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Question

New Windows 7 PC, please help me get started on the right track

Jun 17, 2011 9:03AM PDT
Question: New Windows 7 PC, please help me get started on the right track

I'm happy to say that I am a proud owner of a brand-new HP Pavilion
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit desktop. It's fully loaded with all the
hardware bells and whistles--Intel i7-970 six-core CPU, 1.5 TB hard
drive, 12GB of RAM, Blu-ray player with DVD-R, 1GB ATI Radeon video
card, and more. Before I begin to really start using this workhorse,
I want to start it off on the right track. I know there are a lot of tips
and tricks scattered out there on how to properly maintain a PC, but I
really want to nail down a solid list of routine tasks and procedures
(software and hardware) to maintain it regularly to keep this baby
running in tip-top shape for years to come. This computer took me a
long time to save up for and I want to get the most out of my hard-earned
money and make it last. Can you please help me out with that?
All advice, recommendations, and coaching are welcome. I'm taking
notes now. Thanks to all who can help out.

--Submitted by: Eric C.

Here are some member answers to get you started, but
please read all the advice and suggestions that our
members have contributed to this question.

Some basic ideas --Submitted by: MightyDrakeC
http://forums.cnet.com/7726-21563_102-5150441.html

Set up a few Automated Windows Tasks, and a few programs --Submitted by: Anysia
http://forums.cnet.com/7726-21563_102-5150463.html

Getting an HP started right. --Submitted by: thekid1949
http://forums.cnet.com/7726-21563_102-5150473.html

Think Defensively --Submitted by: tkainz
http://forums.cnet.com/7726-21563_102-5151281.html

Eric some additional information --Submitted by: Lee
http://forums.cnet.com/7726-21563_102-5154422.html

Thanks to all who contributed!


If you any additional advice or recommendations for Eric please click on Answer link below and submit away. If you are providing a listed for him, please give specific details along with each item so that it can understood by all. The more details you can provide the better. Thanks!

Discussion is locked

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Answer
New Windows 7 PC
Jun 17, 2011 1:42PM PDT

