Thinkpad Initial Setup/Customization. Format or not?

[dcdomain]

I just received my Thinkpad last night as well, after an excruciating wait =D. Let the fun begin! A question for all you experienced IBM'ers.

What I usually do.
With all new computers I get, I usually just format, partition (OS/Programs, and a Data partition) and start fresh.

Do the same for Thinkpad?
Should I do that with my Thinkpad as well? Are any of the IBM utilities worth installing again? There's so many here I didn't bother to count them up. In addition, in the Control Panel I also see IBM Active Protection which I'm sure I want again, and Thinkpad Configuration. In the taskbar, I also see an IBM Access Connections, Access IBM Message Center, Intel's wireless link.

Things I see in the taskbar that I'm definitely getting rid of, Norton, Messenger, WinCinema, Microsoft Office Basic.

Options
Should I format as always and partition, or should I just uninstall the programs? I would just go and format, but I if I ever need to use the hidden partition to reinstall, it'll wipe out my data partition anyway. Another reason I'm hesitant to format this time around is because of the number of IBM utilities I'm going to have to dig up and reinstall (if they are needed that is).

If I'm reinstalling, I'll probably just use my own WinXP cd since I'm not going to be able to use the hidden partition's data to reinstall. Or it'll just return the computer into the previous state.

Updates Drivers/BIOS
Afterwards, what do I do first to update the drivers/bios? Access IBM? WinXP Update? Dig up the stuff on my own?

Antivirus
I used to use Norton, then the Corporate version. Finally moved to NOD32 and most recently gave the free AVG a try. What do you guys recommend/use?

[stgreek]

My opinion is:

Get Thinkpad recovery discs (free) from IBM, delete the recovery area, partition your drive into two and run the recovery discs (Will only use the first partition they find).

This would give you 3gigs extra space, a data partition and all the IBM stuff for the price of a single phonecall to IBM.

[Greg Gebhardt]

On some past Compaqs I would reformat but IBM does not put that much on the drive that I can't get rid of or leave.

I don't use my thinkpad for storage so my 60gig drive is pleanty big enough to leave the recovery partition. I have never had to use the recovery system but you never know.

[ian]

This is my first 'bought new from IBM - via Bill' Thinkpad, and as such I'm tending to leave it alone for the moment - the two others I have have already been formatted and played with a number of times, certainly before I bought them, and as such I thought I'd just leave this one 'mint' and see how I get on. Like Greg I don't use the disk to store much - I've got 73G to play with if I want to, which I feel is adequate.

I'm tidying up the stuff I don't want - Norton will eventually go as it's a huge ressource hog, and some of the IBM stuff that I'll never use - I'd just like to live with it a bit before I start mucking it all up...

[edelrc]

I preffer to format the whole thing.
Then I create two partitions. One usually of 2/3 an 1/3 for the other.

I install in the first one all OS and IBM staff that I use. And then all applications I need. Finally I image all this partition into a folder in the second partition.
I usualy image first partition every week. An because I test hundreds of programs per year, usually revert the image almost daily.

Now I have all the freedom, and peace of mind, not to mention total control of my HDD, as freedom to swap OS etc....

[aabram]

Just yesterday used recovery CD-s for the first time on my T23. To my surprise and disappointment it formatted whole newly created partition as FAT32. Now I've got ~40GB of FAT32 under WinXP. Which is... well, yes, disappointing. Is this the default behaviour? Needles to say I'm not going to leave it that way.

[dcdomain]

When I first turned on the machine, it actually spent some time switching the drive over from FAT32 to NTFS.

[friedrich-eugen]

Well,

I just had to set up a a31p from scratch ...

I would recommend You keep that hidden recovery partition and leave it as it is. For security reasons you might backup an image of it on two cd.

I would go on to partition the rest of the drive threefold (System, programs, data) and use f11 to start a clean install to c: (the first partition).

Convert all to ntfs (XP/2000)

Update drivers and tools you want to use.

I am reluctant to use IBM's backup software, instead I do use driveimage & acronis up to now, probably all grownup cd/dvd-burning tools will do.

My experiences with configsafe are rather good (no more on IBMs toollist)

install virusscan & firewall

update os and drivers via internet/network

install and update "workhorse" tools and software

I ususally take at least a weekend and a weeks evenings to get through this process...

Friedrich - Eugen