Windows 7 optimized SSD install 5.5gb

I just received my 64gb ssd which set me back $65 . I wanted to find the best way to get the most amount of space and that started with slimming down windows 7 and getting rid of the junk. I mainly removed "Languages, Speech, Help, Tablet PC software, Drivers(video, tv tuner), and other minor items. The process is not quick but it is overall easy and will involve you getting a windows 7 image to rebuild upon. The OEM disk does not work well due to the fact software to rebuild images is made for untouched Retail copies. Now you can go about using the image that is available from microsoft direct and then use your OEM key and you should be able to call in to validate. If you already have your own retail disc then you can use "IMGBURN" to make an ISO of the disc and use that to work on.


http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...-7-download-links-just-like-vista-before.html

The software used is

RT7lite
imgburn


http://www.pub.rt7lite.com/7lite-RC-Beta-1-4-2-3-public-dwnl/rt_7_lite_win7_Vista_x64.msi

The Official ImgBurn Website

RT Seven Lite - Downloads


Once you have the ISO image extract it using "WINRAR"

http://www.rarlab.com/rar/winrar-x64-393.exe

Then you will install the rt7lite software and fire it up and upon the start you will see the option to load the windows files. You will point it to the folder and let it load. It might ask you what version of windows you are working on (basic, Premium, PRO, Ultimate). It will take a while to load the image like 8-10 minutes. Once it is loaded you will click on the left hand side on "Tasks" there you will select 2 options "Components & Bootable ISO".


YouTube - How to load your windows 7 into RT 7 Lite

Then click on the next option "feature removal" which is where you will select what to keep and what to remove. On the right hand side you will see like 8-10 options are selected. You can uncheck items you do not want but read the link on what to keep and what to remove. I have attached my config file which you canave in the "RT7lite" install folder under presets. The file is suppose to be a ".inf" but i renamed it to ".txt" so i could upload it so make sure to rename the extension back to ".inf"



Once you have completed your selection process hit apply and you will see the next screen to "Build ONE" or "Build All". This is where you will choose "Build one" since it is faster but it will only make a modified image for the version of windows you choose in the first option. This again will take like 25-35 min and you will see a progress bar. Once it is complete click on the "ISO-bootable" tab and on the left drop down select "build image" this will make a ISO image for you and you can save it down to your system.

Once you have the new slim ISO you will want to test it out using a virtual machine like " Microsoft Virtual PC, Virtual box or VMware. Use this to make sure the installation actually completes and you have not removed important files. Sometimes people get excessive and start removing everything like if you remove "Internet Explorer" it can break the install. So test it before you use the image and make sure you can get it activated and setup the way you want it.

Once you know the image is good then use "Imgburn" to make an dvd. I used "dvd-rw" to test it out and it worked fine when i tried to rip to USB it needed chipset drivers and i did not want to mess with that so i just used a external DVD to boot and install.

I have attached couple images it was about 5.5gb install and no drivers with drivers and firefox installed it was about 6.3gb.

Once you have installed the OS you will notice the install is 20gb on the disc or something large. You will need to do 3 tweaks to get back a large amount of space.


Disable pagefile if you have enough ram or drop the pagefile to 768mb or relocate off SSD to another drive if you have dual disks. Many will argue that no pagefile is a big NO NO. SOOOO to make them happy make it alteast 256mb lolz

Disable System Restore by going into control panel

Disable System Restore in Windows 7 - How-To Geek

Hibernation

Hibernate - Enable or Disable - Windows 7 Forums


SSD tweaks

Windows 7 - Ultimate SSD Speed Tweaks


KEEP LIST

Windows 7 "Keep" List - MSFN Forums

Driver install order

Drivers & Downloads

1. chipset drivers
2. OSD
3. video
4. audio
5. internet WLAN
6. ethernet
7. media reader
8. touchpad
9. freefall sensor
10. IR
11. command center

http://forum.notebookreview.com/6615077-post9.html

 

Great guide, Faiz23. +rep.

 

will you write a guide on how to get an SSD for that price

 

lolz on the ssd price it was quite simple but i will tell you the truth the 64gb SSD is much much better than a traditional HD but it will not be at the same level as a Intel drive, OCZ, or Corsair. The beauty is the $1 per gb which should soon be a standard and the performance difference between HD and SSD.

