Format & Install

Format & Install of XP

I have Dell Laptop, XP SP2 CD & Programs & Drivers CD. I have lost the serial key sticker. I guess serial key can be find by serial key finder. Currenly the system is updated to SP3. I guess serial key doesn't change with the service pack so I can find the serial key with a serial key finder & use it, right?

Format & Install of WIN 7 64 with an Upgrade CD

I have WIN Vista 64 Home Premium. Got a free WIN 7 64 Home Premium Upgrade CD.

Microsoft says that Upgrade CD is not for fresh install i.e format & install. So I have to Upgrade 7 over Vista. I can choose Custom Install to do a clean install of 7. But I guess this is not like format & install, right?
BUT Microsoft also mentions that to do a fresh install i.e format & install with an Upgrade CD one must choose the option Custom Install, then Advanced & then Format. So I am confused here. This option of format & install can be done? The reason I want to do format & install coz the system was hit by 3-4 malwares & Security Tool Fake AV. Though I cleaned the system with various softwares but want to do a fresh install. I also dont have Vista Installation & Drivers CD. This is an HP Laptop.

Currently the system has 3 Drives. C, D & E. D is for Recovery Image, E for CD/DVD & C is the main Drive. The system has 500 GB HardDisk. In a fresh install of WIN 7, I want to allocate 100 GB to an additional Drive for my persoanal stuffs. How can I create an additional Drive F? I have to create this additional Drive during or after Win 7 install? I have never done format & install so all these questions.

Thanxx
Naren

 

Formatted & installed & everything is fine. I have partitioned the drive as C & E, D is the DVD drive.

Disk Management shows the following. Is this correct??

C Simple Basic NTFS Healthy (Boot, PageFile, Crash Dump, Primary Partition)

My Stuffs E Simple Basic NTFS Healthy (Primary Partition)

System Reserved Simple Basic NTFS Healthy (System, Active, Primary Partition)

I have installed only win 7, no software & no drivers. msconfig - startup & add/remove is empty, is it normal?

Is the everything above correct? So that I can go ahead & install other programs & drivers.


Thanxx
Naren