Digi2nsAs far as the HDD, it is fresh out of the box and set up with included software (Seagate Barracuda 2 tb, 7200rpm, 64)
What kind of "included software" ? (no Seagate software should have been required). Even though it's only 2tb, was it marked "Advanced Format"? IIRC, even Seagate AF drives don't require special re-alignment (and should have come pre-aligned for Win-7 anyway).
It sounds like those DVD-R discs are bad or didn't work properly. No files or Services should be missing. Either you skipped some steps (see below docs) or you are experiencing harddrive corruption right-off-the-bat. If they are Dell Factory Recovery Discs (that return machine to original factory software load) there is really no telling what they are doing (or what is on them). They also might not like that you changed the partition sizes or having a problem with the Advanced Format (if that applies).
What you need is an original Dell-OEM Win-7 Premium 64bit disc. Install that, then Chipset drivers (if they are missing or not bundled with Windows). Then the rest of the drivers. Device Manager should be clear of errors at this point. Then install Windows Updates and finally your apps.
Microsoft Security Essentials must be downloaded from here:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/security-essentials-download
McAfee or Norton must be uninstalled first (won't be a problem if building up from a clean install).