First recovery discs on new Thinkpad T430

I just received my new Thinkpad T430 and I'm not quite sure how to go about setting it up, which programs to uninstall, if I should do a clean install, etc.

While there hasn't been any issue doing updates, I realize it might have been better to make the recovery discs first. My first question is.. now that I've done some updating, will the recovery discs that I make be different than if I had made them before doing updates? I'm quite scared to mess something up.

If I could have an updated list of all the drivers and necessary software that I would need to install for Windows and Lenovo to run properly, I would really consider clean installing with the ISO file I have for Windows 7 Pro (which I think is distributable because it was given to me from an IT guy). I have that on an external. I feel so unguided. Does anyone have some quick and easy tips or excellent links to setting everything up? I have already found Hearst's guide to clean install.

Also, is it better to burn the recovery to CD/DVD or put it on USB or an external HD? I understand that a USB would need to formatted, would the external need to be formatted and blank also?

Thank you!

 

No, the recovery is untouched by the Windows updates. It's a snapshot of a factory image and is stored separately from your OS partition; so when you create your recovery discs, they mirror said image.

Clean installs are generally advised for performance and "neatness", but it's up to how comfortable you feel with a format + reload as to whether to perform a fresh installation or simply eliminate a few software/bloatware programs.

There's really no magic to setting up your system. Some people have very particular preferences on software utilities, registry tweaks, etc. Just take good care of it and it should take good care of you.

You can put your recovery on either, although the advantage to using a USB is it's faster (since optical media is subjected to RPM speeds of drives) and a little more robust (e.g., you can't render it useless by scratching it). Either one will need to be appropriately formatted and the USB tool will be needed for the thumb drive in order to boot off it and launch the installer.

 

I know I'm limited to creating only one set of recovery discs/files but can't I just copy them again from the newly created second image?

 

You could probably use a program that clones the disc. I've used InfraRecorder to do this and it's worked fine - but you'll need two optical drives to do this, as it works on the fly.

 

What about using PowerISO? Can I do anything with that program? What is mounting?

 

PowerISO is mostly used to extract the contents of a .iso file type. Think of it like "unzipping" a .zip file.

Mounting - if you're referring to an image - refers to emulating a CD/DVD ROM drive, and then "mounting" the image file to it so it will run, without any physical media or peripherals. It's the software equivalent to sticking a physical disc into a physical drive and running it.

 

Speaking as someone who deploys Lenovos as part of their job, I can tell you the default Windows 7 install on Lenovos is horribly bloated and gummed up. Lenovo adds on the usual Norton trial, Office trial, CorelDVD whatever, but then they also have their own "job security ware" that is basically questionably useful Lenovo-branded apps that I swear some employees at Lenovo dreamed up to avoid being laid off. I made an effort to collect a minimal but complete driver set for the new T-series stuff, it's not too much since Windows Update finds a lot of it.

If your T430 came with a Win7 key, a standard Win7 ISO should activate against it. Should.

Drivers and software - ThinkPad T430

I recommend the chipset driver (Intel Chipset Support), then the LAN or WAN driver depending on what network you have. Then run Windows Update. You just need to fill in the blanks of what it can't find (I think the card reader and the "Radio" HID are among those).

 

Thanks for the replies, ProStar and s.SubZero. Would I have to download all those drivers at that link? Or would Windows Update really pick up all those updates from scratch? Ah, forget it, I don't feel comfortable enough to do a fresh install.

 

Windows Update will have some of the drivers. The rest would come from Lenovo's site.

 

Right, some, and they will be in the hardware section (which you'll probably have to manually opt in for the download manager to acquire them), but chances are they will be out of date. Lenovo's site is the better resource, or the component manufacturer if need be.

BTW, fresh installs are not as scary as some think they are.