Windows 7 System Installation, Settings & Tips – Introduction (Part 1)

by Richard Pedersen

As in life itself, there is generally a right way and a wrong way to get things done. This includes Windows 7 Installation, Settings, and Set-Up. Right and Wrong are, of course, gray areas and there have been, is, and will be hot debate surrounding the matter of what is ‘Right’.

I have my opinions, of course, and will pass them on to you. There are also some well-documented ‘facts’ regarding the Windows 7 installation process and best practices. Perhaps the words Right and Wrong should be replaced with Better and Worse.

Windows 7 is a vast, complicated piece of work. Along with that comes a virtually infinite source of variability in individual computers, their peripherals, and integrated components. Individual is the key word here. What works best for me or your neighbor may not actually be the best solution for you.

I will also provide you with some links sprinkled throughout to sites that I believe to be some of the best in their particular focus.

Ultimately, you will have to make educated decisions about your particular circumstance. The following pages are intended to be a guide. Nothing here is etched in stone. Use your God-given common sense and intelligence. If these pages do not provide you with enough information, or tend to confuse you rather than enlighten you, then remember, “Google is your friend.” Research the details that confound you until you are satisfied with the answers. It may take some time but it will ultimately be a rewarding experience.

If, perchance, you can not find satisfaction from your favorite search engine, then, by all means, feel free to leave a reply in the comment box provided at the bottom of this page. I will try to respond in a timely manner.

I’m going to be discussing the following topics:

1. Introduction
2. Hard Drive Partitions – A few ideas about setting them up
3. Windows 7 Installation – The order of things
4. Windows 7 Services – Do you need it?
5. The Infamous Page file – How big and where, and do you need it? Also a note about RAM
6. The Hibernation File – Do you need it?
7. System Restore – Do you need it?
8. Temporary Files – How to control them
9. The Registry – Cleaning, Fragmentation, and what to do about it – if anything
10. Cache Files – How big and where to put them?
11. HDD Fragmentation – How important is it?
12. RAM Disks – What and What Not to use it for…
13. Solid State Drives – Suggestions and a few bargains
14. Conclusions

As you can see, we’ll be covering a lot of ground. I must also note that these suggestions all presume this is a brand new clean installation of Windows 7. You may, however, use many of the suggestions found here on computers which already contain a working Windows 7 Operating System.

This will take several days to complete, so check back often for updates. The links below will become available as the articles are finished.

Please be patient with me as my typing skills are well below par. I use the old biblical typing standard, “Seek and ye shall find.” “Hunt ‘n’ Peck” is another method that has proven useful in the past. Perhaps I should ‘bite the bullet’ and give the Windows 7 Speech Recognition software a go. What do you think? Have you used it? Was it cumbersome? Or did you love it? Please, let me know about your experience with it.

If you have any arguments, ideas, and/or suggestions, please leave a comment below. Thanks!

Good luck and happy tweaking!

Richard

—

1. Introduction
2. Hard Drive Partitions – A few ideas about setting them up
3. Windows 7 Installation – The order of things
4. Windows 7 Services – Do you need them?
5. The Infamous Page File – How big and where, and do you need it? Also a note about RAM
6. The Hibernation File – Do you need it?
7. System Restore – Do you need it?
8. Temporary Files – How to control them
9. The Registry – Cleaning, Fragmentation, and what to do about it – if anything
10. Cache Files – How big and where to put them?
11. HDD Fragmentation – How important is it?
12. RAM Disks – What and What Not to use it for…
13. Solid State Drives – Suggestions and a few bargains
14. Conclusions

—

If you have any ideas or suggestions, please leave a comment below. Thanks!
Subscribe in a reader

Sig Created by Arc