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[Olympia5776]

My Dell Inspiron 1720 laptop has failed after being tipped off a box it was resting on on my desk . After looking into it it looks like the hard drive has been damaged in the shock and has to be replaced. There are two computer repair shops in our little town and both are making the repair uneconomical thus trying to persuade me to buy a new one . I've always had work done on my PC's by other people but want to do this myself .
As it has to be reformated I want to change from Vista to a newer version of Windows ,be it 7 or 8 . The cost of buying the chosen Windows disc(s) will pay in the long run as we can upgrade my wife's similar laptop too  ,providing they don't have a limitation of use .
I need a GOOD step by step instruction as to how to basically take me from the post mechanical aspect of changing the hard drive to the completion of loading Windows with all in between.
I'm not interested in trying to recover anything from the old hard drive , that's gone , I just want to be able to get the Dell unit up and running again as a stand by PC .
I've been too lazy in the past and have to learn to do this .
I've Googled for instructions but thought I'd ask if any of you could point me in the direction of a proven step by step " how to " that you have used or recommend .
Cheers

[TheBoy]

Firstly, if you bought Windows 7, you can legally only use it on one machine. The activation system will prevent multiple uses. Yes, there are ways around this, but its not legal, and cannot be discussed on this site.

To install Windows:
Boot off the DVD
Answer the questions
Wait
Once done, install the drivers in this order, rebooting between each:
Chipset
Storage
USB3
Video
Audio
LAN
Wifi
BT
Modem
Card readers and other tat

If Dell list Windows 7 against that laptop, use their drivers in first instance. If not, you'll have to go through the pain of finding them - the audio one in particular is normally a pain. Vista drivers should work.


Ultimately, presumably this is an XP laptop. It might not run Win7 too well. So you may need further upgrades beyond just the HDD. Which puts it into the uneconomical category (you're already paying £40 for the HDD, and £100 for Win7 licence).