Desperate! What's the best way to partition 160GB hard disk

[spongebob]

Hi all

I have a new dell computer, 3GHz dual core intel processor, 1GB RAM
Windows XP Professional Operating System, 160GB hard disk, etc. I
has been left untouched for half a year just because I do not kno
how to partition my hard disk. The new computer comes with only
partition for the whole 160GB hard disk. I do not know how t
manually partition my hard disk so I plan to use PartitionMagic t
partition my hard disk. I need to know what is the best way t
partition my 160GB of hard disk like for example, the number and typ
of partitions to create, what's the partition created for and how t
do it using PartitionMagic?

Currently my new computer is running Windows XP Professional operatin
system. I want to use my computer mainly to surf the Internet, pla
and store thousands of MP3s songs, watch and store videos, photos an
programs. In near future, I would also like to install Linux operatin
system in it. Sometimes I will also be using my computer for editin
videos and photos. I will also use it to play games but not ver
often. In view of what I mentioned above, how do I partition my 160G
hard disk? How many partitions do I need, for example, is it better t
have a separate partition, each for video files, music files, an
photo files? Is it better to have a separate partition fo
programs/applications or should programs and applications be store
in same partition as my Windows XP Professional operating system? Ho
should I partition my hard disk so that programs and music files an
video files, etc, can open up and run efficiently and reasonabl
fast? What is a swap file partition and do I need one for it? Wha
type of partition for each of the above-mentioned storage purpose
such as FAT32, NTFS, etc? What do I need to do if in future I want t
add additional partitions to my hard disk - should I reserve some fre
space in my hard disk for future partition needs and how do I go abou
doing this..... as in extended logical partition or what...hope yo
know what I mean?

Another question that is hanging in my mind for a long time and i
important to me is what is the best partition strategy for say, whe
my Windows XP Professional operating system crashes and I need t
reinstall or install a new one, how should I partition my hard dis
in such a way that I can simply put in my opreating system disk int
my DVD ROM and do the job while my video, mp3, photo files and othe
data files will not be lost? In other words, just simply reinstall m
operating system and all my other files are not lost or affected. Hop
you do know what I mean. This is important to me because I surf th
net often and there will often be times my computer would be infecte
with trojans and viruses and spywares and times my registry or syste
files could be corrupted and thus I would need to reinstall m
operating system. So I hope there could be a simple way to do thi
(reinstall my operating system) and not lose my other files and dat
in my hard disk. How should I partition my hard disk for my operatin
system, programs/applications, video, mp3, photo, data files for thi
purpose? BTW, just curious, when surfing the net and you caught
virus or a trojan or a spyware, will that particular virus, trojan o
spyware be spread to the other partitions in the hard disk?

Lastly, I would be using PartitionMagic to do the partitioning. I
there any drawbacks using PartitionMagic? I am new to PartitionMagic
could someone guide me to how to use it? BTW, any idea where can
find online resources to understand about how to partition my har
disk in such a way that my computer can function at its optima
efficiency and performance? I have searched Google and am overwhelme
by the millions of topics it has found. I have read some but some o
it is not relevant to my questions or my particular usage and storag
purposes

As you can see, I know nothing about partitioning strategies. Ther
are so many ways but what is best for my computer in terms of m
usage and storage purposes? I HOPE YOU CAN GIVE ME YOUR EXPER
GUIDANCE AND ADVICE AND NOT JUST YOUR TRIAL-AND-ERROR EXPERIENCES O
ANY WILD GUESSES AS I HAVE WASTED ENOUGH TIME SEARCHING AND TRYING
OUT. It has been half a year and nothing is done and I am tired.
PLEASE HELP ME OUT. PLEASE! THANK YOU.

 

[SteveH]

Hi all,

I have a new dell computer, 3GHz dual core intel processor, 1GB RAM,
Windows XP Professional Operating System, 160GB hard disk, etc.

Did Intel have a dual core CPU six month ago? Didn't think they did, anyway
never mind.

It

has been left untouched for half a year just because I do not know
how to partition my hard disk. The new computer comes with only 1
partition for the whole 160GB hard disk. I do not know how to
manually partition my hard disk so I plan to use PartitionMagic to
partition my hard disk. I need to know what is the best way to
partition my 160GB of hard disk like for example, the number and type
of partitions to create, what's the partition created for and how to
do it using PartitionMagic?