First - Congratulations.
It appears from your post that you have good experience with Windows before, therefore I am going to suggest to you that you make a partition large enough to hold what you think you will use in terms of space for all your Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos and Games.
I don't know how you will use your System, but evey program I use and the OS itself only takes about 40 Gigabytes. But regardless, I split my drive in half.
Remember that base on my recomendation - all your personal files will be stored on a different partition then C.
You should then move all your folders to that new location (partition). The way to move the folders is as follows, once the new partition has been created:
Open Windows Explorer. Windows 7 displays your folders under what is now called Libraries, you can't move the Name Library, but instead Expand the C drive, under Users, Expand your name, each folder listed there can be move to a different partition.
Windows already knows that those folders are part of your profile, that is why, there is no need to actually move the folder with your name, but rather the folders below your name.
Contacts, Documents, Favorites (This are Favorites of any Web Sites you visit and Save as your Favorites and quickly access through IE 8 or 9) and so on.
And yes, if your system did not come with IE 9, Update, it's fast and takes advantage of your hardware.
DO NOT MOVE THE FOLDER NAME - DESKTOP, While you have Shortcuts to programs there for your profile, if you move it Windows 7 could and I say could hang on re-start or boot, because it can't find it. There is a Fixit for this problem but I personally prefer to re-create shortcuts if needed - rather then having the system hang.
Fixit, is part of Microsoft's Website that helps you if you have a particular problem, where they have created an Automatic Fixit for particular problems. I keep a shortcut to Fixit, just to read what other Microsofts Problems are being Reported.
Here is the link, it may come in handy for you some day - http://support.microsoft.com/fixit/
Continuing on - Right click on, for example - Documents - Select the Location Tab - Leave the name as is - Go to the begining and change the drive letter C to the corresponding letter of your new partition.
You can even Label that Partition what ever you like so that is easy identifyable by Right Clicking on it and chose - Rename.
An easy way to do this after you click on the location Tab, the path is already highlighted, instead of using the arrow keys to go left, just press the Home Key on your Keyboard, Capitalize the new Drive letter only - and then click on Move.
Windows will prompt you twice if you already have items on the folders. 1 will be if you want to move the folder to the new location, 2 will be a recommendation to move all your files as well to the new location to avoid duplications.
You should answer yes to both prompts if that is what you get.
You would be very happy in case that something fails with the OS, as when you re-install it, all your data will still be available on the other partition of the same drive.
Of course, since the data is located on the same drive and I never encounter a problem of recovering it from there, it goes without saying that you should back up your Data often to an external drive.
When you move the folders to a new individual partition, and you open that partition, you will see the Path:
Users\Your Name\List of Folders - Therefore, when you ready to back up to an External Drive, you just click Users and Drag it to External Drive and everything you save under Users will be copy. It's is a simple and convenient way to back up your data, instead of using third party application, then again Windows 7 has a back up utility as well but with the simple way I describe above, I have to be honest, I haven't use it.
I will also recommend you make use of Windows 7 CREATE AN IMAGE. This is accomplish by going to Control Panel, and under - System and Security, select Back Up Your Computer. On the Top of the window that opens - there are 2 choices - 1 Create a System Image, and 2 Create a Repair Disk.
Create a System Image is a Life Saver, believe me, once you set up your system the way you like it and everything is working fine, you create that Image preferably to an External Drive, If you get malware or software that you intall creates a problem, all you have to do is Re-Start the PC, press and hold F8 until the Menu Appears, plug in your External Drive and Select - Repair my Computer. You go through 2 prompst, 1 is the Language and the other the original name you gave to the pc. This brings you to the Repair Utilities, click on - Repair my computer from an Image, and then just follow the easy prompts.
This Restores your C drive completely. And if you had already move your folders as mentioned above, this is already part of the Image, and when the system Re-Starts, the pointers for those folders will remain and all your files will be listed, even though you just Re-Image your C Drive.
I keep 2 Images, 1 The way your system was at First Login, and a Second one, with what I called Optimized due to the changes I make to Optimized Windows the best I can. if my Optimized fails in some way, I can always, and quickly bring back my Original Install or Clean Install of Windows 7.
The - Create a repair Disk option, is there in case you can't use the F8 key on re-start, but i have never, since Windows 7 came to market, have any problems accessing the Repair Utility using F8.
The Repair Disk Option, is basically the same tools created on a CD or DVD, that you would access through the F8 Menu.
Have fun, because the way you describe it, that system is loaded.
Geo

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Answer
Starting off on the right track:Stabalize your Win 7 PC
Jun 17, 2011 2:22PM PDT

In the following advice, please note that I am not attempting to cover every little configuration change and tweak. I assume you are already handling Windows updates and such however you are used to doing. As noted in an earlier post, be certain to get all updates for software and hardware from the site of the company who makes it and keep these updates with the installation files of regular programs as I note below.

First, get your AV of choice installed.

Personally, I recommend having a second, manually executed AV program on top of the one you run live. You should update and run this 2nd product weekly. Malwarebytes would be my choice. Of course, your pick of whatever utility/maintenance software such as CCleaner, WinUtilities, System Mechanic, etc.

Second, install all additional software you use on a routine basis.

Third, create a full backup of your system which can be restored to a "new", clean HDD. This needs to be bootable, not something which runs within Windows and it needs to be a physically different drive than your system drive. Someone was mentioning 16 gig flash drives above, but for the cost of those two flash drives, you can purchase a solid TB of drive space. YMMV

Fourth, as you install all future software, make certain that you back a back-up of the install media (whether downloaded or from physical media) and any registration keys. I like to put this on my NAS and I add a text file with the license key. This can be on the drive which is your restore drive. I prefer external or NAS.

Fifth, all user data should be stored in one place and that location should be backed up automatically to another drive - again, NAS or external is best.

Finally, periodically update your restore image to cover anything new you have done, particularly after you tweak things (successfully).

If you take these steps, you will be in a position to recover from anything short of a catastrophic event to the environment where your machine is located.

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Keeping your system running smooth and easily recoverable.
Jul 1, 2011 4:41PM PDT

A point of clarification to my post above. It has been pointed out that you must be certain to make/keep safe the original system restore disks. While this is certainly true, you will save yourself a great deal of time if you are backing your primary/system drive to another hard disk. The issue is this: If you use those system restore disks, your system is returned to the state it was in when it shipped to you from the manufacturer. While this can be helpful for some, the reality is that if you use those disks, you will spend the better part of half a day just running and applying the Windows updates and patches which have come out since the time to get caught up. Similarly, you will spend hours, or even days, tracking down all the install media to reinstall all your applications - and hopefully you can also find the license key (I always write the license key on the CD/DVD using a permanent marker and I put it in a text file. Face it, paper CD/DVD sleeves are easy to lose or get mixed up ... All in all, it can take you two or three days to get all your programs and updates installed.

