How do you do a fresh install?

[mastrduke]

I am upgrading my computer from XP to vista home premium to turn it into a HTPC. I would like to start completely fresh so I plan on reformatting the hard drive when I start. Do you create different petitions when you install windows? I didn't do this last time with my original build but I have seen a lot of people do. I have a 250gb hard drive for right now that I will be upgrading adding a 500gb hard drive to once I get my computer up and running.

Why do you do this?

How do you do this?

What format do you use?

How big should the partitions be?






Can I just put all the drivers for everything I will need to upgrade to vista on a usb drive?

 

[IEC]

Why do you do this?
You do a fresh install because it has the least chance of having driver conflicts or something go screwy during or after install. As a bonus, you wipe the drive clean and prevent any accumulated malware/viruses from remaining. I recommend DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) to clean up the drive. You can just Google for "Ultimate Boot CD" to find a CD with DBAN and a bunch of other useful apps.

How do you do this?
See above, UBCD is bootable, so once you've backed up all the data you want, nuke the 250GB drive with DBAN and it'll be clean. Then you can install Vista.

What format do you use?
Stick with the Vista default, it should guide you through the process. NTFS is better than FAT32.

How big should the partitions be?
I would use the 250GB drive as your C: drive and have that 500GB be your D: drive. That way you can stick your apps/games/files on C: and put your media (movies, music, etc.) on D:

Using partitions just makes artificial "drives" and offers no performance advantage, and in some cases (such as putting swap file in a different partition), will degrade it. Just stick with the 1 partition per drive and you'll be fine.

 

[mercanucaribe]

I don't format. Reinstalling the OS is the same, unless you're worried about fragmentation or something.

 

[coolpurplefan]

I format but also delete the primary partition and re-create it before installing. Those options are there on you WinXP CD when you install.

You could even make a note of all your BIOS settings then remove the battery on the motherboard, then replace the jumper close to it (the CLR one) and put it on the other pins for 3 seconds then put it back on the original pins. Then you can reset your preferences in the BIOS. You should be factory fresh after that.

I usually don't clear the CMOS. All I do is delete and re-create the primary partition and format. However, clearing CMOS works to revive your motherboard after a power outage. I don't know why it works.

 

[mastrduke]

Thanks for the replies!

So you don't think it is worth it to make a 100gb partition for windows and apps then use the other 150gb and my new 500gb for media?

Is 100gb going to be enough for windows and apps?