partitions

[ELDoro]

Hey guys. I have decided to re-partition my hdd. I have decided to create a partition for each of the following:

1. XP OS
2. games
3. paging file
4. images, media, downloads, ect


I was wondering how much HDD space I should allocate for each partition? Mainly how much for XP OS. I can guage my myself for the others based on what games and ect I will be installing. I currently have a 60GB HDD (57 usable) for my computer. This computer is primarily used for gaming and not much if anything else.

thanks!

[KilluminatiStyle]

4 Partitions on a drive that size isn't a good idea IMO.

I could see maybe a partition for the OS, APSS, and GAMES and a second partition for BACKUP/Downloads.

If you split that 60GB into 4 different partitions the acutal USABLE space is going to drop even more from your current 57GB since each partition is going to chew up a bit more.

But if you REALLY want to do it then I would say probably about 10-15GB just for the OS. This will ensure that you can keep your machine up to date without running out of diskspace.


If you simply want your PC to maintain a nice, smooth performance level without fragmenting the PAGING FILE and FILE SYSTEM then just do the following.

1. Start with a fresh install of XP.

2. Install all windows updates and your applications like antivirus, Office, PDF Reader, Anti-Spyware/Malware, anything else you use regularly.

3. Once all of your stuff is installed set the PC to use NO PAGING FILE then reboot.

4. Clean the HD of all temporary files and empty the Recycle Bin. I use a program called TuneUp Utilities 2007 for this. I also run the registry cleaner and registry defrag at this point too, both of which are available in TuneUp Utilities.

5. Defrag the HD. I use Diskeeper for this and I also run a BOOT TIME DEFRAG at this point.

6. Reboot and when the PC is back in windows manually set your paging file to about 1.5 to 2 times the amount of RAM you have.

IE: 2GB(2048MB) of RAM = 4096MB Page File

By doing this the page file can NEVER be fragmented. I've read some places that state that XP does a pretty good job of managing the page file and this may not be necessary but I've been doing this since my first PC with Win98 and old habbits die hard.

7. OPTIONAL - At this point I would create both a WINDOWS RESTORE POINT and a GHOST RECOVERY IMAGE

8. Enjoy!!


To keep the PC running up to snuff just be sure to defrag periodically. With my system by using TuneUp Utilities and Diskeeper I can keep my computer running like the wind for a great deal of time. I used to be a compulsive reformatter. I'd reformat my machine at least once a month or whenever she felt sluggish. Since using the methods mentioned above along with a regular scan for viruses and spyware/malware I've been good for almost a year now.

[tomster2300]

I have my small hard drive split into two partitions - one Vista and the other XP. Depending on the updates and whatnot I'd give XP rougly 6 gigs or more, if that.

[glc]

Go ahead and partition it - if you are willing to spend time keeping track of everything and changing default install and data paths all the time. Hard drives are so cheap these days I just use a single big partition and image the whole mess to an external backup drive periodically. KISS principle.