If, however, you have a recent full backup of your system to when you last performed any system changes/ added programs, you can restore your entire system from that one backup in a matter of a couple of hours. Keeping this system backup current, combined with a routine automatic back up of the user documents is one of the most significant things you can do to keep your system safe and easily recoverable in case of an emergency.

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Answer
New PC
Jun 17, 2011 3:10PM PDT

Firstly get rid of all the crapware that came with the PC such as Norton and any other trial versions that were installed by HP. Then get a good anti virus program such as Microsoft's security essentials or Avast. Install the AV program and get Malware bytes program as well. Set up MSE to scan daily (quick scan) and do a full scan once a week. Same with Malware bytes. Get IOBits Smart defrag and set it up to automatically defrag when computer is idle. Once a month do a full optimize defrag. This is a good start. You have protection from a virus attack, and your hard drive is defragged regularly. Now its up to you to be sensible in what you install pertaining to maintenance. All these 'tweaker' applications really don't do too much and can cause problems if used incorrectly. I have personally wreaked a win7 system by running a registry cleaner and deleting keys that shut down the PC. Good luck.

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Answer
Getting started.
Jun 17, 2011 4:35PM PDT

Much of the advice here is sound with creating a backup/restore disk the most important.
Just about every new system comes with a load of utilities, trial versions of software and special offers. An example is the ever popular Norton Security with 60 days free updates after which you pay. Uninstall it and choose another product. Avast or AVG offer free or pay for anti virus and for malware Windows own Defender does a good job.
I suggest you uninstall the Microsoft Office starter trial. If you want a decent office suite try the free Libra Office. It has been created by the team that created the award winning Open Office and is nearly 100% compatible with Microsoft Office.
There are other add ons that are set to start when the system boots up. You may find that you will only need these occasionally so it is best to find there settings and prevent them from loading on startup. Most can be activated via the Start menu if needed. These sort of actions will free up memory for real tasks.
If you can list the actual model of the PC and what your main use of the computer will entail then I may be able to suggest more ways of obtaining peak performance.

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Finding details.
Jul 2, 2011 7:19PM PDT

There is some good advice in these replies, but there is one thing I would add:

Belarc Advisor. ( http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html ) This will get you a webpage-like file with all of your programs and hotfixes and many of your licence keys nicely listed.

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Answer
New PC.
Jun 17, 2011 5:57PM PDT

Depending on the air flow and how big the fans are; I highly recommend that you boost your cooling system. If there are room for more fans, add them! Especially the front one as harddrives run very warm (only if the harddrive bays are located in front). Also, if you can get a bigger or even a watercooled one fan for heatsink/cpu; then go for it. HEAT is always a system killer!

On the backup strategies; one engineer suggest to get a identical sized harddrive and to Raid something to do mirroring and add a manual harddrive switch to turn it off during normal use; or better yet, get two and have Three harddrives running Raid 1 and not worry about backups! If one harddrive of the three fails, then all you need to do is swap new one in failed one and Raid will automatically rebuild that harddrive based off of the other two good drives! It really works; however it is EXTREMELY rare that two harddrive will fail at same time and then you lost everything!

Greg

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Answer
Simply how to maintain your Lap.
Jun 17, 2011 6:20PM PDT

Hi Eric
I suggest the following simple steps out of my experience:
1.prepare your recovery DVDs,that restores your Lap to Factory Setting:
- Click Start / all programs / HP / Recovery Manager / Recovery Media Creation.

2.Partition your H.D using EASEUS Partition Home from Cnet downloads
http://download.cnet.com/1770-20_4-0.html?tag=pfindersrch&searchtype=downloads&query=EASEUS+partition+home&filter=platform=Windows|&filterName=platform=Windows|
Leave at least 60 GB for ( C ) Windows partition.

