Windows 7 install

[Harv]

Can anyone give me an idea how long it will take to do a 'clean' install of Windows 7 ??? It will be installed on a new machine with an Intel i7 4790 4GHz processor and 16GB of DDR3 RAM.

Also, are there any potential pitfalls to be on the lookout for ???

Thanks.

 

[DominoDude]

Can anyone give me an idea how long it will take to do a 'clean' install of Windows 7 ??? It will be installed on a new machine with an Intel i7 4790 4GHz processor and 16GB of DDR3 RAM.

Also, are there any potential pitfalls to be on the lookout for ???

Thanks.

If you do a rather plain vanilla install (Going with suggested defaults), it shouldn't have to take more than 1.5h. I can't think of any particular oddities that could be make you grind your teeth.
Make sure you can access everything you expect to be able to reach: drives, Internet, other devices in the local network. Run update afterwards to see if there is any new drivers or other updates that needs to be applied. If you run with any other firewall than Windows own, make sure you disable the Windows one! Running two FWs at the same time will give you problems.

Edit: The time is from what it roughly took me to install a Windows Server 2003, or Windows 2008, when I last did that. The install part is usually straightforward and properly guided on screen. Doing some tweaks and configurations to make it behave in a special way can take an additional day. But most of the time that is not needed for normal usage.

 

[Jim Saunders]

Do you have a RAID card? It'll probably need a driver, but the menu for loading them is a lot more usable than previous versions. Other than that it is pretty friendly. It'll go faster if you're installing onto an SSD, but 1.5 seems believable.

Jim

 

[Marsu42]

Can anyone give me an idea how long it will take to do a 'clean' install of Windows 7 ??? It will be installed on a new machine with an Intel i7 4790 4GHz processor and 16GB of DDR3 RAM.

Easiest way: get a Windows iso (cd image) file, dump it on a usb stick, boot & install from that. Lots of tutorials around the net for this. There are also custom windows isos around the net that have all recent updates already in place "slipstreamed", and there's nothing dodgy about that, you simply activate them with your very own retail windows key. Think "murphy78".

Also, are there any potential pitfalls to be on the lookout for ???

Not really, the installation of the newer windows versions is very streamlined and if you've got standard components all essential drivers required are already there. One possible pitfall is partition size - you probably don't want one large partition, but a system and data one. Im that case don't chose a system partition size too small. Good luck!

 

[lilmsmaggie]

Hey Harv,

If memory serves, I believe it took Win 7 to install on my new build, with a 250 GB Samsung 840 SSD, 16GB of RAM and an i5 3570K Intel CPU less than 15 minutes to install. My nephew and I were doing simultaneous builds and windows installed so fast that I actually ran the install a 2nd time cause I didn't believe it .

I've installed Windows OS going back to Windows 2000 on servers and desktops and I have to say, it was the fastest OS install I've ever done.

No pitfalls per se -- locating and installing the drivers and running Windows Update takes longer than actually installing the OS. You should be able to find videos, etc. on doing a clean install.

I believe Newegg has a video, also check Tom's hardware (http://www.tomshardware.com)and Motherboards.org (http://www.motherboards.org) as well as MaximumPC (http://www.maximumpc.com) for PC build articles.

Can anyone give me an idea how long it will take to do a 'clean' install of Windows 7 ??? It will be installed on a new machine with an Intel i7 4790 4GHz processor and 16GB of DDR3 RAM.

Also, are there any potential pitfalls to be on the lookout for ???

Thanks.

 

[JustinMartin]

About 15 min to install Windows 7 - then about 1.5 hours and several reboots to finish downloading and installing all of the Windows Updates.

If you can - try to create media and slip stream SP1 into the install disc before the build, or download a network install versions of SP1 and install it before all of the updates.

 

[DominoDude]

...
One possible pitfall is partition size - you probably don't want one large partition, but a system and data one. Im that case don't chose a system partition size too small. Good luck!

This is one I forgot about. I think the suggested minimum size we went with, at the company I was with, were 30GB for the System partition. I would say increase that to, possibly, 50-100GB. Profiles, and installed programs have a tendency to make it eat up the System partition quite easily over the years.

 

[lilmsmaggie]

Good point about partitions. I didn't partition my SSD but that's just me. Also, unlike mechanical HDD's you don't want to run defrag on a SSD. Windows 7 and later uses a feature called TRIM.

Also, if you do decide to go the DIY route, HINT: if you install HDD's and a SSD, do not fully connect the HDD's until after you install Windows. That way, Windows can't spread hidden files all over the place. All you have to do (leave the case's side panel off) is not connect either the HDD's power or data cable. Doesn't matter which but I chose to connect the power cables and not connect the data cables.

I had two 1 TB drives in addition to the SSD and I left the data cables of these drives disconnected. Then once I installed windows, it was a simple matter of just plugging in whichever cable I decided not to connect then put the side panel on.

...
One possible pitfall is partition size - you probably don't want one large partition, but a system and data one. Im that case don't chose a system partition size too small. Good luck!

This is one I forgot about. I think the suggested minimum size we went with, at the company I was with, were 30GB for the System partition. I would say increase that to, possibly, 50-100GB. Profiles, and installed programs have a tendency to make it eat up the System partition quite easily over the years.

 

[tolusina]

...
One possible pitfall is partition size - you probably don't want one large partition, but a system and data one. Im that case don't chose a system partition size too small. Good luck!

This is one I forgot about. I think the suggested minimum size we went with, at the company I was with, were 30GB for the System partition. I would say increase that to, possibly, 50-100GB. Profiles, and installed programs have a tendency to make it eat up the System partition quite easily over the years.

Yikes!
On my current build, on first Win 7 install run, I tried partitioning the primary drive though I forget just how big a partition I tried, Once that install run completed, the C:\ partition was already mostly full and I hadn't yet installed any programs.
Back to the beginning I went, deleted the partition, used the entire 256GB SSD for C:\.
Currently, C:\ with WIN 7 and what I consider a reasonable software load takes 105GB.
My data resides on E:\, a 1TD HD, about 200GB and on F:\, another 256 GB SSD, there's about 100GB there.

I suggest you use at least two physical drives, a 250 GB or so SSD for the primary C:\ drive, a second and maybe a third for your files as budget allows.
HDs give the most capacity for the money, SSDs allow faster access to your files.

Just to clarify, your files, your data includes anything you create, documents, photographs, videos, whatever.
Consider keeping your files and data on a separate partition or drive as an enabler of tidy housekeeping. Should you ever need to re-install the OS, all your files are safe away from the OS' files. Moving all your files and data en mass to another machine is as simple as physically moving the drive they are stored on to another machine.
Separating files and data in this manner makes for easy back ups too.

Hey Harv,

If memory serves, I believe it took Win 7 to install on my new build, with a 250 GB Samsung 840 SSD, 16GB of RAM and an i5 3570K Intel CPU less than 15 minutes to install. My nephew and I were doing simultaneous builds and windows installed so fast that I actually ran the install a 2nd time cause I didn't believe it .

I've installed Windows OS going back to Windows 2000 on servers and desktops and I have to say, it was the fastest OS install I've ever done.

No pitfalls per se -- locating and installing the drivers and running Windows Update takes longer than actually installing the OS. You should be able to find videos, etc. on doing a clean install.

I believe Newegg has a video, also check Tom's hardware (http://www.tomshardware.com)and Motherboards.org (http://www.motherboards.org) as well as MaximumPC (http://www.maximumpc.com) for PC build articles.

Can anyone give me an idea how long it will take to do a 'clean' install of Windows 7 ??? It will be installed on a new machine with an Intel i7 4790 4GHz processor and 16GB of DDR3 RAM.

Also, are there any potential pitfalls to be on the lookout for ???

Thanks.

I'm thinking it was about 20 minutes to install here, an inconsequential difference. Compared to earlier WIN installs, it was indeed fast.
In comparison, the first run of Windows update seemed an eternity, go have dinner or something.

The links quoted above are all good indeed, I found ASUS had excellent build videos too, I suspect most other MB manufacturers do too.

 

[Harv]

Thanks a lot everyone. That is really a lot of great information and some great tips. It will come in handy at build time.

 

[tolusina]

Thanks a lot everyone. That is really a lot of great information and some great tips. It will come in handy at build time.

During the initial Win 7 install, leave the machine disconnected from the internet until you are satisfied with the initial configuration. Only then should you connect up, register Windows and first run Windows update.

During my build, I installed three times. The first was making the partitioning mistake, finding that it was a mistake, then starting over.

The second install error I made was when I failed at implementing a My Documents symbolic link manipulation that I had used with ease during Windows 2000 and XP installs.
In 2K and XP, I installed the OS to the primary drive as normal, then connected and formatted a second drive.
On the second drive, I then created a New Folder that I cleverly re-named My Documents.
Back on the desktop, I right clicked the My Documents shortcut (which is actually a symbolic link), selected Properties, there I re-directed the My Documents shortcut to point to the new My Documents folder on the second drive.
The reason I went through all this My Documents stuff is that most all programs will, by default, save to My Documents. When set up properly, it works (apparently) seamlessly from within most programs' save dialogue.
WIN 7 didn't work the same way. I expected My Music, My Photos and the rest of the default My Documents folders to transfer right over, didn't work that way and I failed at figuring out how to cleanly correct my errors.
So I started a third time correcting the My Documents trick the best I could figure though I'm still not happy with the way it plays.

Expect to install Classic Shell.

 

[danski0224]

There is a tutorial on Seven Forums for the only correct way to set up a SSD + HDD and move the "User" folders off of the C: drive when the OS is installed.

Do not move the "Public" user folder.

Lots of *temp* files get saved in the User folder, and that is why people want to get it off of a SSD. Do your own research here.

All other folders (My Documents, My pictures, My Music, My Videos. My Downloads) can be easily relocated at any time to another HDD in W7, quickly and painlessly without registry edits or tricks during the OS install. You can install multiple HDD's and put "My Pictures" on a HDD all by itself if you want to. There are many places to find info on how to do this, including Seven Forums.

When the relocation is done properly, the folder locations will not be on the C: drive when you click "Properties" of the folder locations.

"tolusina" did something wrong, do not follow his/her advice. Programs do NOT save to "My Documents" by default. They save to a folder called "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)", typically located on C:. "x86" is the folder for 32 bit programs.

When you install a program, the dialog box will tell you the C: destination folder (Program Files with or without x86).

If you create folders labeled "Program Files" and "Program Files (x86)" on another HDD, you can install to that location- just look at the default C: drive folder chosen during install (but do not click install now yet) and then pick the same one on your other drive during a custom install. Not all programs will allow a "custom" install. Future updates will be automatically routed to the correct location. You can name the folders anything you want to, but sticking to established conventions makes it easier to find later.

Do not create these folders within another folder like "My Documents", put them on the root of the other HDD.

I would strongly suggest spending some time over here: http://www.sevenforums.com/ before taking much of the computer advice you are given on this forum. The Tutorial section alone will cover questions that you have and the ones that come up later- including the slipstream install and partitioning.

As far as backups go, multiple HDD's does not make it any easier. If you lose the OS, you still lose all of the links to the program files stored elsewhere. You need backup images of all HDD's to do a restore.

However, places like the "My Pictures" folder on another HDD can be accessed by using the HDD as a giant jump drive on another computer, as long as the drive itself didn't fail.

 

[lintoni]

Re: Classic Shell - I've found it invaluable on Windows 8.1, unnecessary on Windows 7 - Win 7 has a logical interface, without a steep lerning curve, so... YMMV

 

[tolusina]

There is a tutorial on Seven Forums for the only correct way to set up a SSD + HDD and move the "User" folders off of the C: drive when the OS is installed.......

Now you tell me. Where where you a year ago when I needed this info, huh?

"tolusina" did something wrong, do not follow his/her advice......

Sure enough I did do something wrong, otherwise I'd be totally happy with the results. Do not follow my procedure, it fairly well stinks. That said, the goal I was after, had I achieved it, is delightful to work with, it worked great on 2K and XP.

...... Programs do NOT save to "My Documents" by default. They save to a folder called "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)", typically located on C:. "x86" is the folder for 32 bit programs.....

Here's some misunderstanding, I'll take my part of the blame for writing less than concisely, you can share some, unless of course I'm totally wrong.

Programs, by default Install to "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)", typically located on C:\, most always in a sub folder in Program Files.
Programs, once installed and running, by default, will then Save files created or modified by those programs to sub folders in My Documents.


I have, in the past, used a Program Files installation location on other than the C:\ drive, seemed a clever thing at the time, long term there's no advantage I can see.
I now leave Program Files right in the root of C:\, exactly where Widows wants them.


I do see many significant advantages to saving files I create to someplace other than C:\ such as a second drive. That's what I was after with My Documents on a second drive, should I have moved “User\me” instead?

…....
All other folders (My Documents, My pictures, My Music, My Videos. My Downloads) can be easily relocated at any time to another HDD in W7, quickly and painlessly without registry edits or tricks during the OS install. You can install multiple HDD's and put "My Pictures" on a HDD all by itself if you want to. There are many places to find info on how to do this, including Seven Forums.

When the relocation is done properly, the folder locations will not be on the C: drive when you click "Properties" of the folder locations.....

Yes, YES, this is what I was after that didn't work in 7 the same as it did in 2K and XP.
I guess some quality time on the SevenForums is in my future.

.....As far as backups go, multiple HDD's does not make it any easier. If you lose the OS, you still lose all of the links to the program files stored elsewhere. You need backup images of all HDD's to do a restore.....

Yes, er, no, er, I must sound confused and confusing by now.
Yes, Program installs to other than C:\ is needlessly complex with no advantage. Yes, I agree, no, don't do that with Programs.
I've done Ghost images in the past. They did restore quite easily and cleanly. The problem I found with doing that was most all programs had had subsequent updates since the original image was created, I found it preferable to reinstall the OS from scratch along with the latest versions of programs. I never Ghosted anything but a fresh and unused install though often versions with and without programs.

......However, places like the "My Pictures" folder on another HDD can be accessed by using the HDD as a giant jump drive on another computer, as long as the drive itself didn't fail.

