Clean Install of Win 7 and reinstall of files

Save all important files to disk or removable drive. After clean install of Windows 7, check the MB online support site for any updated Windows 7 system drivers (Vista drivers work in most instances) which may be provided. If Device manager shows a driver is not installed. check the Mfg. website for the hardware not working for a workable driver. After system/MB drivers are sorted out and working, install personal software apps and important data previously saved to disk/removable drive.

Pop in the Disks and get to work.

Badge,

Thanks for the reponse!

The following questions concerning reinstalling software and files:

Can you drag and drop software & files (either one or both) from one drive to another with sata drives successfully?

When reinstalling files to software installed, can you save files on DVD easier than removal drives or old drives?

What is the easiest way to save software files to DVD, i.e Nero or other?

Can you give me the detail way that is best?


I do appreciate your help!

Most software cannot simply be copied... it must be reinstalled. Data can easily be copied and moved to another location... but the same cannot be said for the programs that create the data.

Doing what you desire takes careful planning. Won't help you this time but next time thru, this make sit easy. Here's an example.....how you set it up is entirely personal:

1. Partition HD as follows:

C:\OS
D:\Swap and Temp files
E:\Games
F:\Programs
G:\Data
H:\Backups

How you structure it isn't important as long as it works for you and the idea is you put what needs to go fastest on the outside of the disks (read lower letters).

2. Now it's time to build a new PC.

3. Format C:\and install OS to C:\ on new drive.

4. Set up temp and swap files on D:\

5. Create partitions for what I wanna carry over and copy partition to partition

6. Install all programs over themselves, thereby keeping all your custom file settings which will not be written over. All that really happens is necessary registry entries get made and because few files need to be copies, this goes very fast.

7. Many games will not need to be reinstalled.

Wow..... too many drive letters. If you have multiple hard drives, set up one partition on each and structure them as follows...

C: OS, Swap and Temp files - Despite what many people think, moving the swap file to another partition slows the drive down considerably due to the write heads having to move back and forth between the different partitions depending on how far apart the partitions are physically located from each other on the disk. To a degree, this is also true for a swap file on the same partition, but it doesn't affect performance nearly as much. Leave the swap file on the same partition. If your computer has a lot of RAM (8GB or more), you can get away with setting a small swap file size, say around 512MB, or possibly do without one at all. I tend to recommend that people avoid not using a swap file though, as some programs do actually require that one be present.

D: All installed Apps and Games - Do this especially if you can set up a RAID 0 array for Games or other disposable data. Disposable data being things you can get back or rebuild one way or another, through reinstalling the application or some other method depending on the program in question.

E: Backups - Keep all of your program installers and setup files here in case something happens to either of the other drives and/or RAID arrays. Another backup of this drive kept either offline (i.e. Not constantly hooked up to the computer and running), or off-site (another physical location) is also preferable, but if you can't afford this many drives, the drive serving as the backup of the backup can be omitted.

This is the setup I use on my main desktop. My instance of Windows 7 has fudged itself once (not really fudged itself, the Media Center guide simply wouldn't download no matter what I did. This was important to me since I record a lot of shows via Media Center), and I was able to get my system running exactly as it was before - minus the Media Center issue - within 4-5 hours. All device drivers, all applications, exactly as they were before.

Step-by-Step: Windows 7 Upgrade and Migration

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd446674(WS.10).aspx

Did you read the first 6-8 comments?  

I agree. Silverron - don't be put off by all those drive letters, you don't need to use them. Jack is trying to wring every last ounce of performance out of a single drive, but if you're that concerned about performance you're a heck of a lot better off getting multiple drives than partitioning the heck out of one of them.

Thanks for all the assistance - I am an old nerd, going back with Mr. Gates to 1986 and the ole Dos days - Wow.....now that was really the OLE Days, I am not including "Good" in that. It was fun and very challenging to keep the board alive. Been putting my box together since 1990. Just finished a new Gig board and Intel 920, Ocz 2000 memory, 9800GTX Evga card, new 24" Sangsung monitor - it rocks! am always looking for easier ways to make things happen! I do believe in lots of drives and with these new sata drives, they are great large storage with low pricing for what you get - think of the ole days!

I got busy today. Just got back to non-work activities..

Yes, I read the other comments. I was just checking to see if my horn still worked.

Besides that I need the points so I can be a "Master-Something " some day.

You have to be an 'Addict' before Master.

Kind of like backwards like when practicing your drunk driving.

Nah, was just using an example out at the end to show how far ya can go   My kids boxes look like this:

C:\OS
D:\swap and temp files
E:\Games
F:\Programs

All data is kept on an NAS and they have shared volumes for their music and multimedia files whereas my stuff is locked away and inaccessible to them.

The small OS drives do make system restores a piece of cake tho. I format and reinstall the OS on their boxes every year between XMas and New Year's cause they download and install so much crap that the system gets crotchety. Since I amde them actually do the reinstalls w/ me looking over their shoulders, I ahve gone 3 years now w/ the oldest's box and 2 years with the 2nd oldest.

My wife's machine however has to be done every year as she simply can't resist pressing any button on the screen that says "FREE" on it ... she'd be a great test subject in the lab for the AV , anti malware folks.

Do you mean like closing one eye so you only see double?

...can't stay, duty calling again.

"Addict' distinction only takes 15K points. 'Master' distinction involves the heart actually stopping and being brought back to life.

Thanks for the site on upgrade - just might make it easier - we shall see!