Upgrading with a Clean Install

[The Dríver]

I have a Dell PC running Vista which has become a bit clunky after a few years use. I am going to upgrade to Windows 7, but as Vista has a few annoying glitches (such as it no longer shows thumbnails of images) I am doing a clean install.

I am backing up all my files and making a note of all of the software I have installed. However, never having done this before I have a couple of queries.

Firstly, I have Office 2010 installed on the PC currently. As these things are rather clever these days in terms of authentication, is there anything special I need to do to make sure I can reinstall it and authorise it easily after installing Windows 7?

Secondly, what about all of the drivers? I'd assume that in this day and age as long as there's a good ethernet connection the installation will include searching online for all of the correct drivers or they will install automatically as they are plug'n'play. Is this a valid assumption?

Anything else I should do beforehand to be on the safe side?

[The Dríver]

Oh, I should add, there is a Recovery section on drive D (a partition). I presume that the new install will go onto C: and leave D: alone. If, in a worst case scenario, it all goes tits up, as long as I have made a recovery disc will I be able to restore the machine to its original pristine condition?

[JQW]

If Windows 7 fails to locate relevant drivers, you will be able to locate them on Dell's website. Check Dell's site beforehand anyway in case there's a mandatory BIOS upgrade.

Hopefully the Office re-install should take, as long as you have the original activation key. I gather that the key is linked to certain hardware parameters (such as processor serial number or Ethernet address), and so should survive an OS change. If not, a phone call to Microsoft should suffice.

[The Dríver]

Cheers, Paul. Glad to report all went smoothly.