I'm thinking about installing Windows 7 over an infected version of Windows XP and would like some help and input on how best to accomplish this - mostespecially,to avoid any possibility of reinfection of the new OS. I have an older (2003ish) desktop running XP which has contracted an especially nasty Vundo infection (right through the McAfee virus program I was previously running). Malwarebytes detects it during a full scan but doesn't get rid of it all, which I assume means that the virus is replicating on re-boot. I tried turning off System Restore to see if that would prevent this reboot replication, to no avail. I bought and installed Kaspersky (which required that I remove McAfee) but that didn't clear the system of the vundo infection. McAfee's stand-alone "Stinger" program didn't work either. I've had it with this. I'm thinking about just buying a full version of Win 7, wiping the hard drive, and starting over fresh with a new OS. The computer, although older, exceeds the system requirements and theWin 7 online diagnostic tool also indicated that the computercould run that OS. So I think that's the path I'll take. My concerns are these:1. The only files that I want to save from the computer are pictures and music files, which I will burn onto DVDs. Naturally, after I reformat and install the new OS, I'll use virus scanning software on the DVDs before copying those files onto the reformatted drive (even though my assumption is that the virus wouldn't attach itself to .mp3s and .jpgs). Are there any other specific steps I should take to avoid security concerns with regard to these backed up files?2. I'm also making some assumptions about how the reformatting process will proceed but I want to be sure. As I understand it I will use the "custom" option of Win 7 install to reformat the hard drive.Does this reformatting process completely wipe the hard drive, or are there any residual files / sectors left over (e.g. boot sector) that I should be concerned about that might still be infected; and, if so, what steps can I take to address that? Thanks much for any help and guidance you can provideon this.1 person needs an answerI do too

I would purchase a full version of Windows 7 (not an upgrade) and do a "custom" (clean) install and then you won't have to worry about anything from XP affecting Win7. If you do an upgrade, even though you did the clean install I believe there will be XP files in Windows.old. Personally, I wouldn't want Win7 to be touching the infected XP files at all. During the custom install, delete the partition(s) and create a new one(s).MS-MVP - Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!