3.Use Macrium Reflect to make a bootable CD and restore image to your OS from
http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp

4.Use Advanced System care 4 Free to maintain your OS from
http://www.iobit.com/advancedsystemcareper.html
These 3 simple steps helped me too much to maintain both my Lap and my Windows7Home Basic system,do not forget Antivius and I suggest AVG Anti-Virus.

Be safe and happy.

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Answer
NOVICES NEEDS HELP
Jun 17, 2011 6:21PM PDT

this is the best question. many old and new users of PC,laptops and tablets are AFRAID of punching the wrong button and starting WW III. my dream is to have a comprehensive training available right at the time of purchase so we know the best and must have softwares, hardwares,accessaries, utilities and daily care protocols to make us self sufficient in making the best use of our machines. this should be crowd-controlled (community backed) type so new innovations and upgradations are given automatically. include registry cleaners,widgets,temp files removal protocols, general troubleshooting, downloading tips, removing clones, getting service from sellers and internet providers, checks, anti-viruses, anti-theft etc. a complete package DUMMY STYLE is what i would love.i have a dell inspiron laptop ,14 inch,3 GB RAM, 320 HARD DISK + an external WD 600 GB hard drive and would welcome tips to make it perform like an olympic champ.i have found,over the years, that so called experts and service provider executives and customer care zombies all have tunnel vision and don't see things from a novice's perspective and just repeat things like a parrot. i have found many solutions from unprofessional youngsters and through trial and error. i live and work in NEW DELHI,India and this is a real problem which many computer owners face but are afraid to admit.CNET...JUST DO IT!

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For Novices needing help ...
Jul 4, 2011 1:59PM PDT

First, probably the best thing you can do is use your personal networking to find someone who has a pretty good grasp on things to help you out.

Second, there are so many options out there for doing all the various tasks. It is a matter of opinion as to which program is better than others. Every vendor like Dell, HP, etc., will have their own pet products, probably ones they own or one their being paid to plug. It doesn't really matter if theirs is better than someonelse's, they will plug whatever is in their best interest to plug. Same goes for Geek squad, etc.

The novice needs to do some homework and not expect it to be all done for them. You need to go to some places that provide good reviews, analysis, and product comparisons. That is really the best question to ask: where should I go to learn to not be a "novice"? Places like ZDNet with PC Magazine and such, CNet, Tom's Hardware, etc.

The other thing would be to go to some sites that help you to tweak your computer/Windows so they serve you better. http://www.blackviper.com is a good place to start.

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Answer
New Windows 7 PC
Jun 17, 2011 7:04PM PDT

Well, spend a little more and get at least a 2 TB external hard drive to back up and support.

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Answer
Best use
Jun 17, 2011 7:56PM PDT

Set up your HD to Dual-boot UBUNTU Linux - you should then never need to pay out again on software !

1. Repartition your drive into 4 - explanation follows --

2. The 1st PRIMARY, remains the Active partition for the M$_WinDoze 7

3. Obtain a legal copy of RAXCO's Perfect Disk ( latest version ), register it, & defrag WINBOOT completely.

4. Download, install, & register PARAGON's Hard Drive Manager 11 free edition

5. Repartition the WINBOOT drive as follows, to free up space for the Linux UBUNTU, & a common, shared DATA partition.

6. Shrink the now defragged Win Doze partition, to 100 GB max.

7. This should leave plenty of space over, for the Linux OS partitions, and a common ie. shared DATA partition

8. Create a 2nd PRIMARY partition initially formatted as NTFS & named LINUX, for UBUNTU to subdivide as follows:

*. A small BOOT drive ( allow 1 GB max. ) - choose format type ( eg. BTRFS - with Reiser, currently the most advanced )

*. A small SWAP drive ( allow 1 GB max.) - no need to specify a format type

* A / partition, = called ROOT, ( allow 50 GB max. ) - same format type as BOOT

* A /var partition ( allow 50 GB max ) - same format type as BOOT

* A /HOME partition ( allow 50-100 GB ) = temporary personal storage, to move to DATA - same format type as BOOT

4. Allow your Linux installation to import all your settings from WinDoze - esp. the Network settings/values.

5. Install an LTS version of UBUNTU, & try it out, by setting up e-mail details from your M$ Win accounts, & customize.

6. Allocate rest of drive space to creation of an Extended NTFS partition ( 500 GB max )

7. Create a Logical drive from this ( format as NTFS, for common access between both Operating Systems ), named DATA

8. You should have plenty of free space left for trying out a different Linux, if you don't get on with UBUNTU

9. When installing, ensure you set the boot order always to start UBUNTU Linux first.










10. Try out your UBUNTU
installation - copy your e-mail accounts details from your M$ Win
e-mail accounts, & test fully.

11. Have fun, installing useful apps., & customizing the rest
of your UBUNTU Linux, over the forthcoming years ..


LASTLY ..