Currently my new computer is running Windows XP Professional operating
system. I want to use my computer mainly to surf the Internet, play
and store thousands of MP3s songs, watch and store videos, photos and
programs. In near future, I would also like to install Linux operating
system in it. Sometimes I will also be using my computer for editing
videos and photos. I will also use it to play games but not very
often. In view of what I mentioned above, how do I partition my 160GB
hard disk? How many partitions do I need, for example, is it better to
have a separate partition, each for video files, music files, and
photo files? Is it better to have a separate partition for
programs/applications or should programs and applications be stored
in same partition as my Windows XP Professional operating system? How
should I partition my hard disk so that programs and music files and
video files, etc, can open up and run efficiently and reasonably
fast? What is a swap file partition and do I need one for it? What
type of partition for each of the above-mentioned storage purpose,
such as FAT32, NTFS, etc? What do I need to do if in future I want to
add additional partitions to my hard disk - should I reserve some free
space in my hard disk for future partition needs and how do I go about
doing this..... as in extended logical partition or what...hope you
know what I mean?

Another question that is hanging in my mind for a long time and is
important to me is what is the best partition strategy for say, when
my Windows XP Professional operating system crashes and I need to
reinstall or install a new one, how should I partition my hard disk
in such a way that I can simply put in my opreating system disk into
my DVD ROM and do the job while my video, mp3, photo files and other
data files will not be lost? In other words, just simply reinstall my
operating system and all my other files are not lost or affected. Hope
you do know what I mean. This is important to me because I surf the
net often and there will often be times my computer would be infected
with trojans and viruses and spywares and times my registry or system
files could be corrupted and thus I would need to reinstall my
operating system. So I hope there could be a simple way to do this
(reinstall my operating system) and not lose my other files and data
in my hard disk. How should I partition my hard disk for my operating
system, programs/applications, video, mp3, photo, data files for this
purpose? BTW, just curious, when surfing the net and you caught a
virus or a trojan or a spyware, will that particular virus, trojan or
spyware be spread to the other partitions in the hard disk??

Lastly, I would be using PartitionMagic to do the partitioning. Is
there any drawbacks using PartitionMagic? I am new to PartitionMagic,
could someone guide me to how to use it? BTW, any idea where can I
find online resources to understand about how to partition my hard
disk in such a way that my computer can function at its optimal
efficiency and performance? I have searched Google and am overwhelmed
by the millions of topics it has found. I have read some but some of
it is not relevant to my questions or my particular usage and storage
purposes.

As you can see, I know nothing about partitioning strategies. There
are so many ways but what is best for my computer in terms of my
usage and storage purposes? I HOPE YOU CAN GIVE ME YOUR EXPERT
GUIDANCE AND ADVICE AND NOT JUST YOUR TRIAL-AND-ERROR EXPERIENCES OR
ANY WILD GUESSES AS I HAVE WASTED ENOUGH TIME SEARCHING AND TRYING
OUT. It has been half a year and nothing is done and I am tired.
PLEASE HELP ME OUT. PLEASE! THANK YOU.

To be honest, I would leave well alone and use it as it is.
If you want to have storage for all the things you mention, I would add a
second hard drive. You could then have a partition on it for the swap file
if you wanted, install Linux and still have room for your MP3's, Vids etc.
(assuming you get a big enough drive!).
BTW, the shouting above is not a good way to get help and advice.

Cheers
SteveH

 

[Mike T.]

Hi all,

I have a new dell computer, 3GHz dual core intel processor, 1GB RAM,
Windows XP Professional Operating System, 160GB hard disk, etc. It
has been left untouched for half a year just because I do not know
how to partition my hard disk. The new computer comes with only 1
partition for the whole 160GB hard disk. I do not know how to
manually partition my hard disk so I plan to use PartitionMagic to
partition my hard disk. I need to know what is the best way to
partition my 160GB of hard disk like for example, the number and type
of partitions to create, what's the partition created for and how to
do it using PartitionMagic?

Currently my new computer is running Windows XP Professional operating
system. I want to use my computer mainly to surf the Internet, play
and store thousands of MP3s songs, watch and store videos, photos and
programs. In near future, I would also like to install Linux

(snip)

OK, a lot in there. Since you mentioned linux, the first thing you need to
know is to leave 20GB of space on the hard drive NOT partitioned at all.
20GB might be too much, in fact. But 20GB is just a nice round number.
Linux will need to be installed after Windows is installed. Linux will use
the UNpartitioned space. Well, it will create a few linux partitions for
linux use, including root and swap and probably usr. Also, when you install
linux, it will create a boot menu for you, so that you can choose which OS
to boot when you turn on your computer.

You will want to create two primary partitions, each no smaller than 35GB.
The reason is that Windows Vista won't install unless it sees ~30GB of free
space. I know you said Windows XP, but re-partitioning later can be a real
PITA. Use the ntfs file system for ****all**** partitions you create. Set
one of these 35GB primary partitions as active. This active partition is
where you will install Windows XP. The OTHER primary partition is to
install Windows XP or Windows Vista later, if you want to start fresh on a
new partition without formatting drive c:

Next, create an extended partition of 10GB in size, label it pagefile, and
assign a logical drive letter to it (e:, probably). After windows xp is
installed, go to control panel, system, advanced, performance tab, settings,
advanced, virtual memory, change (I think that's right, from memory) and set
a permanent page file on the 10GB logical drive you created in the extended
partition. If not sure what size to create, start with minimum AND maximum
of 600MB (the settings are in MB here) You don't want it too large OR too
small. 600MB should be about right (if not a little large), with 1GB of
physical RAM.

Finally, create another extended partition using the remaining free space
(minus 20GB, remember). So if your remaining free space is 80GB, create an
extended partition of 60GB size, leaving about ~20GB of free space on the
hard drive that is NOT partitioned. This ~60GB partition is where you
should store music, videos, etc.

Good luck, -Dave

 

[johns]

Pretty simple .. but FIRST !!!! call Dell with your
Service Tag # ready .. and ask them to send you
the OS cd and drivers cd for your Dell pc. Once
you get the OS cd, boot to the cd, and delete all
the partitions .. ALL OF THEM !!! Then continue
with the fresh install. At the point where it shows
you the partitions .. where you delete the partitions
..... size the C-partition to 60 gigs, and the D-partition
to 100 or what is left. Then install the OS to the
C-partition. Note: the Dell SATA driver is already
on the DELL OS install disk, so you don't need
that driver on a floppy. After the install, access
the D-partition and format it. Then install the
drivers from the driver disk. There is an optimum
sequence to install those drivers. Again, get a
Dell tech on the phone, and ask him for that
sequence. I've done it random, and it seemed
to work OK, but the Dell techs gave me grief
for doing that. Once your drivers are installed,
then install McAffee Anti-Virus ... or don't go on
the internet. Then, access Windows Updates,
and download the security updates .. and maybe
Media Player 10 ( pretty good ). After that, you
are on your own, as far as apps. What kind of
Dell is this? I can tell you what apps work best
for DVD/RW if I know that.

johns

 

[johns]

Forgot. Partition Magic creates a "partition magic"
partition. It is NOT AN NTFS PARTITION, and
it will give you a world of grief down the road.
Don't touch that piece of garbage for any reason,
and if anybody comes on this thread and says
otherwise, I wil eat him alive. Partition Magic
is a good way to lose all your data if you crash
and try to recover.

johns

 

[Rod Speed]

I have a new dell computer, 3GHz dual core intel processor,
1GB RAM, Windows XP Professional Operating System,
160GB hard disk, etc. It has been left untouched for half a
year just because I do not know how to partition my hard disk.

You've been hiding under the bed all this time eh ?

The new computer comes with only 1
partition for the whole 160GB hard disk.

Its generally best to leave it that way.

I do not know how to manually partition my hard disk so
I plan to use PartitionMagic to partition my hard disk. I
need to know what is the best way to partition my 160GB
of hard disk like for example, the number and type of
partitions to create, what's the partition created for

Its generally best to leave it as one partition.

The fundamental problem with partitioning the drive is that its
hard to decide what size to make the various partitions, and
that changes over time, and its dangerous to adjust the partition
sizes later unless you have a full backup of the entire physical
drive. And the free space gets scattered across the partitions.

Makes a lot more sense to use folder trees
to organise a single partition instead.

The main exception is if you want to have more than one
OS installed and you need to be able to handle files bigger
than 2G for video or DVD isos, in which case it isnt viable
to use FAT32 format and linux cant write to NTFS partitions.

and how to do it using PartitionMagic?

Currently my new computer is running Windows XP Professional
operating system. I want to use my computer mainly to surf the
Internet, play and store thousands of MP3s songs, watch and
store videos, photos and programs. In near future, I would also
like to install Linux operating system in it.

In that case you should have enough space for
linux outside the single partition used for XP.

How much varys with the flavors of linux you plan to try.

No need to do the partitioning for linux, the decent distros
will do that stuff for you, you just need the free space.

Sometimes I will also be using my computer for editing videos and photos.

What format videos ? Thats the main situation where you
cant use FAT32 because it cant handle files bigger than 2G.

I will also use it to play games but not very often. In view of what
I mentioned above, how do I partition my 160GB hard disk?

Just one partition for XP, with enough free space for linux.
Its not clear whether you just plan to play with linux or if you
are considering eventually moving over to it entirely. If you just
want to play, you dont need that much, 20G might well be fine.

How many partitions do I need, for example, is it better to have
a separate partition, each for video files, music files, and photo files?

No, its generally better to have those organised by folder trees instead.

But you have a problem with the format used, if you want
to be able to see those from linux, the partition needs to be
FAT32 if you want to be able to write to those from linux.

But that wont work for video files over 2G so you might
want to have an NTFS partition just for video files.

Is it better to have a separate partition for programs/applications

Generally not.

or should programs and applications be stored in same
partition as my Windows XP Professional operating system?

Yes, thats generally best. Essentially because a clean install
of XP needs to have the apps reinstalled again, and you dont
normally need to do clean installs much anymore, the repair
install generally fixes most problems if the restore points dont.

How should I partition my hard disk so that programs and music files
and video files, etc, can open up and run efficiently and reasonably fast?

There's nothing in it speed wise now with modern hard drives.

What is a swap file partition

A partition just used for the swap file.

and do I need one for it?

No, it makes much more sense to have enough physical
ram so the swap file isnt used much at all instead.

What type of partition for each of the above-mentioned
storage purpose, such as FAT32, NTFS, etc?

The main considerations are that you dont get write access
to NTFS from linux and that FAT32 cant handle files over
2G. Files over 2G are usually video files and DVD isos.

What do I need to do if in future I want to add additional
partitions to my hard disk - should I reserve some free
space in my hard disk for future partition needs

Yes, particularly for linux.

and how do I go about doing this.....

Just shrink the current partition so you have enough free space.

as in extended logical partition or what...

Its generally best to let the linux install do its own thing with the free space.

hope you know what I mean?
Yep.

Another question that is hanging in my mind for a long time
and is important to me is what is the best partition strategy
for say, when my Windows XP Professional operating
system crashes and I need to reinstall or install a new one,

Generally its best to just have one partition and use a repair install with XP.

how should I partition my hard disk in such a way that
I can simply put in my opreating system disk into my
DVD ROM and do the job while my video, mp3,
photo files and other data files will not be lost?

You should have that stuff properly backed up anyway,
because no hard drive is guaranteed to never fail and
the system can get stolen or the house burn down etc.

In other words, just simply reinstall my operating system

You normally need to reinstall the OS and all the programs too.

and all my other files are not lost or affected.

You can have one partition for the OS and programs, and another
for all the data files. Can be tricky deciding how big the OS/programs
partition should be tho, because that changes significantly over time. And
dangerous to adjust that size without a full backup of the entire drive too.

Hope you do know what I mean.
Yes.

This is important to me because I surf the net often and there will
often be times my computer would be infected with trojans and
viruses and spywares and times my registry or system files could
be corrupted and thus I would need to reinstall my operating system.

Its generally best to use a decent hardware firewall in the
modem/router, and decent software protection and have
full backups for that situation rather than doing clean installs.

So I hope there could be a simple way to do this
(reinstall my operating system) and not lose my
other files and data in my hard disk.

Yes, its generally best to image the OS/programs
partition and restore that if the system is infected.

But if you have all your data properly backed up too, there
isnt really any need to have separate OS/programs partition,
and you cant always be sure that the data partition hasnt got
infected, so you should really restore the whole lot from backup.

How should I partition my hard disk for my operating system,
programs/applications, video, mp3, photo, data files for this purpose?

Still generally best to have just one partition, maybe one
FAT32 with most stuff in it and one NTFS for the video files.

BTW, just curious, when surfing the net and you caught a
virus or a trojan or a spyware, will that particular virus, trojan
or spyware be spread to the other partitions in the hard disk??

Yes, a decent infection can do that.

Lastly, I would be using PartitionMagic to do the partitioning.
Is there any drawbacks using PartitionMagic?

Yes, it can completely **** the entire physical drive. Thats why its
crucial to have a full backup of the entire physical drive before using it.

I am new to PartitionMagic, could someone guide me to how to use it?

Makes more sense to use Acronis Disk Director Suite.

BTW, any idea where can I find online resources to understand
about how to partition my hard disk in such a way that my computer
can function at its optimal efficiency and performance?

No such animal. This is another of those areas
where there is no perfect ideal approach.

I have searched Google and am overwhelmed
by the millions of topics it has found.

Yeah, because there is no perfect ideal approach.

I have read some but some of it is not relevant to my
questions or my particular usage and storage purposes.

And much of it is WAY past its useby date
now, most obviously with swap partitions etc.

 

[SteveH]

Forgot. Partition Magic creates a "partition magic"
partition. It is NOT AN NTFS PARTITION, and
it will give you a world of grief down the road.
Don't touch that piece of garbage for any reason,
and if anybody comes on this thread and says
otherwise, I wil eat him alive. Partition Magic
is a good way to lose all your data if you crash
and try to recover.

johns

Just because you obviously lost your data through PM, it doesn't mean anyone
else will. I've used it through its various incarnations and I can't think
where I've ever had a problem with it, INCLUDING ntfs partitions.
So eat away - would you like cheese with that?

SteveH

 

[JAD]

Forgot. Partition Magic creates a "partition magic"
partition. It is NOT AN NTFS PARTITION, and
it will give you a world of grief down the road.
Don't touch that piece of garbage for any reason,
and if anybody comes on this thread and says
otherwise, I wil eat him alive. Partition Magic
is a good way to lose all your data if you crash
and try to recover.

johns

Use PM its great! EAT ME! You and your opinion...........not that I like
PM but you are WAY over the top

 

[Rod Speed]

(snip)

OK, a lot in there. Since you mentioned linux, the first thing you
need to know is to leave 20GB of space on the hard drive NOT
partitioned at all. 20GB might be too much, in fact. But 20GB is
just a nice round number. Linux will need to be installed after
Windows is installed. Linux will use the UNpartitioned space. Well,
it will create a few linux partitions for linux use, including root
and swap and probably usr. Also, when you install linux, it will
create a boot menu for you, so that you can choose which OS to boot
when you turn on your computer.
You will want to create two primary partitions, each no smaller than
35GB. The reason is that Windows Vista won't install unless it sees
~30GB of free space. I know you said Windows XP, but re-partitioning
later can be a real PITA. Use the ntfs file system for ****all****
partitions you create. Set one of these 35GB primary partitions as
active. This active partition is where you will install Windows XP. The OTHER primary
partition is to install Windows XP or Windows Vista
later, if you want to start fresh on a new partition without
formatting drive c:
Next, create an extended partition of 10GB in size, label it
pagefile, and assign a logical drive letter to it (e:, probably). After windows xp is
installed, go to control panel, system, advanced,
performance tab, settings, advanced, virtual memory, change (I think
that's right, from memory) and set a permanent page file on the 10GB
logical drive you created in the extended partition. If not sure
what size to create, start with minimum AND maximum of 600MB (the
settings are in MB here) You don't want it too large OR too small. 600MB should be
about right (if not a little large), with 1GB of
physical RAM.

No point in a separate pagefile partition with enough physical ram.

 

[John Weiss]

You will want to create two primary partitions, each no smaller than 35GB. The
reason is that Windows Vista won't install unless it sees ~30GB of free space.
I know you said Windows XP, but re-partitioning later can be a real PITA. Use
the ntfs file system for ****all**** partitions you create. Set one of these
35GB primary partitions as active. This active partition is where you will
install Windows XP. The OTHER primary partition is to install Windows XP or
Windows Vista later, if you want to start fresh on a new partition without
formatting drive c:

I think this is overkill for a guy who can't even decide for a year how to
repartition his HD. If he hasn't figured out his own preferences yet, the 35 GB
will be wasted space.

