You can create partitions using Disk Management. It can be found in the Admin tools section, or type diskmgmt.msc in the Start Menu search box. Remember 4 primary partitions or 3 primary partitions and an extended partition for logical drives is the limit.
Windows Backup and Restore will create an image you can restore if your hard drive crashes. It will overwrite older backup images if placed on the same drive. I do not think it will allow you to backup to the same drive as the image is being made from, so an external is a good way, or if you have a second internal drive.
As far as other drivers, some folks say the Windows drivers are enough, but I usually install specific ones if they are for Windows 7. Most importantly is to check the device manager and make sure you are not showing any devices that are not recognized. To start Device Manager, type devmgmt.msc in the search box, or go to computer properties, or Admin tools.
