bootsect.bak/clean vista installation

hello all,

on a brand new harddrive i did a clean install of vista 64 bit home premium OEM, but it felt like it was corrupt or something, so within 30 minutes i did a second clean install. i deleted the partition so the hard drive so it said "Unallocated Space" and clicked next to do the second clean install.

everything went fine. but i noticed a file in the C root drive called "Bootsect.bak" which was never there the first time i installed vista on my new hard drive. From googling this i found out its a back up of the boot sector or something just incase the install fails.

why is it that this bootsect.bak file is there the second time i installed vista but not the first time? i deleted the partition before doing the second "Clean Install." did i not do a "true clean install"?

thanks for reading

 

ASFAIK you need to wipe/format after deleting the partition/s as well.

 

so the second time i installed vista, it wasnt a clean install?

i deleted the partition, but the format option was greyed out after. ive used DBAN in the past on my old hard drive that was dying, but since this was a new hard drive i didnt use it.

on the brand new hard drive i had to install vista twice and only during the second install i could see the bootsect.bak file.

 

Correct.

As above.

Not sure why that would be, hopefully someone else will chip in

DBAN would do it

 

@CloneRanger: After deleting partition, Windows cannot be installed without creating partition and formatting it. During installation, choosing space available, Windows will automatically create and format (NTFS) it.

@wutsup: bootsect.bak is windows own file, which is backup of boot sectors (MBR, Partition table, OS own boot info). Do not worry about it. Windows use this info during repairing process. You don't need DBAN.

 

Agreed, i thought he might have known that, if not sorry for the omission.

Yes, and on a fresh disk it should allow you to partition as well.

 

Yeah...a clean disc wipe will do the trick. That happened to me when I tried Windows 7 for the first time. Never have tried Vista before but it appears to be the same leaving a "Bootsect.bak" on the hdd. I also had an experience where I installed Windows 7 on a secondary master (primary master is XP SP3) when I had already deleted the Windows 7 installation on the secondary master but it left a "Bootsect.bak" on my primary and logical drive. It also came with a $Recycle.bin I cannot delete.

It also gave me a dual boot scenario where in nstead of having just XP I have to select "older version of Windows" eventhough the Windows 7 is already gone/wiped/formatted to XP. Someone recommended using EasyBCD 2.0.2 to fix it but did not help either.

I had to wipe/format the primary master to get rid of it.

Disc wipe and clean install always is best. Just my two cents...

 

1. Bootsect.bak is not a virus/malware. Why you all are allergic?

2. If you dual boot, but later delete/format/uninstall second OS, then you can adjust settings in advanced settings of installed OS.

3. Wipe/Format is not primary solution of every problem.

 

So it's not a clean install I thought if you delete the partition before clicking next, that it would be a clean install. Cause when I got to the desktop after installation, it was like a brand new install.

So would there be any difference if I were to dban and then reinstall vista vs what I already did?(I just deleted the partition and clicked next)

 

When you delete or simply format a partition and then install Windows, it will be a clean install. You have clean installed Windows.
If you want to waste your time and resources, then go ahead.

 

then why did clone ranger say it wasn't a clean install? And if it was a clean install, why is the bootsect.bak file there? It was not there the first clean install

 

1. It is a clean install.
2. You might have installed a software which have made MBR/Partition Table query and Windows took backup as precautionary measure
OR
You have formatted other partitions of your HDD after Windows installation.

BOOTSECT.BAK is also present on my system (Windows 7 Ultimate x86).

 

well i made it so i only have 1 partition. so bootsect.bak didnt come from formatting other partitions.

so would a DBAN clean install vs deleting partition clean install be the same exact thing except for the bootsect.bak file in the deleting partition clean install?

 

Because i don't consider just deleting the partition is that, which is exactly what you said you did initially.

Installing on a brand new harddrive is obviously a clean install, and FULLY wiping/deleting etc an existing HD is the next best thing, IMO.

 

oh ic, yea ive used dban in the past without problems, but this is a brand new hard drive and i already have alot of my programs installed and what not so it would be a PITA to reinstall windows all over and go through the LONG windows updates....

also i dont want to cause unneccesary wear and tear on the brand new hard drive.

would dbanning the hard drive then doing a clean install be any different from just deleting the partition and then doing a "clean install"?

what i mean is would there be any differences in windows vista or the bootsector/mbr between dbanning then installing windows vs just deleting partitions then installing?

 

Bump,

would there be any difference in windows vista/boot sector of hard drive/performance of hard drive from just deleting the partition then installing vista vs. Wiping the disk with a program like dban then installing vista?

Or would they basically be the same?

 

Originally Posted by wutsup

I'm not a Vista user so hopefully others can chime in.

AFAIK doing a dban will eliminate everything as if it were a new HD. So AFAIK there would be no MBR etc.

 

well yea i already know that if you use dban you will have no boot sector. but im talking about after installing windows again. would the boot sector be the same if you were to dban the hard drive vs just deleting the partition before reinstalling windows.

 

cloner ranger and boyfriend,

what im basically trying to ask is would there be any difference in windows vista/performance if i were to dban and do a clean install vs. what i have already have now? (deleted partition and clean installed windows with vista disk.)

 

There will be no performance difference. Only 15 % more wear of HDD.

 

ah ok thx, but would there be any difference in windows itself?

 

No difference will be in windows itself.

 

what about the boot sector of the hard drive? since if one bootsector was dbanned, there would be a fresh one at windows install, but just deleting partition doesnt wipe the boot sector, it just get overwritten when reinstalling windows.