Do I use Manufacturer reinstall disc or normal Windows reinstall disc

[trihawk7]

I want to restore my computer for better performance, but I don't know which disc to use. The MSI reinstall disc is full of bloatware while the normal Windows disc is filled with a clean windows but I'm scared that it won't have any of the drivers I need. Do I need to worry about these things or am i forced to use the Manufacturer disc's?

[danny62381]

You're better off to use the OEM Microsoft disk, if you have one. I don't touch manufacturer installs with a 10 foot pole. If you are missing some of the drivers, it would be good to learn how to load them.

[Detection]

Just visit MSI's site and make sure the drivers are there / download them before the reinstall incase something like Ethernet adapter is not installed

Clean install is always the best way, if you can avoid it, forget the manufacturer restore disks

[Daedroth]

Like Detection said, download the drivers from MSI's website, reinstall with the normal Windows disc, then load the drivers on. It's best to put the drivers on a USB drive, or a hard drive/partition that isn't being wiped.

[shinji257]

Please be aware that Dell and Alienware is an exception. I re-iterate. Those companies are the exception and not the rule.

[Detection]

Please be aware that Dell and Alienware is an exception. I re-iterate. Those companies are the exception and not the rule.

I've been bitten by dell before but only for GPU drivers after a reinstall of windows

Had to install Dells drivers, normal nVidia / AMD wouldn't install iirc

[trihawk7]

So I will need to reinstall my Nvidia drivers again?

[Detection]

So I will need to reinstall my Nvidia drivers again?

If you clean install you will need to reinstall all of your drivers

Windows might install some / all of them, but they are default crap drivers, always a good idea to install the proper ones from manufactures / company site

[SnoopZ]

So I will need to reinstall my Nvidia drivers again?

Of course, if you're reinstalling then you will need the latest drivers for everything as well as running Windows update after to get any Windows updates and service packs.

[xendrome]

I've been bitten by dell before but only for GPU drivers after a reinstall of windows

Had to install Dells drivers, normal nVidia / AMD wouldn't install iirc

Then you had corrupt something somewhere, there is no reason why they shouldn't install, Dell's re install discs don't include any pre-installed software or drivers. The drivers and application discs are totally separate.

[Daedroth]

So I will need to reinstall my Nvidia drivers again?

Everything will need to be reinstalled, all drivers, all applications, games, updates, and data. Just ENSURE YOU HAVE BACKED UP YOUR DATA otherwise you will lose that too, if its all on the same drive/partition as Windows is installed.

[Detection]

Then you had corrupt something somewhere, there is no reason why they shouldn't install, Dell's re install discs don't include any pre-installed software or drivers. The drivers and application discs are totally separate.

I had the problem at work, PC repair shop, the GPU driver from nVidia would not install, I did some research and found that the Dell laptop required the Dell GPU driver and you could not install the normal nVidia one, must have needed some cert or something

[BajiRav]

So I will need to reinstall my Nvidia drivers again?

I would recommend downloading your network card(wifi/wired etc) drivers before you begin. It is rare but sometimes Windows doesn't have drivers. It's a good idea to have the drivers ready or at least have access to a different working PC.

Once installed, run Windows update until you install all drivers from there. You mostly need to install your GPU (nvidia?) drivers separately unless you have any fancy peripheral.

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

I always download and keep a library of all drivers for all hardware that I own, but I recommend going with installing the OEM's version of Windows, simply because it has the recommended (if older) drivers already installed. It will probably be quicker for you to load the operating system from that and uninstall or disable the few applications you don't want then to manually hunt for missing drivers for customized hardware. Then again, I tend to buy business systems from Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, etc. and not consumer-grade systems, so I suppose it is possible there might be a lot of of unwanted software on those OEM installs.

In any case, one the operating system is installed, be sure to begin installing Microsoft Windows Updates, whatever driver updates you need and security software, and don't use your web browser until the system is fully-patched and secured. You can then begin reloading your old data from your backups, too.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky