Why do you clean install Win 7 on your ThinkPad?

Couple of questions for you if you do a clean install once you get a new machine from the factory... I always reinstall Windows at least once a year because it gets pokey, but not sure why you would do it on a fresh factory image. There was not a bunch of crapware on my T61, has this changed over the years?

-What's the reason you reinstall windows?
-Do you add all the Lenovo software utilities?
-Do you add the Lenovo tools partition? How is this added if you don't use the user created restore disc to do the install
-Install the drivers manually?
-Do you install from a separate Win 7 disc or from the restore disc you created?

 

I like to customise my Windows setup from scratch, it gives me control on what goes on my system and what doesn't (such as Norton). Typically i'm able to trim on average around 35 processes compared to the Lenovo factory install.

Only 2 for me, Power Manager which is good for managing the battery and power plans and the other is Lenovo Hotkeys. Simply because I like to see the OSD.

I make my own partitions using my own set of Windows 7 discs. Usually I reserve one partition for the OS only and another partition to hold my files such as music, images, documents etc. If somehow I mess up the Windows partition I usually just start again while keeping my other partition intact.

I install my drivers manually via an USB stick, I don't even use System Update which I presume is going to cause a stir with some people...

 

If you wipe out your recovery partition then you cannot install Rescue and Recovery.

The main reason is people don't want the bloatware. I did the exact opposite, I ordered the Lenovo recovery media to get all the ThinkVantage software and it didn't have the recovery partition.

Another main reason is to get SSD alignment as reimaging from the recovery partition does not guarantee alignment.

 

SSD, if I had gotten it with an ssd I likely would not have.

• Lenovo System Interface Driver
• On Screen Display
• Thinkpad Power Management Driver
• Thinkpad Power Manager

Plus these:

• Conexant 20672 SmartAudio HD
• Intel Network Connections Drivers
• Intel Rapid Storage Technology
• RICOH_Media_Driver
• Synaptics Driver (vanilla, non Thinkpad one)

Someone plesase tell me how you could get by without those?

Nope.

Some.

Non recovery discs, didn't make any. If needed I could use the thread in the Windows section of the forum to get the legal Win 7 .iso, or use the Win 7 Ultimate disc I have from my college.

 

-What's the reason you reinstall windows?

don't like ~80 unnecessary processes running. with a clean install i get down to about 40 processes, which makes my laptops run much snappier. And I use Bitlocker a lot, so the almost free Win 7 Ultimate that I have comes handy.

-Do you add all the Lenovo software utilities?

I only added Power Manager as Windows does not offer battery charge thresholds. Besides, I noticed that with the ThinkPad PM, the CPU temp is lower.

-Do you add the Lenovo tools partition? How is this added if you don't use the user created restore disc to do the install

No. Why would I want that. I have all my files periodically backed up.

-Install the drivers manually?

Yes. Manually. I unpack them but install them only through Device Manager so that I don't get anything else installed.

-Do you install from a separate Win 7 disc or from the restore disc you created?

I have a Win 7 Ultimate disk from my employer.,

 

Personally I'd stick with the Lenovo image and modify it to your liking. If you absolutely cannot get the responsiveness you want, then go for a clean install, but leave your recovery partition alone.

As an example, my clean install Z61t (as I got it as a clearance model) had only 33 running processes. Reimaging with Windows XP Professional recovery media shot it up to 51, and with all honestly with just 2 GB RAM and T7200 it was perfectly fine. I disabled some of the ThinkVantage stuff I rarely used and eventually brought it down to 41.

 

So I assume that if you have a valid product serial number from a separately purchased WIN7 disc or from the back of your machine, you would be able to activate an installed copy of WIN7 from a different source? I don't see any reason why doing that would not validate the activation.

How would you create a new recovery partition if you replace a hard drive and install from a retail WIN7 DVD?

If you install from your user created restore discs, I think that will create the recovery partition automatically, right?

 

SSD is a no brainer reason. (cloning usually breaks alignment, paying extra for an ssd aware cloner = no thanks)

Technet is cheap way to keep eveything up to date and have office+more if you have tons of personal computers. You can also reactivate the OEM key if you install the same exact version of windows. Someday the forced bundling of windows tax will go away and buying a blank computer will be possible and cheaper.

Selectively enabling what crapware and drivers you want is nice too. Some of it is helpful especially with all the extra tablet stuff, but others can get lost.

I never create the restore/backup partitions, I dump anything I care about onto my SAN, which is easier to do backups for. The amount of actual data I bother backing up and taking offsite is small (a few dvds a month) since almost everything can be downloaded again except for things I created. My SAN can survive a minimum of 2 dead drives unattended, and if my place burns down losing a couple hundred hours of tv and movies is the least of my problems.