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#1
Clean install planning with 2 drives, one SSD one HDD
I have been having issues with my system for some time, and have never been able to create a restore point that didn't disappear after a reboot. I was hoping SP1 would solve things, but no luck. After spending a few hours reviewing posts, I've concluded I need to do a clean install <sigh>, and am planning my strategy.
I can't repair Windows as I only have an OEM disk. However, I have replaced the removable DVD drive on my laptop with an HDD. My C: drive is the SSD, I assigned D: to my HDD.
I have copied the Win 7 OEM CD to a folder on my D: drive. Can I just run setup.exe from my D: drive? Or do I somehow need to make my D: drive (HDD) bootable first? I presume that installing from the HDD makes the install go faster, but if it won't work as-is then it may simply be easier to install from the CD/DVD drive and then shut down and swap back the HDD versus creating a bootable D: drive (I'm hoping not to have to do this on a regular basis).
If I can simply run setup.exe from the D: drive, can I also re-use the Windows Update downloaded SP1 so I can run it right after the Win 7 install? Where would I find it? Or do I have to download the standalone SP1 installer as you noted in this post: SP1 directly on fresh Win 7 installation? Not that big a deal, it will just save 20 minutes downloading it again.
I'm not happy about having to restore all of my settings for Windows and then reinstall Office etc. but I've read about DeepFreeze, and hope that once I've rebuilt and things look good I will be able to prevent any future infection/issues via that product in combination with a reliable 3rd party imaging product alternative to System Restore.
Another question, though: is there any value to making my D: drive (HDD) bootable so that if I see an issue with a program I can boot from my pristine HDD version to see if the version on my C: drive (SSD) has been compromised? If so, how do I make my D: drive bootable, since then it will be worth the effort. Or doesn't that work because of there being a different registry?
Next, should I create a separate data partition on my SSD? If I have to do a clean install again, can I still just create a new Windows folder with my OEM disk and leave all my apps in place, in which case it surely makes sense? Or does the OEM disk require an overwrite, in which case I will still have to reinstall my apps since that wipes out the registry? I'm already putting photos, videos, etc. on my D: drive (HDD), but on the SSD I've got my ost file, many pst files (6 GB) and other high I/O files (Nuance/Dragon, X1, etc.). I presume it makes more sense to keep them on the SSD. ANYWAY, if it does make sense to partition the SSD upon clean install, what's the best way to do that?
More on partitions: should I try to recover the OEM partition space being used up on the SSD? I seem to recall from something I read that I'd need that to have Windows installer recognize and activate based on the serial number on the laptop sticker which is also stored in that OEM partition. Is that the only reason? Here is a screen shot of the partition info. Both OEM partitions are Lenovo (the HDD came from an older model Lenovo):
Thanks in advance!