New
#1
Preparing for clean install, looking for partition advice
Hello there everyone.
I've had this laptop for a short while, and I've decided I'd like to do a clean install to trying keep things tidy, make sure any pre-existing bloatware is gone, and just generally have a fresh start.
I've been doing a bit of reading about and I noticed that some people create various partitions on their computers to not only keep things more organized, but to also make reinstalling windows incase of emergency easier since the operating system can be in a partition by itself.
However I'm relatively new to these types of things and was hoping to get some advise about a good setup and maybe ask a question or two.
So, I'm a gamer, generally bouncing between two or three games at any given time, and this spiffy new laptop I have here has two 500 GB hard drives so I definitely have lots of space to mess around with. As far as games go I've had no problems with Windows 7 compatibility so I don't see a need to dual boot, so I'm just thinking of, and trying to understand, how breaking up one or both of my hard drives will work. Here's an idea of what I was thinking of doing with these drives:
Hard Drive 1
- Factory Default Recovery Partition (should I keep it?)
- ( C: ) Operating System
- ( D: ) Program Files
- ( E: ) Free space
Hard Drive 2
- extra storage, backups, etc.
Thinking about this type of setup, I have a few questions.
1.) Although I have created recovery disks that I believe work in conjunction with this hidden recovery partition on my drive, using this would simply recreate the system at its default factory settings with all the bloatware and extra programs I don't want. Would anyone agree with removing this partition? Would its removal hinder me in taking the computer in to be serviced should I need to?
2.) Perhaps a loaded question, but are there any serious pros or cons to having a partition for program files separate from the operating system? Also, if the program files are in a separate partition, can I set the computer to automatically install 32 and 64-bit programs to install here and to be recognized should I reinstall windows in a separate partition?
3.) Similar to my second question, is it difficult to set my user folders and things such as the Favorites (Desktop, Downloads, Recent Places) and Libraries (Documents, Music, Pictures, Video) to be set in a different partition and be recognized should I reinstall the windows operating system partition?
4.) With a setup such as this with a program such as Acronis True Image or any backup program in general, would it be wise to backup the entire first hard drive or simply the operating system partition?
I realize these questions may be simple or convoluted, but I thank you guys for taking the time to read this. Looking forward to responses. :)