Next, create an extended partition of 10GB in size, label it pagefile, and
assign a logical drive letter to it (e:, probably). After windows xp is
installed, go to control panel, system, advanced, performance tab, settings,
advanced, virtual memory, change (I think that's right, from memory) and set a
permanent page file on the 10GB logical drive you created in the extended
partition. If not sure what size to create, start with minimum AND maximum of
600MB (the settings are in MB here) You don't want it too large OR too small.
600MB should be about right (if not a little large), with 1GB of physical RAM.

I also disagree with this one. There is little reason to waste 10 GB for a 1-2
GB pagefile. Also, there is little reason to put the pagefile on a separate
partition on the same physical HD as the OS. There will be less seek time if
the head has to move less, so the pagefile on the same logical drive as the OS
is preferable.

 

[johns]

I knew the 2 of you would bite on that one
Nyaaah!

johns

 

[johns]

Fried JAD ! Heh!

johns

 

[John Weiss]

Forgot. Partition Magic creates a "partition magic"
partition. It is NOT AN NTFS PARTITION, and
it will give you a world of grief down the road.
Don't touch that piece of garbage for any reason,
and if anybody comes on this thread and says
otherwise, I wil eat him alive. Partition Magic
is a good way to lose all your data if you crash
and try to recover.

Otherwise.

There is no such thing as an "NTFS partition" AFAIK.

A partition is NOT associated with a file system; on a Wintel system it is
either Primary or Extended. A file system is not created until the partition is
formatted; and either type of partition, whether created with fdisk, Disk
Manager, Partition Magic, or other utility, can be formatted with any desired
file system.

I have had NO problems with Partition Magic (v5 through 7) and NTFS on 5 NT4,
Win2K, and XP machines so far.

 

[Ben Dover]

(e-mail address removed) (spongebob) blabbered in @fe12.news.easynews.com:

Hi all,

I have a new dell computer, 3GHz dual core intel processor, 1GB RAM,
Windows XP Professional Operating System, 160GB hard disk, etc. It
has been left untouched for half a year just because I do not know
how to partition my hard disk. The new computer comes with only 1
partition for the whole 160GB hard disk. I do not know how to
manually partition my hard disk so I plan to use PartitionMagic to
partition my hard disk. I need to know what is the best way to
partition my 160GB of hard disk like for example, the number and type
of partitions to create, what's the partition created for and how to
do it using PartitionMagic?

There is no "best way" to partition a disk. Opinions vary according to a
users personal requirements or needs. With NTFS partitions, space is no
longer a big issue like with FAT32 partitions. If you don't specifically
NEED separate partitions - leave it as one single partition.

But *in general*, most users create a separate partition to hold the OS
and basic applications (those you always use), and another for your data.
If you don't maintain a lot of data files that isn't an issue. The idea
is to make it easy to backup your system for restore purposes in workable
sized partitions. By using something like TrueImage, Ghost, etc, you can
burn your OS partition and easily restore after a crash, virus, or
whatever in a relatively short time and have the OS and your basic apps
intact again. Same with a data partition if you have lots of data you
need to save.

I have a lot of MP3s and graphics files of family I've been digitizing,
so I have a partition on my second drive for each of those areas.

It depends on YOUR needs what you do and how, but in general, in your
case I would fire up Partition Magic and reduce the size of your OS
partition to something like 60 gigs, and create a second partition for
everything else.

 

[SteveH]

I knew the 2 of you would bite on that one
Nyaaah!

johns

How?

SteveH

 

[Mike T.]

I think this is overkill for a guy who can't even decide for a year how to
repartition his HD. If he hasn't figured out his own preferences yet, the
35 GB will be wasted space.

I also disagree with this one. There is little reason to waste 10 GB for
a 1-2 GB pagefile. Also, there is little reason to put the pagefile on a
separate partition on the same physical HD as the OS. There will be less
seek time if the head has to move less, so the pagefile on the same
logical drive as the OS is preferable.

