First time installation - need advice

  • Thread starter Thread starter Elmo Watson
  • Start date Start date
E

Elmo Watson

I'm replacing my old HD with a new WD 250 Gb Hard drive

before, I've only had a 40 Gb with Win2k Pro

Now, I'm going to install WinXP Pro for the first time and need some advice.

I had heard, in the past, with large hard drives, that I should create a
partition with just the OS on it - then install everything else on a second
(or other) partition.
The flaw in this, as I can see it, is that, when you install an
application - the DLLs get installed in the System32 directory anyway - so
no matter what, if something happens to the OS partition - it all gets hosed
anyway.

So - - I'm seeking advice on the most efficient way to set this system
up --- (for once, I'm asking BEFORE I'm actually doing it)


Any ideas here?
 
I'm replacing my old HD with a new WD 250 Gb Hard drive

before, I've only had a 40 Gb with Win2k Pro

Now, I'm going to install WinXP Pro for the first time and need some
advice.

I had heard, in the past, with large hard drives, that I should
create a partition with just the OS on it - then install everything
else on a second (or other) partition.
The flaw in this, as I can see it, is that, when you install an
application - the DLLs get installed in the System32 directory anyway
- so no matter what, if something happens to the OS partition - it
all gets hosed anyway.

So - - I'm seeking advice on the most efficient way to set this system
up --- (for once, I'm asking BEFORE I'm actually doing it)


Any ideas here?
Click to expand...

Well you will probably get thousands of suggestions and they will all
be 'right' for somebody :-)

I like to keep all my data and 'well behaved' apps separate from the OS
so I set up a primary partition of about 16GB to 20GB for the OS and
then an extended partition for the rest of the HD. This extended
partition could also be sub divided into logical drives.

The logical drive(s) contain all my data, my 'well behaved' apps and a
folder called '_DRIVERS' which contains up to date drivers for all my
H/W. Each sub folder of '_DRIVERS' is numbered so it looks like:

00_Graphics and Cursor
01_Mobo drivers
02_DX9 Upgrade
03_Graphics Drivers
etc.

So it pretty well behaves like a script for the re-install.

'Well behaved' apps are those that don't need the registry to run or
are intelligent enough to write their own registry data the first time
they are run on a newly installed system. There's a surprising number
of these from small utilities to things like Flight Simulator and, in
my case, both my mail and news apps.

My logic for doing this is:

I write programs for a hobby and I can *REALLY* mess up the OS when I
get it wrong so I tend to need to re-install quite regularly.

I can easily back up my 'AppsData' drive regularly to a second PC and
to an external HD.

When I re-install, 80% of the apps I need are immediately available for
use without the need for them to be re-installed and all my data is
safe.

Having re-read this I suspect reason 4 is that I am a complete nerd and
not a 'typical' user, if there is such a thing.

Do check that your BIOS can support a drive >137GB before you start, as
long as the BIOS supports it then you will need XP SP1 as a minimum to
ensure XP recognises it. If you haven't got SP1 slipstreamed on to your
XP CD then don't wander away from the PC while installing just in case
XP tries to run CHKDSK - if it does then press a key to stop it, come
back on that point if you need to.
 
That's a really great reference, and I'll definintely use it when I
install - -
however it doesn't address whether it's best to create separate partitions
on a clean install, or whether to just keep one - - I probably didn't make
myself very clear - what I need advice on, is whether or not to install
multiple partitions - the pros and cons

does it really matter at all?
 
I like to have several partitions because I can install the
OS and applications to C: and use D:,E:,F: for My
Documents, downloaded files, which means that you can format
C: with the XP CD and reinstall clean and all your data,
emails and downloaded program, and video/music is still
safe. You can reinstall quickly.

Having two or more physical drives is better, but cost more
money. Partitions are a nice compromise. Set your CDROM/RW
DVD as drive L: or M: so you don't have issues with paths
and renaming. When you network, drives will be mapped as
W:.X:, Y:


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.


message | I'm replacing my old HD with a new WD 250 Gb Hard drive
|
| before, I've only had a 40 Gb with Win2k Pro
|
| Now, I'm going to install WinXP Pro for the first time and
need some advice.
|
| I had heard, in the past, with large hard drives, that I
should create a
| partition with just the OS on it - then install everything
else on a second
| (or other) partition.
| The flaw in this, as I can see it, is that, when you
install an
| application - the DLLs get installed in the System32
directory anyway - so
| no matter what, if something happens to the OS partition -
it all gets hosed
| anyway.
|
| So - - I'm seeking advice on the most efficient way to set
this system
| up --- (for once, I'm asking BEFORE I'm actually doing it)
|
|
| Any ideas here?
|
|
 
Windows XP works very well in one partition. Whether or not to repartition
your hard disk is a matter of convenience, not performance. You may find it
convenient to place your data files on a separate partition.

Ted Zieglar
 
I will (and presently, do) have a lot of apps - so, even a format/reinstall
would take a long time, either way - - and I'm fairly sure 95% (or more) of
the apps I use bloat the registry a little/lot.

I never thought of the fact that you can make My Documents go to another
drive - - I just thought it was integrated into the system some way - - so
if I move the whole My Documents folder from where it is (documents and
settings/etc), to another dirve - and then just change the path to that
location in the desktop icon's path - that's all there is to it?
 
