No doubt this has been answered in this forum MULTIPLE times already, but I am in a bit of a quandary and need to get my laptop operating quickly - so I apologize if I'm trying to 'short-cut' doing the research to find the answer in some previous post, but I need my laptop back fast ...!
Situation: First, my Vista Home Premium (32-bit) was 'infected' by a series of 'malware' apps and a couple of 'Trojan downloaders' - which took me a bit of effort to 'clean out', but I feel I've defeated them finally.
Second: As I contemplated completing the "Upgrade Anytime" to Windows 7 Home Premium, I began to get error messages that lead me to believe my 320 GB hard disk is now displaying potential failure 'issues' (errors mentioning things about "CRC" and other things which make me believe I must replace it very quickly).
What I'd PREFER to do is use the "Upgrade Anytime" ISO I downloaded to get to Windows 7 ASAP (and of course to save a few bucks on buying a whole new version of Windows), but if my hard disk is 'dying' then I'd want to do a 'clean' install on the new 500 GB disk I just bought, right? So CAN I use this Upgrade disk to do this? Is this possible if there IS no OS on the new hard disk? Will it 'activate' if I choose the option to perform a 'new installation'? I've tried doing a few searches to find out if this is possible and I think I'm more confused now than before I started. Registry 'hacks' and all that leave me 'cold', but I just want to stay 'legal' AND I also want to start with a 'clean' Windows installation. Guidance, please...? Did I just 'waste' $119.00 on this Upgrade Anytime ISO I JUST bought from MS?
Situation: First, my Vista Home Premium (32-bit) was 'infected' by a series of 'malware' apps and a couple of 'Trojan downloaders' - which took me a bit of effort to 'clean out', but I feel I've defeated them finally.
Second: As I contemplated completing the "Upgrade Anytime" to Windows 7 Home Premium, I began to get error messages that lead me to believe my 320 GB hard disk is now displaying potential failure 'issues' (errors mentioning things about "CRC" and other things which make me believe I must replace it very quickly).
What I'd PREFER to do is use the "Upgrade Anytime" ISO I downloaded to get to Windows 7 ASAP (and of course to save a few bucks on buying a whole new version of Windows), but if my hard disk is 'dying' then I'd want to do a 'clean' install on the new 500 GB disk I just bought, right? So CAN I use this Upgrade disk to do this? Is this possible if there IS no OS on the new hard disk? Will it 'activate' if I choose the option to perform a 'new installation'? I've tried doing a few searches to find out if this is possible and I think I'm more confused now than before I started. Registry 'hacks' and all that leave me 'cold', but I just want to stay 'legal' AND I also want to start with a 'clean' Windows installation. Guidance, please...? Did I just 'waste' $119.00 on this Upgrade Anytime ISO I JUST bought from MS?