This, and, should a Windows reinstall on C:\ be needed sometime in the future, your My Pictures, My Documents etc. will be safe if on a drive other than C:\.
As danski has indicated, Programs installed off C:\ will be borked should Windows need to be re-installed, they'll be effectively just as borked if on C:\, since they'll need re-installation no matter what, keep it simple and install programs to C:\.

.......including the slipstream install and partitioning.…..

I've slipstreamed 2K and at least one Service Pack, XP with both SP2 and SP3, worked well.
Should be no need to even think about slipstreaming for the OP though, If he buys Windows 7 SP1, Service Pack 1 is already slipstreamed in by M$.

I used to go partition crazy, no longer see much need or want. File sizes for .CR2s, TIFFs, videos and such are large enough to quickly fill smaller partitions, massive back up hard drives are downright inexpensive.

....I would strongly suggest spending some time over here: http://www.sevenforums.com/ before taking much of the computer advice you are given on this forum. ….

And that ^ sounds like the best advice in this thread yet. I'm sure going to head there. I expect a lot more experience and experience in depth with be found there, I certainly hope for more coherence.

 

[dawgfanjeff]

The smallest bottleneck is the disk. As others have mentioned, with as SSD, the install could take less then 15 mis from an .iso+usb stick. The CPU and ram won't have much impact at this point. My old netbook can do it in 20 mins.

Yes, the updates will take a lot of time, but that's a good thing, not a bad thing. You'll be much happier not doing it off a wifi network, and if you've ponied up for decent bandwidth from your isp.

I am always amused by the diff perceptions of diff companies and updates

Windows: 1.5 hrs of security and bug fixes cuz they suck at everything
Mac: 1.5 hrs of AMAZING IMPROVEMENTS Apple has been working on for me!!!!!

 

[Marsu42]

Yes, the updates will take a lot of time, but that's a good thing, not a bad thing. You'll be much happier not doing it off a wifi network, and if you've ponied up for decent bandwidth from your isp.

Btw if you're not using a slipstreamed iso file, there is the possibility of pre-downloading all the updates and then running them off the disk/dvd/usb dongle and not off the net - very useful for multiple installtions. The further advantage is that the usual suspects like vc runtimes and directx updates get installed right away, too:

There are a couple of programs that achive that, here's the one I use (yes, it's also in english): http://www.heise.de/download/wsus-offline-update-ct.html

 

[LDS]

Can anyone give me an idea how long it will take to do a 'clean' install of Windows 7 ??? It will be installed on a

It will depend mostly on your disk(s) speed and internet connection, nor much on CPU or RAM. I may suggest you to download and install SP1 and IE11 separately, and install them manually (you may need to perform a first round of patches before SP1 installs). It will avoid installing a lot of updates for Windows without them, and then install them and patch them again-
A "slipstream" setup would take less time, but you need to prepare it in advance,

 

[LDS]

I have, in the past, used a Program Files installation location on other than the C:\ drive, seemed a clever thing at the time, long term there's no advantage I can see.
I now leave Program Files right in the root of C:\, exactly where Widows wants them.

Beware of permissions. <program files> folders have permissions where executables cannot be modified but by privileged users. That means some "malicious" application running without those privileges can't modify them. If you put executables in folder where everybody can write, someone or something with low privileges can change them, and wait for someone with high privileges run them. At that point, the whole system is compromised. If you care about your PC and data, be careful about that. You can install elsewhere, but the setup or you must be careful about setting the proper privileges. And that's also the reason why always running with user with high privileges is dangerous.

 

[LDS]

folders to transfer right over, didn't work that way and I failed at figuring out how to cleanly correct my errors.
So I started a third time correcting the My Documents trick the best I could figure though I'm still not happy with the way it plays.

Those folders are managed as "special" ones by the OS. Their position can be changed, but it needs to be done properly (it implies registry changes and so on). There are some tools that can do that. In 7, "libraries" are a much more versatile way to add different paths to those folders.
Music, Pictures, etc. are not true folder but "libraries" instead. Right click them, select Properties, and you will see which folders are in the library. You can add and remove the one you like.

 

[Marsu42]

Those folders are managed as "special" ones by the OS. Their position can be changed, but it needs to be done properly (it implies registry changes and so on).

Not necessarily, with the ntfs file system there's a fool-proof dumb method to move folders anywhere else (like another partition) w/o the operating system noticing: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896768.aspx

For example to move all Adobe Programs from C:\ to somewhere else first move the folder with explorer, than from an admin command prompt: junction "C:\Program Files\Adobe" "X:\Where\You\Moved\It\Adobe"

I'm using this method to free my system partition since I chose a too small size on installation and don't want to go trough the hassle and risk of re-partitioning on the fly.