Do this first before you start messing with anything ^^






PROPER BACKUPS...Updated instructions for EITHER......ONE or TWO hard drives

First get these two free programs...they will work on any windows version.

Easeus Partition Master: http://www.partition-tool.com/personal.htm

Macrium Reflect: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp


For Comps with ONE HDD:
1. Install both of these programs.
2. Use Easeus to "resize" your system partition, to somewhere between 40-100GB
3. Then with the remaining space, create two more primary partitions. One at 100GB and the other with w/e is left over.
4. Run all your cleaners, scans, reg cleaners...etc, then run disk defragmenter a few times...till it won't defrag any more.
5. Now use Macrium Reflect to creat a FULL Image backup of your system partition and save it on the 100GB partition you created in step #3.
6. When using only one HDD, backing up or restoring from backup...take about 15-20 mins.
7. Lastly, make the Rescue CD with Macrium Reflect, so you can access your backups, even when Windows won't boot.


For Comps with more than one HDD:
1. Install both of these programs.
2. Use Easeus to "resize" your system partition, to somewhere between 40-100GB
3. Now, since you have TWO HDD's...you have the option to store backups of the system partition on the 2nd HDD.
4. This is a GOOD thing, as it cuts down the backup or restore operation to 3-5 mins, because it's not reading and writing from the same HDD.
5. Use Easeus again to do your partitioning...generally with 2 HDD's you will want to store your system backups on about a 100GB primary partition on the 2nd HDD.
6. Run all your cleaners, scans, reg cleaners...etc, then run disk defragmenter a few times...till it won't defrag any more.
7. Now use Macrium Reflect to creat a FULL Image backup of your system partition and save it on the 100GB partition you created on your 2nd HDD, in step #5
8. Lastly, make the Rescue CD with Macrium Reflect, so you can access your backups, even when Windows won't boot.

Generally, I make new system partition FULL Image backups after I have done a few program upgrades or installs. This procedure is the best solution because when restoring your comp from a FULL Image backup (pre-cleaned backup)...it completely OVERWRITES the system partition with your previously saved CLEAN backup...thus erasing all the cooties you may have picked up since you made the last backup.

NOTE: for SSD's ofc, defragging is not necessary, nor is resizing a good idea.

:DD



thought of it but didnt do it yet =p=p

overclocking can corrupt windows files....partition ur HDD and make a backup while u still have a pristine install....

o.o i hope not o.o

it can and it does...quite often too...trust me on this...make a full primary partition backup before you do anything else...then install all ur 3rd party shyt and make another backup....THEN start thinking about overclocking

dont listen to this guy
oc be useless with your gpu and cpu anywayz

LOL

Oh and don't do Incremental or Scheduled backups...they just back up the cooties along with everything else....ONLY use Full Primary Partition IMAGE backups and ONLY after you have done a thorough cleaning....anything else sorta defeats the purpose of making backups ^^

Damn, I'm getting better temps on air RAWR :P.

I bet your ambient is lower than his ._.