12. Allocate the rest of
your drive space to creation of an Extended NTFS partition ( 500 GB max ),
& create a Logical drive from this ( format it as NTFS, for common
access between both Operating Systems ), naming it DATA


( There will now be
a large amount of space left, which you can format, in NTFS, as SPARE, and use to try
out a 2nd Linux install, if you don't get on with UBUNTU
- eg. FEDORA or MANDRAKE
)

CAVEAT

Be aware that hackers
will happily hack the NTFS partitions, but Linux partitions are a bit
more arduous to crack.. If you archive your data offline, consider carefully what
format to use for your external repository - the more
readily-hackable NTFS, or a more secure Linux format ( if Linux, this
will make it a more complex operation for WinDoze to read the data
back ).

There are Linux readers for NTFS volumes, but because they
run from WinDoze, they will, alas, need to be bought ..

You should never need to use slow, ill-crafted, buggy, expensive Windoze OS ( which doesn't address the hardware properly, shortening its life, and eventually, always burning out the sensitive components ) - ever again !

Happy computing,

Leshy

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Ubuntu is overrated
Jun 18, 2011 6:02AM PDT

I also tried Ubuntu Linux, but system drivers are hard as hell to port if they aren't natively supported by Ubuntu. It also has a confusing user interface and many major programs have not been ported to Linux yet. Oh, and tech support is practically nonexistent. Plus, you can always get free software either by using BitTorrent or by going to alternativeto.net and finding a free alternative program.

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LINUX is in every way better
Jun 18, 2011 6:44AM PDT

Why would anyone ever want to port Win apps. across to Linux ? The developers have their own and Linux OSS/apps are the fastest growing community in the world. No need at all to do port acroos from WinDoze. Everything on Linux is 300% faster, with no end of freebies. You can't be aware that drivers are generally produced in the first instance for Linux, & only afterwards ported over to the Win platform. Tech support in LUGS all over the world. Linux encourages you to become your own SysAdmin. WinDoze does the opposite - you're always looking to get the fix the OS doesn't include. No mate, you're altogether mistaken. If you've got a driver issue, likely you're using old kit. Or kit built for the WinDozey market only. Win platforms encourage theft. Linux doesn't need to - a main part of it is free. What's wrong with that ? If the UBUNTU interface confuses you, it's because you're Win-dependent. Unshackle the mind, & let it roam free ! Use your creative curiosity, & adapt - or perish, like the dinos did ..

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Re: Installing Ubuntu
Jul 1, 2011 8:49PM PDT

I made the mistake of trying to install Ubuntu 10 on my desktop a couple of months ago. The installation program was unable to mount my hard drive because the capacity was too high. My partitions were corrupted during the installation. During the installation, I kept the default settings and everything seemed alright.I even used the included wizard that starts in Windows. However, when I rebooted at the end of the installation, I got a black screen and a message saying my hard drive could not be mounted. Unless the installation issues have been fixed, I would stay clear of Ubuntu. Whenever you try changing the manufacturers intended operating system, you are just asking for trouble. You may end up with more trouble than you bargained for.

I know there are some good programs available for Linux. However, we live in a day and age where the majority of programs being used in the work place are either Windows or Macintosh. There are times I need to bring my work files home to work on. At work, everything is done in Microsoft Office 2010. My Word documents lose their formatting when I use Open Office. There are compatibility issues.

Regardless of what you plan to do with your computer, I would strongly suggest making a backup of your system before playing around with the settings and software configurations.

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To Hartiq. Post deleted
Jul 2, 2011 7:37PM PDT

Sorry but I deleted your post. Running Windows apps on a Mac is not the topic of discussion.

Mark

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Best use
Jul 2, 2011 1:14AM PDT

Wow. Will require an expert to follow and implement. Devil Can you not suggest more simple procedure?