The deal is currently dead due to the $30 rebate ending 8/31 and a $20 coupon ending 8/31. Soon we will see the $1 per gb without any rebates so hang tight and i will post up a nice deal when i see one pop up. In Australia i am sure the prices will be double or triple so look into mail forwarding so you can buy with US prices and have them bundle up 2 or 3 packages and ship it to you.

Buy.com - Kingston 64GB SSDNow V Series 2.5" Desktop Bundle SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

I did some benching of the SSD to see if it is worth it or not. Safe mode is the best bet since it is running very little in the background. I have intel g1 80gb which i am sending back and keeping the kingston. Even though the kingston is slower on 4k speeds it is still much better than HD and half the price of the intel just enough to hold me over till the next gen of Intel drives come out or Black friday lolz.

Keep in mind these were at different times and i used different sizes and repetitions so it is just for sh*ts n Giggles.

Left is Kingston and right is Intel

 

wow awesome guide faiz, gonna gave this a try when the next time i reformat. sweet!!! i love anything that will save me space, hehehehhe

 

INAP you do clean installs every week so next week i expect a follow up and see how the results where. The easiest thing is to get an image made and test it using a virtual machine and do the tweaks to see how much space you have free and how much space is taken up by windows. If you like the results then go ahead and try it out.

Couple things aligning the partition for a SSD is very important for performance and can take a 40%-50% hit. Do not use any sort of imaging software like acronis since it will copy the partition and lay down the image. The image might be a bad image due to not being aligned. Windows 7 installer will automatically align and condition the SSD if you use that for installation. Many people want to make a backup for future use a software like Norton Ghost and make an image without copying the MBR or other partition. To restore the partition you will erase and get the drive ready using "Diskpart" in command prompt and then have Ghost lay down the image without reformatting or redoing the partition. It is always best to do a clean install but keeping a backup using norton ghost is a good idea if you would like a quick restore.

I also noticed a performance hit using the Intel rapid storage drivers and had better performance removing it. Another good tip is extract the intel rapid storage drivers and when installing windows you will hit f-6 and point it to the drivers that should optimize the ssd and install the drivers from the start. That is what most recommend for ideal performance. I plan to try out couple different scenario's and see how it performs.

 

hahahah thanks for the tip, wished you would of posted this last week when i did a clean install. if i have a day to kill, i will gave it a try. keep me posted with your findings, to lazy to do the testing.

also i use the default windows driver for my ssd too, the intel driver will drop the performance like you said.

 

there is a long process to go about removing the intel drivers once you have installed it already. I tried that and it helped restore perfomance but i noticed my SSD is faster in safe mode so i have a feeling parts of the old intel driver is still hanging around my laptop. Might be time for a clean install but i will try to see if i can slim it down even further but there is a point where you slim it down so much you start having issues with stability or installation does not complete so you need to find a nice happy medium. Most people will strip it down to about a 3-3.5gb install some have taken it down to 2gb but not as functional maybe for a netbook. I wanted around 5gb-6gb of space for windows and rest for me to put apps like firefox, office, CS5 and other HD intensive apps. All games go on the 500gb 7.2k drive my steam folder is 120gb lolz

 

I have the V+ series of that SSD. I just got it a few days ago. Paid $112. It even came with a nice little external hdd case nice! Im messing around with it to see whats faster. I've tried without the intel storage driver and it didnt make a difference. I did all this stuff except number 15 will slow down your shutdown time by a lot so I changed that one back.
The SSD Review: The SSD Optimization Guide

 

thanks for the link i will have to check it out when i do another clean install probably this weekend.

Here is a new image i made i was able to slim it down to 5.13gb and still retain all features to make it a stable build. Mainly i removed all the media features like WMP, DVD maker, ISO maker, and Windows Media center.

I have attached the presets file you can use if you want to help you get started. Change the extension from .txt to .inf

 

This is with all the tweaks on. I am going to turn them all off and run it again.

 

Those are some nice numbers and good to see the real life difference between the V series and the V+ series.

thanks

 

I did a clean install of windows and changed nothing. I just let it all be and these are the numbers. The tweaks dont seem to do much. I see no difference in speed and if you look at the numbers I posted with tweaks they are similar.


No tweaks after a restart


Safe mode

 

new tweaks you guys can use that will make a big difference.

I changed my ssd from kingston to OCZ vertex II.

SSD TwEaKED OuTT!!