In XP, click START, right click on My Documents, select
properties and you'll find a "move" button. You still need
to change the "store folder" for Outlook Express/Outlook.
It makes things a lot more secure in case of a system crash.


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.


message |I will (and presently, do) have a lot of apps - so, even a
format/reinstall
| would take a long time, either way - - and I'm fairly sure
95% (or more) of
| the apps I use bloat the registry a little/lot.
|
| I never thought of the fact that you can make My Documents
go to another
| drive - - I just thought it was integrated into the system
some way - - so
| if I move the whole My Documents folder from where it is
(documents and
| settings/etc), to another dirve - and then just change the
path to that
| location in the desktop icon's path - that's all there is
to it?
|
|
in message
| | > I like to have several partitions because I can install
the
| > OS and applications to C: and use D:,E:,F: for My
| > Documents, downloaded files, which means that you can
format
| > C: with the XP CD and reinstall clean and all your data,
| > emails and downloaded program, and video/music is still
| > safe. You can reinstall quickly.
| >
| > Having two or more physical drives is better, but cost
more
| > money. Partitions are a nice compromise. Set your
CDROM/RW
| > DVD as drive L: or M: so you don't have issues with
paths
| > and renaming. When you network, drives will be mapped
as
| > W:.X:, Y:
| >
| >
| > --
| > The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
| > But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
| >
| >
| > message | > | I'm replacing my old HD with a new WD 250 Gb Hard
drive
| > |
| > | before, I've only had a 40 Gb with Win2k Pro
| > |
| > | Now, I'm going to install WinXP Pro for the first time
and
| > need some advice.
| > |
| > | I had heard, in the past, with large hard drives, that
I
| > should create a
| > | partition with just the OS on it - then install
everything
| > else on a second
| > | (or other) partition.
| > | The flaw in this, as I can see it, is that, when you
| > install an
| > | application - the DLLs get installed in the System32
| > directory anyway - so
| > | no matter what, if something happens to the OS
partition -
| > it all gets hosed
| > | anyway.
| > |
| > | So - - I'm seeking advice on the most efficient way to
set
| > this system
| > | up --- (for once, I'm asking BEFORE I'm actually doing
it)
| > |
| > |
| > | Any ideas here?
| > |
| > |
| >
| >
|
|
 
"I'm fairly sure 95% (or more) of the apps I use bloat the registry a
little/lot."

Funny, none of my applications "bloat" the registry. Guess we use entirely
different applications.

Ted Zieglar
 
Unless you run the install through a program that logs all install data, you
will never know! (-:

Example: CDCreator 6 logs, among others, over 600 registry entries. Doesn't
matter which drive/partition you install it to. The entries are still there
(of course).

And, I won't even mention a full install of any Office suit!

Talk about registry bloat.

--

Regards:

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)
 
How do you know it's "bloat"?

Why not provide a list to Roxio of which keys could be safely eliminated
from their software so as to eliminate "bloat". You seem to know a lot about
the subject.

Ted Zieglar
 
Elmo said:
I'm replacing my old HD with a new WD 250 Gb Hard drive

before, I've only had a 40 Gb with Win2k Pro

Now, I'm going to install WinXP Pro for the first time and need some
advice.

I had heard, in the past, with large hard drives, that I should
create a partition with just the OS on it - then install everything
else on a second (or other) partition.
The flaw in this, as I can see it, is that, when you install an
application - the DLLs get installed in the System32 directory anyway
- so no matter what, if something happens to the OS partition - it
all gets hosed anyway.

So - - I'm seeking advice on the most efficient way to set this system
up --- (for once, I'm asking BEFORE I'm actually doing it)


Any ideas here?
Click to expand...

When you have the OS on it's own partition, it is easier to create an image
backup of the OS partition and then a simple backup of the applications
folder on the other partition. If the OS partition gets hosed, you can
restore an image and all the applications and their settings, data etc. are
intact. You only need to update the image when you make a change to the OS.
Keeping the OS partition to the size of one or two DVD's makes it much
quicker than 4 or more DVD's for a single unpartitioned hard drive.
I usually have a XP partition of 8 to 10 gigs and depending on what you use
your computer for determines the way the space is divided up.
I would allow at least 20 gig for the application data partition and if I
were downloading large video files, make the rest one big partition.
There are many opinions on partitions and it is really a matter of how you
use your computer that dictates the configuration. I do think having a
manageable partition for the OS is a better arrangement than one big
partition, but that is my opinion and what works for me.
--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm
 
I like to have several partitions because I can install the
OS and applications to C: and use D:,E:,F: for My
Documents, downloaded files, which means that you can format
C: with the XP CD and reinstall clean and all your data,
emails and downloaded program, and video/music is still
safe. You can reinstall quickly.

Having two or more physical drives is better, but cost more
money. Partitions are a nice compromise. Set your CDROM/RW
DVD as drive L: or M: so you don't have issues with paths
and renaming. When you network, drives will be mapped as
W:.X:, Y:
Click to expand...


I'm in a similar situation in that I am building a new system with a
Seagate 200GB 7200rpm drive. I also have a Maxtor 40GB 5400rpm drive
from my old system that I could use, or not. The Maxtor is 3yrs old,
and has run more or less constantly the whole time.

Would you lean towards putting the system on a partition of the new
Seagate without using the Maxtor, or using the Maxtor for system and
apps and keeping the Seagate for data.

How much do you think performance would be affected by having the
system on the slower Maxtor?

Thanks,
Mike
 
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