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Answer
Forget all above !
Jun 17, 2011 8:20PM PDT

1. Don't push power on button. Your first step is buy a new hard disk and install in system as a second HDD.

2. Power on your Win7 and right-click on Computer. Click Manage to let Win7 identify your second HDD as Local Disk. Then format it as NTFS. (If your Win7 come with other file system other than NTFS, change it to NTFS and re-install Win7)

3. Put all your data in second HDD, no matter what it is. When your Win7 runs not so fast as it just arrived at your home, don't try to find the problem or fix it. You just waste your time, and problem still there. You just insert licenced Win7 install disk in your BD drive, then change boot sequence to BD first. Re-install Win7 is faster than any method that try to restore your system performance.

4. If need Anti-Virus software, don't need to spend money on any others. Microsoft provide Security Essential after Win7 release. So just erase the trial version of the bundled anti-virus software, and visit Microsoft web page to find Security Essential. It's free, and from Microsoft. What company knows Win7 better than Microsoft ?

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Uh, I don't think so ...
Jul 4, 2011 1:40PM PDT

Following your instructions, the user would be back up and running with the "clean" drive in an hour or so.

HOWEVER, the user would then have to spend many hours downloading and installing all the Microsoft updates and patches for this clean machine, but WAIT! You're still not done yet! Now collect all of the install media for all your software that you want installed. If you are one of those neat people, you have them all nicely collected and their various license keys are with them.

For the bulk of the world, you will be digging and searching for some or all of this software, and hoping to find the license keys that go with them. Now, install all of that.

Oh, wait. Most of THOSE programs have an update you have to download and install ... etc.

Net result? You are down 2-3 days rebuilding your machine just so you can get to the point of doing something with that data you have preserved on the 2nd drive.

*IF*, however, you have kept everything on your primary drive (however partitioned for organization) and kept a full image of your primary drive on a second drive (I prefer a NAS or external drive for security), ready to have you up an running to the point of your last image in a matter of a couple of hours, complete with Windows, your apps which you have configured the way you want them to work, and your data. No searching for install media or license keys, no tedious installs from CD's/DVD's ... And if you have configured an automatic backup of your user data like you should, to somewhere other than your primary drive, another 30 min to 2 hours restores all data since your last image. Currently, I am seeing 1.5 TB drives selling for about $60. I think I have seen 2TB drives for the mid-upper $70's. 3TB drives are on the shelves too ...

If you do this with a NAS appliance you can use this same drive to image/backup all of your computers. Or use an external HDD, This serves the purpose of protecting your data in case of a machine crash, such as a power issue, which smokes your internal drive. Something out side the case isn't damaged when that crashes. Another thought is that if you have this NAS out of site, such as a closet or such, and someone steals your computer(s), they probably won't get the NAS and you can recover your data, family photos, etc.

For those unfamiliar, a NAS, Network Attached Storage, is a stand alone device which can look just like an external drive, except that it has its own operating system and the device boots independently from your computer. I am using a QNAP device which is also capable of being a web server, media server, etc ... There are higher and lower end devices. a DLINK at NEWEGG is $100, or a higher-end model like the DROBO starts at about $350 (plus drives). This could also be done with your previous computer. It could run as a "headless" machine down in your basement, or in a closet, etc. There are some free Linux products that will do this, or you could even get a Media Home Server like HP sells, anything based upon Windows Home Server.

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Answer
More on Partitions
Jun 17, 2011 9:11PM PDT

A couple of earlier answers recommended partitioning your hard drive, and I fully agree. Leave enough space for the OS to allow for the inevitable expansion (I have around 70 GB for my Win 7 64-bit installation), then set up partitions for Applications/Programs, Data, Documents, and then any other that you might need (I have large, separate disks for Images, and partitions for Downloads, Entertainment (movies and music), and Swap -- more on this in a minute.) For most of those, simply use the defaults for cluster size when setting them up, and use NTFS. However, with Documents, make the cluster the smallest possible, which I believe is 512 bytes. Think about this a minute. The cluster is the smallest part of the disk that will be taken when a file is created, moved, etc. For most files, the default works fine. But documents (text, spreadsheet, PDF, etc.) are much smaller. If you use a 2K cluster, the remaining bytes at the end of the file will stil be in a 2K cluster, with the possibility of a good bit of that space unused. Using the smallest cluster, you get much less wastage. If you're still setting up your PC you can try it both ways. Fill a thumb drive or other backup with a variety of documents from your current machine. Set up the Documents partition using the defaults and see how much space is used when you copy that thumb to the partition. Then reformat the Documents partition to the smallest cluster size and do the same copy -- note the difference in the space used.

