New Hard Disk Partitioning

Hi

I'm looking for a clear guide explaining how I should go about partitioning a new 250gb (before NTFS format) sata2 hard disk I'm setting up for a family member. I know most people nowadays go for a seperate partition for the windows installation and then one for the data, what kind of size should I be looking at for the windows (xp sp2) partition? Also I would like to have a fixed size swap file on a seperate partition at the start of the drive. These are my partition requirements:


1. 1-2gb swap file partition at the start of the disk (preferable not assigned drive letter c: )

2. C: for windows (would like to make this no bigger than it needs to be to optomize data storage space on rest of drive)

3. Data partition.


I'm new to setting up a seperate partition for the swap file and o/s but I have partitioned quite a bit before, but never really seperated the o/s from the data. My main issues are:

What software should I use?

Don't exactly understand how to assign swap file to the dedicated partition.

If I seperate the o/s from the data partition, when installing programs can I make windows default to asking to install in the data partition drive and folder of my choice instead of c:\Program Files?


If someone could post a step by step guide here that would be amazing.
Thanks!

 

ill be glad to lend a hand

1. when installing windows xp allocate a partition for windows around 7GB
2. When finished installin windows open up controll panel then go to adminstrative tools then go to disk management
3.on the left panel go to disk management
4.once in this screen click the unallocated room on the PHISICAL disk
5.format a partion for the swap file then allocate the rest of the space for data

and when u install programs make sure there under the D:\Program files or watever drive letter u assigned for the data partiton

also i dont know how to mak a swap file and make sure that C:\ is ur active partition

i hope this tut helped

PM if u have any questions

 

1. I thought the swap file works best on a seperate disk drive as opposed to seperate partition, I don't think it will be any advantage having a seperate partition for the swap file, I will stand corrected though.

2.Windows XP or should I say Windows bloatware would probably go better on at least 10GB (remember even if you install all software in a differnt partition some files will be written to c: (xp drive))also remember when you do a reinstall you will need to install some software as those files will be lost and the proggy won't work (shortcuts etc...), dude optimize data storage space on 200gb that's heaps (about 45 1.5 hr movies), what are you using the PC for? Keep that in mind.

AS rudsta816 said use XP compter management console (right click my computer on the start menu and click manage then click disk mamagement) easy as, you can set up 3 more partitions, say one for porn 1 for backin up movies and 1 for music, depends what you want the PC for.

To get the swap file to look elsewhere other than standard, go to (depends on if you have SP2 installed) control panel, system, advance tab,performance settings, advance tab (again), virtual memory, change (phew) then select the drive (partition in your case.

If you still have your old drive leave that in there and use that as the page file drive/disk.

Good luck dude, remember whatare you goingto do with the PC that will guide you in the direction of how many and what size the partitions are.

I have only an 80Gb HD and I have 20 for xp and program files, 10gb for downloaded shite (programs to try out, test and drivers and the like, the balance I use for music and backups (backups don't stay long anyway.)

Hope this helps and no dis to rudsta816 about the XP partition size.

M

 

When you say 40 data and 120 storage, is the data partition also the one you install programs to (as well as have windows on)? Is this the way it should be done? I mean, should I always install programs to the same partition as windows, and then have another partition to store videos, music etc? (perhaps move the my documents folder to the other partition)


I've been looking around for solutions to this and I am still confused. I think I may give up on the idea of having the swap file partition at the start of the drive and just make this with disk management after I install windows after the windows partition. But when I install windows from cd and partition the drive, can I not make say a 2gb partition first for swap file (as FAT32 cuz it's faster) then make another partition (which I guess wont be the c drive now since the swap partition I just made will be) for windows. Then I install windows on this larger partition, go into disk managment once it's installed and change the drive letter on both the pagefile partition and the windows partition, change windows one to C: and pagefile one to something like S: ....? Would that work? That way I would have the pagefile at the start of the disk (once I've put it there obviously) and have the system partition as C:. Then I could just easily make a new partition for storage with the remaining space.

Apart from that, what I need to know is, how big should my windows partition be? I ask this because I'm not sure whether or not I should be installing all the programs to the windows partition or not, or to the storage partition, as some have suggested the windows partition to be around 7gb they must not be installing programs to this? So I need to set a size for the windows partition which also lets me save an optimum amount of the disk for the further data storage partition, this is the dilema. Bearing in mind I need to install stuff in future.

Ok, lol, to further confuse things, I hear the very best way to optomize paging activity is to put the swapfile on a completely seperate physical disk. In the system I will have another physical disk, a 120gb IDE (the main disk will be sata). This IDE disk will be on the 1 and only IDE channel on the mobo, and will be the slave, as the dvd burner is the master on it. It would be simple to create the pagefie partition on the start of this drive but my issue with this option is this, would it be wise to do so considering that the optical drive could be getting accessed at times when the pagefile partition may need to be accessed too? For example, playing games where the cd/dvd needs to be in the drive. Would doing it this way (in my particular set up anyway) result in lower performance than puting the page file on the main sata disk?

I know it's a bit much to get a clear answer to all this, but um, that's really what I would love here, lol, if I don't I might just install the whole lot as one ugly partition and forget about it (until re-install time).

 

Thought I answered all that pretty much.

Put all installed porgrams in c: with XP.

M

 

Thanks for the replies, ok so programs and windows on same partition. So I guess I'll go for something like 40gb as ddp suggests, anything less seems a little low, and this allows space for the future. So that's one question answered.


Any comments on the method I suggested for getting a small swapfile partition right at the start of the disk and then the partition windows will be on after and changing the letters in disk management?


Also, please comment on the possible problems I mentioned about having the pagefile on a partition on my seperate disk that will be on the same IDE bus as the burner.


The pc is used for audio production (mainly editing projects brought home from studio) which can include large audio files, storage of large audio projects prior to mix and export, and general activities including internet and gaming.

 

Ok, as far as having the swap partition on the IDE disk which is on the same channel as the burner, after reading a bit I think it would be a bad idea. Might seem obvious to some of you but when burning a cd and especially a dvd, the swapfile is used a lot, apparently. So that's that idea out the window.

As for my problem with getting the swap partition at the start of the disk, someone told me the boot sector must be a the start of the disk or windows won't load, anyone care to comment on this please?

Thanks