Hey, the questions the OP were asking were just begging for opinions, as
there are no right or wrong answers. I gave him my opinion, and you
disagree with me. I'm OK with that. But just to explain why I do the
pagefile like I do, I've found that the pagefile can (and does) get
fragmented on the C: drive, even if it is a supposedly "permanent" page
file. And it can not be defragmented on drive C:, using any tools included
with Windows XP. (well, there's a workaround, but not suggested for someone
who has to ask how to partition his hard drive) 10GB of space is definitely
overkill for a pagefile for a computer with 1GB of physical RAM. However,
the defrag tool included with windows will often choke if there isn't gobs
of free space on the same logical drive. So while your opinion on the
matter is just as valid as anybody elses, there is a method to my madness.
-Dave

 

[coolsti]

Hi all,

I have a new dell computer, 3GHz dual core intel processor, 1GB RAM,
Windows XP Professional Operating System, 160GB hard disk, etc. It
has been left untouched for half a year just because I do not know
how to partition my hard disk. The new computer comes with only 1
partition for the whole 160GB hard disk. I do not know how to
manually partition my hard disk so I plan to use PartitionMagic to
partition my hard disk. I need to know what is the best way to
partition my 160GB of hard disk like for example, the number and type
of partitions to create, what's the partition created for and how to
do it using PartitionMagic?

Currently my new computer is running Windows XP Professional operating
system. I want to use my computer mainly to surf the Internet, play
and store thousands of MP3s songs, watch and store videos, photos and
programs. In near future, I would also like to install Linux operating
system in it. Sometimes I will also be using my computer for editing
videos and photos. I will also use it to play games but not very
often. In view of what I mentioned above, how do I partition my 160GB
hard disk? How many partitions do I need, for example, is it better to
have a separate partition, each for video files, music files, and
photo files? Is it better to have a separate partition for
programs/applications or should programs and applications be stored
in same partition as my Windows XP Professional operating system? How
should I partition my hard disk so that programs and music files and
video files, etc, can open up and run efficiently and reasonably
fast? What is a swap file partition and do I need one for it? What
type of partition for each of the above-mentioned storage purpose,
such as FAT32, NTFS, etc? What do I need to do if in future I want to
add additional partitions to my hard disk - should I reserve some free
space in my hard disk for future partition needs and how do I go about
doing this..... as in extended logical partition or what...hope you
know what I mean?

Another question that is hanging in my mind for a long time and is
important to me is what is the best partition strategy for say, when
my Windows XP Professional operating system crashes and I need to
reinstall or install a new one, how should I partition my hard disk
in such a way that I can simply put in my opreating system disk into
my DVD ROM and do the job while my video, mp3, photo files and other
data files will not be lost? In other words, just simply reinstall my
operating system and all my other files are not lost or affected. Hope
you do know what I mean. This is important to me because I surf the
net often and there will often be times my computer would be infected
with trojans and viruses and spywares and times my registry or system
files could be corrupted and thus I would need to reinstall my
operating system. So I hope there could be a simple way to do this
(reinstall my operating system) and not lose my other files and data
in my hard disk. How should I partition my hard disk for my operating
system, programs/applications, video, mp3, photo, data files for this
purpose? BTW, just curious, when surfing the net and you caught a
virus or a trojan or a spyware, will that particular virus, trojan or
spyware be spread to the other partitions in the hard disk??

Lastly, I would be using PartitionMagic to do the partitioning. Is
there any drawbacks using PartitionMagic? I am new to PartitionMagic,
could someone guide me to how to use it? BTW, any idea where can I
find online resources to understand about how to partition my hard
disk in such a way that my computer can function at its optimal
efficiency and performance? I have searched Google and am overwhelmed
by the millions of topics it has found. I have read some but some of
it is not relevant to my questions or my particular usage and storage
purposes.

As you can see, I know nothing about partitioning strategies. There
are so many ways but what is best for my computer in terms of my
usage and storage purposes? I HOPE YOU CAN GIVE ME YOUR EXPERT
GUIDANCE AND ADVICE AND NOT JUST YOUR TRIAL-AND-ERROR EXPERIENCES OR
ANY WILD GUESSES AS I HAVE WASTED ENOUGH TIME SEARCHING AND TRYING
OUT. It has been half a year and nothing is done and I am tired.
PLEASE HELP ME OUT. PLEASE! THANK YOU.

