Windows 7 Install

** Why do I care about user folders? I have always kept user folders separated from the operating system. MS warns not to do this but I have never had a problem. I don't "upgrade" the OS. I do a clean install. Recently, on two different PCs, I have had "save" commands slow to find the save location. This is irritating enough to make me rethink my user folder structure.

*** If you are moving user folders . . . Remember to make a user name folder and don't just dump the folders under "Users". Moving the filled folders into a user name when they are full of files is painfully slow.

 **** (In other words it is D:\Users\George\My Documents . . . not . . . D:\Users\My Documents). Microsoft advises to not move the User folders. This may be a better way to handle the issue. Leave the user folders in place but add a shortcut in that folder to a mirror folder on another partition or drive. Manually move files periodically and keep the original folder empty. We no longer worry about the number of writes to an SSD. We are concerned about the size in most cases. This would also allow for a relatively small backup image and/or OS reinstall with minimal data rescue.

***** If you have found yourself in the dilemma requiring copying or moving huge numbers of files, forget using MS copy. Give FastCopy a try. Or use RichCopy.

Check out the Windows SP2 Post.
https://bighugethingcomputing.blogspot.com/2017/06/window-7-sp2.html

If you are reinstalling Windows, back up the drivers with Double Driver. Symenu has it but easy to get it elsewhere. Double Driver is no longer supported but still works. Driver Backup may be a better choice.

Windows 7 Download is here. Check hash with SVF Ninja available in Symenu.
(Windows 10 use this)
Burn the image to DVD with Image Burn
or
Make USB Stick with Rufus (Win10 does this on its own.)
Install Windows
Buy key from here
https://www.kinguin.net/category/13816/windows-7-professional-oem-key-sp1/
or
Authorize with DAZ 2.2 (Be careful where you get it.) (For Win10 use Toolkit)
Windows 10 runs fine without authorization. A few personalization settings are disabled but some of these can be adjusted with third party programs.
Turn off Windows Update (just until you get updated offline)
WSUS Offline Update (much faster)
http://download.wsusoffline.net/ (Update and run) (Include Security Essentials and NetFramework).
If you have a small drive, omit NetFramework)
Turn Windows Update back on (Run to finalize updates) (Set as notify only)
Download Snappy Driver to update drivers. (This thing is a life saver.)
Do system tweaks as normal.

If SSD Boot drive make these directories (copy/paste the names). A quick way to get the folder names is to open a cmd prompt, nav to the user / name directory and type dir > print.txt. A text file with the names will be in the directory.

*** If you are moving user folders . . . Remember to make a user name folder and don't just dump the folders under "Users". Moving the filled folders into a user name when they are full of files is painfully slow. * * *
Then move each from C: to D:.by right click "move"
It is easier to copy the folder structure first with no files.
You can use Tree Copy
or
Use Command Prompt with quotes I think? (xcopy /t /e "C:\Users\Your Name" "D:\Users")
You will be asked if files or directories - directory is the right answer.
Here is a partial list but I move them all.
D:\Users\Your Name
Desktop
Documents
Downloads
Music
Pictures
Videos

The file structure will look something like this:

Install Tweak SSD and run it. Don't worry about trim because Windows should handle it.
Here is an interesting article about not obsessing over SSD tweaking. I have always moved user folders off the OS drive. It makes reinstall or image restore easy and SSD drives are still cheaper if smaller.

Download Aomei Backupper and image C drive.

I always add:
Launchy
Everything Search
Rainmeter
Rocket Dock
SyMenu with the following:
7-Zip_(x64)_sps
CCleaner_Portable_sps
ClipX_sps
Core_Temp_(x64)_sps
CPU-Z_sps
CrystalDiskInfo_Portable_sps
CrystalDiskMark_Portable_sps
DoubleKiller_sps
FastCopy_(x64)_sps
FileZilla_sps
Homedale_sps
HWinFO64_sps
HWMonitor_sps
ImgBurn_sps
MobaLiveCD_sps
Network_Stuff_sps
NexusFont_sps
RegSeeker_sps
Revo_Uninstaller_sps
Rufus_sps
SpaceSniffer_sps
Speccy_sps
TeamViewer_sps (I have Anydesk installed for personal machines.)
Tixati_sps
UltraSearch_(x64)_sps
Universal_Extractor_2_sps (This one is a pain. I use version 1.)
Universal_Extractor_sps
Unlocker_sps
Win32_Disk_Imager_sps
WinCDEmu_sps
WinDirStat_sps
WizTree_sps
And several Nirsoft and Sysinternals programs