Windows newbie

[ashanti]

Hi folks

I am a total newbie to Windows having been a Mac user all the time.

My company recently purchased a Acer Ferrari 4000 and it came installed with Windows Home, which was loaded onto the C drive. The 100GB HDD is already partitioned into 50/50.

Now this is where I need your help please. and would appreciate your patience in talking me through this (the tech support at Acer isn't any help at all and Microsoft..well I haven't contacted them yet).

I've bought the Windows X-64bit OS for installing onto the Ferrari. It hasn't been installed with any other programme or antivirus etc. So :

1) do I install it on the C drive and leave the Windows Home edition alone, or

2) Install it on the partitioned D drive?

3) or should I simply do a clean install of it and discard Windows Home Edition (I would personally prefer if it were Windows Pro instead of Home, but since I don't have that luxury to get both Pro and Pro X-64, I've to make do...

4) How do I do a clean install, if that is the recommendation?

5) will it remove the partition and how do I re-create a partition if it is no longer?)

6) How do I do a clean install and maintain the partitions?

7) Should I install x-64 into the C or D drive?

8) will the x-64 recognise the items that are existing in the Ferrari such as the modem, the Lan, ethernet, DVD -burner/player etc etc *Anyone familiar with the Ferrari - are the items 64bit ready?

9) Where do I find drivers for XP-64 bit if some drivers are missing?

Ok I think these 9 questions will suffice for now.

I know how to troubleshoot my Macs but Windows is just beyond me - which folder the preferences or drivers go etc.. As I mentioned, please have a little patience with me as I only have 1% Windows knowledge. So don't expect me to know or understand for example, what Bios or Ping or etc means. I've heard of those terms but have absolutely no idea what it means.

Thanks very much in advance.

Cheers all

[DL.]

1,2 No.

3. Do a clean install (you might want to keep the file wpa.dbl if you want to reinstall Home without having to re-register with MS).

4,5 Boot from the cd and repartition the drive (in setup, first delete all partitions and then create two new ones before installing) to something like a 10-15GB system-partition (for Windows and installed apps only) and the rest as storage. This will make it easier if/when you reinstall Windows (you just copy everything you want to save to the storage-partition and format the system-partition). Then choose to install to the first/smallest partition you created, do a full (not quick) format with NTFS.

6. Do as above without deleting/recreating the partitions, just choose install and format with NTFS.

7. C (the first partition) is what most people choose.

8. Some of them probably are...

9. The hardware manufacturers website (the specific item of hardware).

[ashanti]

oh thanks very much for that....

Ok this is what I'm considering and perhaps you can tell me what you think -

C Drive -15GB for x64 & Applications (Adobe CS2, macromedia studio, Antivrus, MS OFfice, Video Editing and others like Acrobat reader etc

D Drive - 5 GB Windows Home + some drivers for printers/scanners etc that still run on 32 bit

E Drive - 10 GB (for Vista - when it comes out

F Drive - 70 GB for Storage?

Do I need to get partition magic if this is the case - to be able to create more than 2 partitions?

Thanks again

Cheers

[DL.]

Why do you want to have that many OS-installations at once?

You will probably do just fine with only one OS (or two if there are no suitable drivers or maybe compatibility issues).

Read more about having multiple OS:s if you want it.

Do you use any older printers/scanners? If so, check whether there are 64-bit drivers for them.

You can create more than two partitions using the partitioning tool in the Windows setup.

Partition Magic is a very good program for working with partitions, resizing, creating...

You will have to decide if you need it or not, depending on what you do/want to do.