I can see from the replies that there are a lot of different opinions out
there. Here are mine:

I am definitely against the idea of "one big partition". Our IT support at
work loves this, but I think it is a dumb idea. I like to have a number of
partitions, but at least two: one for the Windows operating system and one
for all else. Why? If anything goes wrong and I need to reinstall the
operating system, and should this result in the partition being
reformatted, then I will not lose my data on a separate partition. Also,
if for some reason I decide I would like to later to do something like
install another operating system, then I have my Windows OS on its own
partition, and I can easilly re-partition the rest of the hard disk to
make a new partion(s) for the new operating system, without affecting
Windows in any way.

Regarding putting Linux on your machine: I think some poster was of the
opinion that you needed to leave about 20 GB of your hard-disk
unpartitioned, but this is not correct. Not with today's Linux. When you
install Linux, it will look at your hard disk and ask you what you want to
do with it. If your hard disk is already partitioned, Linux will give you
the choice to re-use one or more of the already existing partitions for
Linux. You can also divide partitions into smaller partitions while
installing Linux. Of course any data you already have on those partitions
will be lost, so you must first move all data away. And you must also
understand the names of the partitions under Linux, to make sure you don't
accidentally choose the wrong partition! But otherwise it is no problem to
do this. You can install Linux after-the-fact so to speak, and as long as
you already have some partitions you can use for Linux, you do not need to
disturb your Windows installation.

As for the size of the partitions, well, this is something I am also
fighting with. I now have a new 250GB hard disk and I will probably use
something like 20GB for Windows+programs, and divide the rest into a few
large chunks.

/Steve, Denmark

 

[John Weiss]

Hey, the questions the OP were asking were just begging for opinions, as there
are no right or wrong answers. I gave him my opinion, and you disagree with
me. I'm OK with that. But just to explain why I do the pagefile like I do,
I've found that the pagefile can (and does) get fragmented on the C: drive,
even if it is a supposedly "permanent" page file. And it can not be
defragmented on drive C:, using any tools included with Windows XP. (well,
there's a workaround, but not suggested for someone who has to ask how to
partition his hard drive) 10GB of space is definitely overkill for a pagefile
for a computer with 1GB of physical RAM. However, the defrag tool included
with windows will often choke if there isn't gobs of free space on the same
logical drive. So while your opinion on the matter is just as valid as
anybody elses, there is a method to my madness.

I previously used a separate partition for the pagefile for the same reason you
do, but I did not use such a large partition. However, I found a permanent
solution to the fragmentation problem -- mine has been contiguous for over 2
years on my current machine.

Defrag the C: drive.

Delete the pagefile from C: and create one temporarily on a different
logical drive. Reboot.

Defrag again. Move the pagefile back to C:, using the min = max size to
create a "permanent" file. Reboot.

Check the drive again with the defragger. You should find a contiguous
pagefile (Diskeeper shows the pagefile in a separate color; other defraggers may
not do so, but the large unmovable/system file should be obvious).

I did that when I set up this machine 2+ years ago, and the pagefile has not
fragmented.

And, you are correct that even this may be "too hard" for the OP. OTOH, the
multiple-partition scheme you suggested is not much less complicated... ;-)

 

[Tweek]

Otherwise.

There is no such thing as an "NTFS partition" AFAIK.

A partition is NOT associated with a file system; on a Wintel system it is
either Primary or Extended. A file system is not created until the
partition is formatted; and either type of partition, whether created with
fdisk, Disk Manager, Partition Magic, or other utility, can be formatted
with any desired file system.

I have had NO problems with Partition Magic (v5 through 7) and NTFS on 5
NT4, Win2K, and XP machines so far.

It seems that if johns does not know how to use something properly or
configure it properly it is 'crap'. Like his rants about Asus boards or his
insistance that you can't put anything on the primary IDE channel if you are
using a SATA hard drive. I have used partition magic for years and I use it
every day with no problems at all. I use Acronis True image to image drives
and then use partition magic to resize, merge, or delete partitions as
necessary. Never had any lost data.

 

[Rod Speed]

It seems that if johns does not know how to use something properly or
configure it properly it is 'crap'. Like his rants about Asus boards
or his insistance that you can't put anything on the primary IDE
channel if you are using a SATA hard drive. I have used partition
magic for years and I use it every day with no problems at all. I use
Acronis True image to image drives and then use partition magic to
resize, merge, or delete partitions as necessary. Never had any lost
data.

Others have had PM lose data tho. Its safest to image the
entire physical drive first, because PM can screw up at times.