete. At this point, you might think that you
could 'activate' Vista, but you can't. That's because you haven't installed
the Vista upgrade yet. To do that, run the DVD's setup.exe program again, but
this time from the Vista desktop. The easiest way to start setup again is to
eject and then reinsert the DVD.
Step 6. Click 'Install Now.' Select Do not get the latest updates for
installation. (You can check for these updates later.)
Step 7. This time, do enter the Product Key from the Vista packaging. Once
again, turn off the option Automatically activate Windows when I'm online.
Step 8. On this second install, make sure to select 'Upgrade,' not 'Custom
(Advanced).' You're not doing a clean install now, you're upgrading to Vista.
Step 9. Wait while Vista copies files and reboots itself. No user
interaction is required. Do not boot from the DVD when asked if you'd like to
do so. Instead, wait a few seconds and the setup process will continue on its
way. Some DOS-like, character-mode menus will appear, but don't interact with
them. After a few seconds, the correct choice will run for you automatically.
Step 10. After you click a button labeled Start in the Thank You dialog box,
Vista's login screen will eventually appear. Enter the username and password
that you selected during the first install. You're done upgrading to Vista.
Step 11. Within 30 days, you must 'activate' your copy of Vista or it'll
lose functionality. To activate Vista, click Show more details in the Welcome
Center that automatically displays upon each boot-up, then click Activate
Windows now. If you've dismissed the Welcome Center, access the correct
dialog box by clicking Start, Control Panel, System & Maintenance, System. If
you purchased a legitimate copy of Vista, it should quickly activate over the
Internet. (You can instead activate by calling Microsoft on the phone, which
avoids your PC exchanging information with Microsoft's server.)
Why does Vista's secret setup exist?
It's reasonable for us to ask ourselves whether buying an upgrade version of
Vista, and then installing it to an empty hard disk that contains no previous
version of Windows, is ethical.
I believe it is. Microsoft itself created the upgrade process. The company
designed Vista to support upgrading it over a previously installed copy of
XP, W2K Pro, or Vista itself. This isn't a black-hat hacker exploit. It's
something that's been deliberately programmed into the approved setup routine.
Microsoft spent years developing and testing Vista. This upgrade trick must
have been known to many, many people within the development team. Either
Microsoft planned this upgrade path all along, knowing that computer
magazines and newsletters (like this one) would widely publicize a way to
'save money buying Vista.' Or else some highly placed coders within the Vista
development team decided that Vista's 'full' price was too high and that no
one should ever have to pay it. In either case, Vista's setup.exe is
Microsoft's official install routine, and I see no problem with using it
exactly as it was designed.
.... I just thought your readers may be interested in this article. And by
the way Infopackets Team, keep up the good work, I just love your newsletter.
~ Hermann M. "