Installed Win 7 on wrong drive Do-over?

[dpnaugle]

Hi All,

So I've decided that I want to use a Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB for my Win 7 OS C-drive and my WD 500GB drive as my E-drive for files.

The problem is that I thought of this after installing it on the 500GB drive.

Will it be okay to reinstall on the new drive if I delete Win 7 on the old one?

If so, is it pretty simple to reformat a drive with an OS on it?

Sorry for the noob questions...

thx

Don

 

[ken9122]

Was Win 7 an upgrade or full version?

 

[Dave76]

Single OS or Dual Boot?

Is it in a separate partition on the 500GB HD?

 

[dpnaugle]

Genuine Full Version Win 7 Pro 64,

On a 70GB partition of a new 500GB HDD

DPN

 

[Dave76]

Genuine Full Version Win 7 Pro 64,

On a 70GB partition of a new 500GB HDD

DPN

I'm going to assume a single OS.

If yes to the above, then the quick answer is yes.

First, backup your 500GB HD, at minimum the OS partition. Keep it on a separate physical storage media. External HD works best for this.

You can format the old OS partition before the installation of the new Win7 to prevent a Dual boot configuration. Even if you end up with a dual boot, it can be removed.
This can be done during the installation, as explained in step #7 of this tutorial.
Clean Installation with Windows 7.
In step #7, format the old OS partition, then format the new OS partition and proceed with the installation.

You can use Windows Easy Transfer - Transfer To & From Computers to make the transition a little easier. You will still have to install all your programs. WET will transfer all your user setting and files.

Let us know if you have any questions.

 

[dpnaugle]

Genuine Full Version Win 7 Pro 64,

On a 70GB partition of a new 500GB HDD

DPN

I'm going to assume a single OS.

If yes to the above, then the quick answer is yes.

First, backup your 500GB HD, at minimum the OS partition. Keep it on a separate physical storage media. External HD works best for this.

You can format the old OS partition before the installation of the new Win7 to prevent a Dual boot configuration. Even if you end up with a dual boot, it can be removed.
This can be done during the installation, as explained in step #7 of this tutorial.
Clean Installation with Windows 7.
In step #7, format the old OS partition, then format the new OS partition and proceed with the installation.

You can use Windows Easy Transfer - Transfer To & From Computers to make the transition a little easier. You will still have to install all your programs. WET will transfer all your user setting and files.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Yes a single OS, not a dual boot.

Thanks for the help...I have millions of questions but will try to keep them to a minimum.

I have always been a little confused about how to back up my OS let alone utilize it if ever needed. This is a very new install, nothing of importance has been installed other then the OS, so should I still back up the OS partition?

I intend to reformat the old OS partition and use the entire 500GB drive for storage. The 150GB Velociraptor will be dedicated to the OS and program files.

Does this sound like a good plan, or should I save $ for the next build?

I am assuming the a 10000 rpm drive for the OS would be better/faster the 7200. If this is not the case then I guess I really don;t need to do anything. But if I do will the two drives work together okay?

Thx
Don

 

[Dave76]

Yes a single OS, not a dual boot.

Thanks for the help...I have millions of questions but will try to keep them to a minimum.

I have always been a little confused about how to back up my OS let alone utilize it if ever needed. This is a very new install, nothing of importance has been installed other then the OS, so should I still back up the OS partition?

I intend to reformat the old OS partition and use the entire 500GB drive for storage. The 150GB Velociraptor will be dedicated to the OS and program files.

Does this sound like a good plan, or should I save $ for the next build?

I am assuming the a 10000 rpm drive for the OS would be better/faster the 7200. If this is not the case then I guess I really don;t need to do anything. But if I do will the two drives work together okay?

Thx
Don

Backup is very important, you can save all your programs, user settings, personal files and data. If your OS becomes corrupted, non-functional, slow or infected by a virus, you can restore it to an earlier state with a backup in 15-20 minutes versus 4-6 hours to re-install, check drivers, down load all the updates, install all the programs, find all your favorite websites, etc.

I always keep a backup of a new OS installation with correct drivers, updates, main programs, user settings, and activated, shortly after the first installation. You can use this to get a fresh system back if needed.

Then backup your OS and data partition every 1 or 2 weeks depending on how much you use it and the amount of personal data you accrue.
Your OS and personal data backups should be kept on a separate physical storage media, an external hard drive works well for this, in case your HD fails. They do fail.

When your storage starts getting full, keep the original backup and the latest ones, deleting the older ones when required.

The most recommended backup program is Acronis, at about $50 it will do the job very well.
There are several very good free programs that have been used for several years and are highly recommended.
Macrium Reflect
Paragon Drive Backup can be found for free.
WD has a free version of Acronis, Acronis True Image WD Edition, I would recommend this, since you have a WD HD.

There are a lot of people who use the Velociraptor for the OS HD. It will speed up your system.
Most HDs will work very well together, they are storage devices and are ran by the OS, you won't have any problems with running two or more HDs.

Hope this helps.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi All,

So I've decided that I want to use a Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB for my Win 7 OS C-drive and my WD 500GB drive as my E-drive for files.

The problem is that I thought of this after installing it on the 500GB drive.

Will it be okay to reinstall on the new drive if I delete Win 7 on the old one?

If so, is it pretty simple to reformat a drive with an OS on it?

Sorry for the noob questions...

thx

Don

Why not image it and restore to different partition - saves a re-install.
Paragon or Macrium are free imaging software options.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[dpnaugle]

Sorry for being so scatter brained on this topic. When ever I start playing around with my system I always try to upgrade this and that, often when I don;t really need it.

The idea to use the velociraptor is probably something I don't need.

After reading a bit more about about it, the best plan may be to save my $$ for the next build. I am pretty happy with these upgrades anyway.

I went from an old about to crash drive, 2GB of PC-6400 and XP Pro to Win 7 Pro 64, a new drive and 4GB PC-6400... Things are working pretty good now.

As far as backing up my data however, why not use the windows back up?

Don

 

[Dave76]

Win7 backup will work just fine for you, just gave you some options.

Sounds like you got a good system now, you should think about getting an external HD for backups.