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The Right Way to Install Windows
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The Right Way to Install Windows |
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02/12/09
02/12/09
Most 3rd party applications allow you to alter the install path when you run their installation. It's often an option that people miss 'cause they don't care and are in a hurry to get the new app running. Sometiems it's an option you won't see unless you select "custom" or "advanced" when installing some apps.
02/12/09
j/k
02/12/09
There is really only 3 easy steps.
1. Back up the stuff you want to keep.
2. Reformat using the Windows install disk before you install.
3. Copy your backed up files to the new install.
It's really quite simple.
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Like I've said before, I'm building twin gaming rigs in a week or two featuring the Win7 64 beta, and stuff like this is only going to make my job that much easier.
Thanks again, Gizmodo! :D
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Or were you referring to the format and re-install that many Windows users do every year or two for Spring cleaning?
I would say the format and re-install would be easier, whether you use the posted guide or do it the way you're used to. The #1 reason is performance and that usually comes from the fact that your hard drive become un-fragmented (not different from de-fragged, just that you didn't de-frag as a process) and the Windows registry, Program Files directory and sub-directories, and all the windows user directories (My Documents, etc...).
Not to mention you delete and re-start indexes and other horrific hard-drive thrashing things. The adventurous and RAM-having can also do the brave thing of disabling the page file. The really adventurous can have RAID arrays set up for performance.
If anyone has the problem I have, which is an archive of Steam games in the 20-50 gigabyte range, I have a simple solution. Don't use Steam's game file back-up! Just clone your hard drive (we're assuming you're using two hard drives, one new one as recommended, and having your old one as a backup, which you will eventually purge and piggy-back to the new one) and when you have your new installation of Windows just install Steam by itself. (5 megs? Super fast.)
When that is done just drag your entire program files/steam on top of the new one and voila! (I don't remember if I said Yes To All replacements or No To All. I do know that all my games, and all my saved games, and saved profiles function perfectly having been dropped on top of a new install in a new install of Windows. Your mileage may vary and your computer may explode.)
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What you really need to do is keep it on a separate hard drive.
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Do I go on Kotaku and post, "Hey guys, Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics is coming out! Yay!" on the article about Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics coming out?
GAWKER: PLEASE BAN FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS!
02/12/09
Especially, be sure to check your app data folder for things like e-mail databases, browser bookmark backups, Word templates, custom dictionaries, and so on.
And if you're a game player, check the program folder of games that still don't follow the rule of saving things in My Documents.
02/12/09
But yes, one does have to check individual apps to back up what they may contain, even if those apps are installed on a separate drive. You'll still have to reinstall most apps, and thier databases will get wiped out so should eb backed up first.
This doesn't taker away from the poitn that backing up lets say Outlook, Quicken, DVD profiler, browser bookmarks etc. is way faster than backing up every movie, music, document and data file you have.
02/12/09