Clean Vista install WITH NO ACTIVATION

[nandrew555]

FYI ... the driver was actually referring to the HP Quick Launch Buttons and not necessary Intel drivers. Download from HP installed and the "unknown device" is gone.

[WrenerG]

Can't most of this bloatware stuff be dealt with using uninstall, startup folders, and msconfig. Following this procedure is like doing brain surgery to cure a mild headache. Can't we just take an aspirin?

[orev]

Uninstalling NEVER gets rid of everything. Programs leave all sorts of stuff behind, folders, registry junk, etc... Especially very intrusive programs like Norton are almost impossible to get rid of without a re-install.

Honestly, doing this procedure will probably take about the same time as it would to manually uninstall everything, and you are assured to have a clean system.

As far as how big the guide looks, don't be discouraged at the length. It's a very wordy walk through, and most of the stuff is self explanatory. I have documented pretty much every step and every mouse click you need to make. Just because it's long doesn't mean it's hard (unless reading is hard!).

Anyway, feel free to handle it as you wish, but many people, including myself, prefer to have an install they know is clean, instead of having leftover bits all over the system.

[Jollins]

I just finished the guide and it worked just fine on my dv6500. The oemcert folder did not appear to exist with the factory install of windows. However, it did show up for me after I reinstalled using the recovery discs. I then copied it and reinstalled windows with the anytime upgrade disc using the guide.

It's possible that the oemcert folder only appears when windows has been installed from user-made recovery discs.

[orev]

Interesting observation. I had not thought of that!

[orev]

Just checked my dv9500t that I restored from the recovery discs. Mine doesn't have the folder, so I guess you were lucky .

[jrjohnston]

NANDREW555,

What HP package did you install to get rid of your unknown driver issue?

[lmmo]

My HP Compaq 6715b didn't have any discs, the only thing I can do is create some recovery disks. So, how can I get a copy of Vista in order to do a clean install? Does someone has experience of doing this operation in this model?

Thanks!

[orev]

Hey guys,

I know you've all been waiting for this... I just updated the guide, and it now covers the dvx500 series, BUT, it should also work for ALL laptops that come pre-installed from the factory, even non-HP ones.

The ABR files are in beta, so test them out and let me know if you have any problems. I would especially like to hear from people who are successful on non-HP systems.

Thanks everyone for being patient!

[stallen]

Thanks orev for such a nice guide. I haven't received my laptop yet, but I plan on doing a clean install with this guide as soon as I get it.

On my first read, I missed the information about ABR. I see now that you have "downloadable below" but I missed it in the first reading. I kept asking myself "what the heck is an ABR.zip file?"

The only thing about the guide I might suggest is putting the link for Activation Backup & Restore right in "Things you'll need." And, maybe even putting download, install, and run ABR as step 1 or step 5 (??? which ever is appropriate).

I'm not trying to nit-pick. This will be incredibly helpful when my laptop arrives. I just see that you've put a lot of thought and work into it and I thought you might appreciate a little constructive feedback.