Reformatting HD (Partitions) and (Drivers) question

[maxboost]

Got a few quick questions. Was hoping somebody would be kind enough to give me some direction.

1. When reformatting my HD, I am seeing 3 existing partitions - SYSTEM_DRV, LENOVO_RECOVERY, and the main partition. If I have already created my recovery disc, is it OK for me to erase all partitions and just create a single partition when reformatting my drive?
I just want to start of on a clean slate with no bloatware at all. Or is it something i should just keep?

2. After reformatting my HD, what drivers from lenovo for my x201 are ESSENTIAL and should definitely be installed? And, which drivers do you guys recommend me downloading and installing?

Basic ones i know i'll have to download are : wireless card, intel graphics card, soundcard, intel chipset.

Thanks!

[Harryc]

It is no problem erasing the recovery partition on the HD. The consequence is that you won't be able to recover to the factory install/build using the hard drive. You may want to test the recovery CD's on a blank hard drive to make sure they work first. As far as drivers for the X201, in addition to the ones you mentioned I'd recommend the following drivers and applications; modem, ethernet, WWAN if you have it, power manager and the power management driver, camera if you have it, hotkey utility, and active protection system. Dependng on the OS there are several patches and Windows update modules. I'd install those as well.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 70656.html

Your best bet may be to install Thinkvantage System update and choose from the drivers and apps offered in it.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... pdate.html

[maxboost]

It is no problem erasing the recovery partition on the HD. The consequence is that you won't be able to recover to the factory install/build using the hard drive. You may want to test the recovery CD's on a blank hard drive to make sure they work first. As far as drivers for the X201, in addition to the ones you mentioned I'd recommend the following drivers and applications; modem, ethernet, WWAN if you have it, power manager and the power management driver, camera if you have it, hotkey utility, and active protection system. Dependng on the OS there are several patches and Windows update modules. I'd install those as well.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 70656.html

Your best bet may be to install Thinkvantage System update and choose from the drivers and apps offered in it.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... pdate.html

This is great, thanks for your tips.

Also, im thinking about taking a plunge into the SSD world today. If I buy the Samsung MLC SDD 2.5" hard drive, will it be plug and play? Is it as easy as just replacing the hard drive, hooking up my external dvd drive and installing a fresh copy of windows on it? Will the computer recognize my external dvd drive with a brand new SSD drive connected?

Thanks!

[Harryc]

Normally I'd say yes, but I have seen some threads concerning X201's and SSD's lately that were disconcerting. You might want to try a forum search to see if you can find them. Here's an advanced search engine to help;
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q ... as_qdr=all