SSD JJB TWEAK @ 95%




SSD JJB TWEAK @ 99%

Proc. performance core parking overutilization Threshold = 100%



http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...-intel-series-4-5-965-chipsets-jjb-tweak.html

this is what made a big difference thanks to whitewizard

Proc. idle promote threshold = 99%
Proc. performance core parking overutilization Threshold = 100%


JJB tweaks start with this and try whitewizard setting to see a performance difference


PROCESSOR POWER SETTTING ADJUSTMENTS
(NOTE: Use the High performance power plan option and change the 'Plugged in' value )*

* Proc. performance increase threshold = 30%
* proc. perf. decrease threshold = 85%
* Proc. perf. decrease policy = Ideal
* Proc. idle demote threshold = 85%
* Proc. idle promote threshold = 95% **
* Minimum processor state = 0%
* Proc. performance core parking overutilization Threshold = 95% **
* System cooling policy (no change) = 'active'
* Maximum processor state (no change) = 100%

also do not remove windows media player when you are stripping win 7(get your head out of the gutter) since it will stop your WEI benchmark from working since WEI needs WMP to encode video's to check for CPU performance.

 

Hey, are you able to run windows update? I stripped down Vista once and update stopped working (I got carried away).

Thanks for the great guides.

 

I have had no issues with windows update on the installs i have done every one of them makes me do the basic updates and waits for it to install when you first boot up/shut down. With vista many people were using v-lite or n-lite i believe. With "rt 7 lite" it is really built well and the coding for it will let you know if you are removing something that depends on other functions. i would start with the basic like removing languages files, help files, video's, music, screen saver, Speech, Tablet PC software, Drivers(video, tv tuner), and other minor items. Keep windows media player and windows decoder and stuff sine WEI benchmark depends on WMP to encode video's as a benchmark. Then load that up into a VM of your choice and disable hibernation since SSD boot as fast as hibernate recovers. Lower page file and reduce recycling bin size as well and see what your final install is at. You should be at 8 gigs or less more like 6 gigs or less if you remove the stuff i said.

 

Nice to know i'm not the only person who does a fresh install of windows every other week lol!

@fairz23

This is like the dream guide I've been waiting for. Also, for those who have SSD's you might wanna follow this guide before you do a fresh install of windows on your SSD so you don't get that 100 MB boot partition. SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation - Windows 7 Forums

+1

 

faiz23

+1

It is great to know experts like you have the same passion as me in slimming Windows 7. I do have some experience in using vLite to slim Windows Vista. Thus, I do not mind doing fresh install of slimmed-down Windows several times in order to obtain slimmest Windows as possible. Thus, I am looking forward to try RT 7 Lite to reduce bloatware part of Windows 7.

Sorry to say that there are minor corrections to be made in your first post. You could add in Bluetooth as Item No. 11 in the order of driver installation.

Windows 7 "Keep" List - MSFN Forums is actually meant for vLiteing Windows 7. The more appropriate links are:

1. What Components Can Be Removed And Should Not Be Removed?

2. Components To Keep

Hopefully, I will have free time to use RT 7 Lite and can achieve the same result as you.

 

Bump for people who are still not creating there own slimmed down win 7 install discs

 

More dealz to come for black friday but don't waste space on BLOATED INSTALLS or BLOATED WOMEN

128gb for $130 After $20 rebate.
NCIX US - Buy SLD3-25SAT3-120G - OCZ Solid 3 120GB 2.5IN SATA3 SandForce SF-2281 SSD Solid State Disk Flash Drive - OCZ Technology - Great price and fast delivery

 

BUMP for clean installs with minimum bloatware.

 

Hey, sorry for reviving a year old thread but I found this whole thing handy. Was just wondering if you tried doing the WinSXS slim thing enclosed: How to cleanup the winsxs folder on Windows 7 (SP1)/ Windows 2008 / Windows 2008 R2 (SP1) | MicrosoftPro.nl and how it stands up with actual use, since you mentioned doing reinstalls quite often so I assume you heard of it and checked it out... plus whether it'd be ran AFTER all my games etc install the needed c++ redist bull
I tried making my own image but only got it to 6.8GB after removing hibernate etc so I'm gonna try your file in a bit to see if it works on my system and allows my programs to work as beta before my ssd arrives (£46 for 120GB ahaaaaah)
Either way, I've been trying to find a list of what necessary/critical/security/w.e updates are needed so I can just integrate them into the installation and just watch a movie while the unattended does its thing. If you could help with this I'd be really appreciative Dunno how I'd pay you back though... I give good back rubs?
Peace
Oh, and one last thing: M17x R2, 540M, nVidia 285M, if it matters