• How do you handle your OSs vs personal files?

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    #479755

    I’ve read recently, including Windows Secrets, about people having problems with losing their files when reinstalling or updating Windows.

    I keep my OSs on their own respective partitions (I have a dual boot system) with nothing else on those partitions except the installed aps. My files are kept on another drive and I change the Library to reflect that. This way I can keep images of Windows and backed up files completely separate. When I reinstall Windows I simply tweak the Libraries and I’m done.

    Would be interested in knowing how others deal with this.

    Zepe

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    • #1304363

      I too move certain folder locations to other internal drives, like the favorites folder as one example. I’ve got so many sites bookmarked into favorites that I wouldn’t know what I would do if I lost it.
      Others I will relocate more based on convenience, like the “desktop folder”. And then there is the email store folder, a must move for me.
      The rest are more or less irrelevant as I never store office documents, music, photos, or videos anywhere near the os.

      I am totally reliant on the use of explorer for getting around and I have learned over the years how to keep an impeccably organized file system.
      No need to ever have a search function, let alone indexing…they would be of no use whatsoever as would a library feature.

      I have come to rely on a certain set of core programs that I keep installed in the os. I think they run faster if they are installed with the operating
      system, on the fastest drive. All my programs are backed up in their original exe’s. I’ve learned hard lessons over the years when it
      comes to loosing stuff.

      I rely on drive imaging to get the os back up and running should an issue ever occur, but the personal data is the cream of the crop. It is backed up separately and in multiple ways.

      I’ve also gotten away from partitioning of any kind. No need when HDDs are cheap and on-board SATA controlers are plentiful.

      As long as you can keep yourself up and running with the minimal of loss, all the power to you,
      and to each his or her own.

    • #1304385

      I too keep all data in a separate partition. I don’t bother moving the Library because I don’t particularly like the way it’s organized (or the way Microsoft fiddles with it each time they release a new version of Windows). I simply reconfigure each application to store its data where I want it to. That requires more work, but not a lot more, and I only have to do it once every few years.

      I’ve considered installing application software a a separate drive too, but as long as it’s tangled up with the Registry, there’s no point. I understand that Win7 doesn’t have a Registry in the same sense that earlier Windows versions did, so I may revisit this decision.

    • #1304449

      Ditto: OS on one partition, all data on a separate partition that can be accessed by different OSes. (Win 7 and Win 8 DP) This way when I screw something up in my OS and have to restore my OS from an Image, my data is untouched. Since my Image is generally very recent, my setup is restored to exactly what I want.

      I know there are advocates that say with Win 7 they do not partition their data to a separate partition because Win 7 handles these chores better. To them I say unless you back your data up separately then, if you have to resort to a system restore from Image you data will be out of date until you then use your separate data backup to restore the data. That’s an extra step(s) that is un-necessary if your data is on a separate partition.

    • #1305916

      Visit Set 7 Free for my setup.

      Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!
      We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.
      We were all once "Average Users".

      • #1306033

        Same here, O/S on C: drive. My Documents, My Videos, My Pictures on drive D:.

        More importantly because I am using a SSD as drive C: so definitely backing up data and then imaging C: Seems that any SSD (when updating the firmware) you can lose the drive so that is what prompted me to separate the two.

        Also, using SyncBack 3.2.2.6 for back ups, really great. Can run all back up profiles at one time.

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