A Swap partition gives you better performance if you can put it on a separate disk. The optimum size is based on your RAM, and I believe it should still be about 1.5 times your RAM. I have 8GB RAM, and my swap partition is 13 GB, with the virtual memory set for both min and max at 12GB. This means that the partition shows up in red, but I don't get constant warnings (that's the extra 1gb used.) Once the partition is established, go to System Properties (right click on My Computer is one way) > Advanced>Performance Options>Advanced and click Change under Virtual memory. This will allow you to set the new Swap partition as the paging file location, then remove the paging file from the C: drive. Even without a separate disk, this will save you from having the paging file eat the C: drive. The change will require a reboot.

As many responders said, backup! I have several internal HDs, including a 1TB mirrored RAID for images, and 2 500 GB drives in an external USB enclosure. I use Cobian Backup to do automatic backups of Documents, specific Data files and images on a nightly basis. It can do both incremental and full backups, and can put them into a Zip file or leave them uncompressed. I am not one who will be conscientious about doing a manual backup, so a schedulable program is a necessity for me. Using the external drive allows me to recover those files on a different machine without too much effort. The fact that the files are in a 'universal' format means I don't even have to have the backup program on the recovery machine.

I have found that the free programs from EaseUS (Partition Master Home and Todo Backup) work quite well under Win 7. In fact, part of my monthly routine is to clone my OS partitions to partitions on another internal HD (using an e-mail reminder from Nudge Mail). This means if I lose my OS HD, I just choose to boot from the other one. This stems from having to reinstall several times due to faulty HDs that I had a while back. All my data, programs, etc. were available, but I had to put in a new HD and reinstall, then reinstall all the programs I wanted in order to get back to everything. Backing up the registry, making a disk image -- these would probably have been useful. On the other hand, after the second time I made extensive notes about all the tweaks (this was XP), and after the third time I started the cloning routine. I also bought another HD from a different manufacturer <G>.

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Watch for 64 bit incompatibilities ruining performance
Jun 17, 2011 10:08PM PDT

Vendors use 64 bits to cheaply increase performance and support more RAM. The price you pay is instability and flaky applications which are not thoroughly tested.

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New Win7 PC/help setting up
Jun 17, 2011 11:23PM PDT

Hi Eric, Wow, nice machine, congrats! There is a lot of duplication in the advice already given, so I won't repeat it. A good source for tips and tricks with win& is http://windowssecrets.com/ Lots of things are in different places than you are used to. Windows Secrets (Woody Leonhard, writer of the For Dummies books is a regular columnist) will show you where to find them and how to use them. Paula

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Organize and Be Cautious
Jun 18, 2011 2:01AM PDT

All versions of Windows require some organization and maintenance, and that's one of primary reasons why people become frustrated with PC's.

1. Know the File System and organize programs and files well. 32-bit programs are installed in C:\Program Files (x86) and 64-bit programs are installed in C:\Program Files. During the installation of programs, avoid just having them put in the default location. Instead, to be better organized, create your own folders for programs. For example, when installing a Game, have the installer put it in the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Games\ rather than in C:\Program Files (x86)\. That way, all the games are in the same folder, making things easier to find and manage. Utilities can go in their own folder as well. Use folders galore.

2. Be cautious about what you install. It's interesting trying out the many free and trial software applications out there, but new programs can add processes that startup with Windows, and even a powerful Windows 7 PC can be bogged down if you have an excessive number of processes and programs running in the background. Many programs do have options to stop their processes from starting up with Windows- look for this. Turn-off unneeded startup programs with msconfig.exe and turn off unneeded services with services.msc . Also, If you install and uninstall programs frequently, you'll want to run a registry cleaner and compactor.

