Question

I am trying to figure out what version i have, I purchased THIS version off NewEgg thinking it was the full version... once delivered i soon figured it was the upgrade due to limited packaging... then i installed it... the UPGRADE option was actually not an OPTION... so i figured with the clean install it would wipe my HD first then install..

but after the install, there was an OLDWINDOWS folder with all my previous crap... so am guessing it didn't do a fresh install-- am so used to XP were you actually saw the reformat... which i always do when re installing an OS....

so how are you suppose to know what version you have - full or upgrade -- when the packaging doesn't tell you??

or does the clean install reformat and just save your old files??

sorry for being a Vista Noob! was at bestbuy looking at the different versions of vista all said UPGRADE on the box along with the Ultimate version that i guess contains both the 32 and 64 bit-- and says in system specs to run a clean install...

so confused---

thanks...

You made a clean install, do not worry.
During the install after entering the license N° you have been warned that vista detected a previous windows install and therefore put everything in that windows.old folder.
You can delete it (clean disk for example) you may keep some users files if you forgot to save them before.

When it asks what hard-drive you would like to use you can click "advanced" to delete/format the harddrive from the setup.

Steven

tried that but the FORMAT option was grey'd out as in not an option!?!? I could see it but i couldnt select it... is that normal....

Did you try doing this by booting the DVD or while windows was already running?

while BOOTING from the DVD... there was something like 5 or 6 options and i if recall only 2 were available -- install and something else...


thanks..

When you boot from the DVD only Clean Install is available, right after that question you can format the HDD from the drive selection screen.

Nope... i can only install...

You should be able to highlight the old C: partition and delete it in the setup screen. It is a few keystrokes to do it.

yeah no, i was not able to do anything with my C drive... like i said the only option i had was install-- even under advanced settings... FORMAT was there, but i could not select it...