How to Wipe Laptop Clean Before Installing CS5

[Ronald]

I finally bit the bullet and purchased Adobe CS5.5. I didn't want to pay high subscription fees and I figure I should get several years out of it before needing to upgrade (PDFs and JPEGs won't die out anytime soon, right?). But my laptop is in desperate need of being "wiped" before I make the big installation; I can barely use a browser without tons of pop-ups and page redirects.

I know Best Buy offers this service, but can I just as easily do this on my own? I at least am aware that I'll have to back up my important files and reinstall Windows 7, but perhaps I'm missing something important. I found a few articles explaining how to do it, but as someone who uses design/art software, I wanted to hear from someone directly on the safest approach.