Question New Gaming Laptop - Best way to preserve a clean install?

[Chacoda]

I've got a new laptop. I am going to be using it for all sorts of things. I want to use it for gaming as well as my general machine where I have to install all sorts of random applications. What I want to avoid is cluttering up my gaming machine with a bunch of random stuff from my day to day interneting. What is the best way to do this? OS is windows 10. 1TB hard drive.

I've been considering a VM setup, but am worried the VM itself will gobble up too many resources in itself and degrade my gaming experience. What do you think?

What other ways are there to have multiple configurations for a machine? For instance is there a way to have two configs that use the same set of files, but load only what those configs need? For instance I would have just one c:\windows drive, but the gaming config would just load the drivers and background apps for my gaming setup, where my "general" setup would load the drivers and background apps I have setup in that version of my windows config?

Maybe two different ID's? There are still some apps that like to load for "Everyone" when they are installed, is there a way to really restrict that?

Thanks for your input on this!

 

[hang-the-9]

Best way to keep the system from having random applications is to not install those random applications unless they are needed. What are the programs you need installed? Just having programs installed won't do any hard or slow anything down, what you want to avoid is having a lot of programs running all the time, things that sit in your taskbar. Don't install every utility and program you run across, that is the best way to keep the system clean.

 

[Chacoda]

Thanks for the reply. Not what I'm looking for. I asked because I have to install random stuff sometimes for other tasks. This will not solely be a gaming laptop 100% of the time. There are also programs that add stuff even when they say they aren't going to. While your advice is great in a perfect world, this isn't a perfect world. Over time stuff just gets installed and I want a way to have a gaming profile and a standard profile for the rest of my stuff.

Is there a way to have a dual setup without installing two totally separate operating systems?

Is that best done with two ID's?

Who else has a setup like this, and how did you do it?

Thanks!