3. For security, get a router with a firewall. Set the firewall on high and also use Windows firewall on your PC for more protection. Install an antivirus/anti-spy program (prefer Avast Pro), schedule the disk defragmenter for once a month or week, run the Windows disk cleanup (or use CCleaner) every so often. Cleaning browsing history (cookies, etc.) helps prevent spyware.

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The Cleanup...!
Jun 18, 2011 3:04AM PDT

Hi, Eric. Congratulations for purchasing this great computer. As for routine maintenance, there is not much differences between W7 and Win XP. I think the most significant difference is evident in the maintenance module present in W7 through their Activity Center. Here you can perform basic maintenance routines from the Center on a regular basis once a week. Also present at this function Center BackUp, so valuable to preserve or restore your system and files to an eventual failure. All this functions are present in Windows 7 via the Activity Center.

For my part I?am more picky about keeping my laptop ( I also use Windows 7 since It?s release) several applications for my job routines. the main one is "CCleaner". This application cleans out temporary files and unnecesary system efectively and cleaning the Windows Registry. This won a significant response rate in all my operations.


After using the "CCleaner" use the "Glary Utilities Pro". This software allows me to perform more complex maintenance operations and maintenance in one single click, registry cleaning, disk cleanup, delete my data privacy, etc.


Finally use the "Auslogics Bootspeed" that complements the efforts of the aplications previously used; in addition tothe disk defragmentation process, so important in the maintenance of Windows. Now with these three apps (CCleaner, Glary Utilities Pro &amp; Auslogics Bootspeed) is not necessary for me to use additional software. My maintenance routines are carried out every 10 or 15 days, because I use my Laptop everyday, even to play some games. The most important thing is to make the process of keeping Windows on an ongoing basis. Failing to do so results in the common failures of the system: registry errors, disk errors, failures in read/write memory RAM, lost files, system slowdowns and many other undesirable failures, like the same ocurred on Win XP.

Using a Toshiba Satellite Pro A200 Laptop Intel Core 2 Duo (Centrino Duo, Crestline) with 2GB RAM and 160GB Hard Drive under the O.S. Windows 7 Ultimate (32Bit).

Hope this helped. Greetings.

Lawtimes74

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Great Question!
Jun 18, 2011 6:12AM PDT

I wish I had thought to ask this last year when got my new super duper laptop. One item I have always heard about but am not tech savy enought to do: get rid of bloat ware. I hear this talked about, think it is all the extra programs that come preloaded on a new pc, but I have absolutely no idea how to get rid of it--like easily and safely without messing things up. I'm not tecnologically advanced enough to feel comfortable going into programming routines and making changes. So... may be someone will address this and then explain in super easy term. step by step, how to do.

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Get Revo Uninstall, Freeware version
Jun 18, 2011 9:42AM PDT

It's quick, clean, safe and will give you a full list of all the bloatware programs on your computer in an easy to read window of icons. Just click on the icon of the program you want removed, and it will ask if you want "Quick, Moderate, Thorough".

Quick uses the bloatwares' built in Uninstall.

Moderate uses both the Bloatware and Revo's uninstall, but Revo will only remove files from the hd that the built in Uninstall doesn't remove . You will get a list of leftover files, just click 'select all' and click on 'delete', then confirm.

Thorough will use the Bloatware built in, and Revo, but Revo will do thorough search of your registry, and look for hidden files and allow you to strip out all referrals/files of bloatware.

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Revo Uninstall Rocks! Check out this free bloatware remover
Jun 18, 2011 10:24AM PDT

Thank you, Anysia!! I downloaded the Revo freeware--super easy. Within seconds had the program up and running. All I can say is WOW! Easy to understand PLUS so much more than just removing bloatware. Again, thanks for an answer that it the bullseye--it was easy to download, it was free, it was easy to understand, it did what I wanted and more--perfection. Fran

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You're very welcome
Jun 18, 2011 1:39PM PDT

It's one of the best freeware uninstaller out there. Glad it helped. Happy

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Just as a quick note to all those advising to wipe the OS
Jun 18, 2011 9:45AM PDT

And install Linux or Ubuntu: You do realise if he does this he loses his manufacturers warranty, don't you? I don't think he wants that.

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New Windows 7
Jun 18, 2011 1:19PM PDT

Use: Slimdrivers, glarys utilities, ccleaner and Norton Internet Security. Switch to a SSD as soon as you can.