Advise on Win2k installation....

[Alex]

Hi all,

I am going to reformat my windows 2000 box and would like to have some advise about te followings:

1. I currently have 1GB RAM, how's the size of the page file should I configure if I want to manually set it up? And of course, what's the relation?

2. I'll try to install most of the programs in another drive instead of the default C:\Program Files\ so that when I've cloned my C drive, the default for windows, I can always restore my windows without messing around with the other programs. Am I right? Please advise.

Thanks a lot,
Alex

 

[Dan Seur]

Alex -

1. Make the pagefile (for starters) 1.5GB; gurus generally recommend a
1.5xRAM ratio. Make the MIN the same as the MAX. Place the pagefile on a
hard drive other than that containing the system if possible, and on a
different controller if possible. Later, you can experiment with
different sizes and placements if you wish. The installation process
will probably place the pagefile on C: - move it when the OS is running
after the install.

2. I'm a believer generally in placing the OS, the apps, and the data in
partitions devoted to each. With W2k-class systems, however, (which
rarely need to be reinstalled, and where clean reinstalls are the best
way of recovering from catastrophe although that involves also
reinstalling most apps) and with a 10GB OS partition and a number of
large hard drives with many large partitions, I've elected to install
apps on C: and have yet to experience any problems with that. I still
keep data on other drives and partitions, and I also keep a variety of
app CD images on hard drives, which makes reinstallation a breeze.

As far as cloning for recovery goes, it works, although you may want to
keep the cloned backup version in sync with the active one. If that's
not so crucial, you can clone the OS to a spare hard drive and keep it
in a file drawer (or in the machine but not connected, or in a removable
cassette mount to make using it a triviality.)

Others may have different and better ideas. Some of this advice is
almost a matter of theology - endlessly argued by the sages.

 

[Colon Terminus]

If I may add to the excellent advice of Dan:

Immediately after you've got the O/S and all its drivers loaded, copy the
Program Files directory to the drive where you want Programs to live. In
other words, if the O/S is on D: and you want your applications to reside on
F: then you'd copy D:\Program Files to the root of F:. Then run regedit and
search for "programfilesdir" and modify the data so that it points to
"F:\Program Files".

All further software installs will go to F:\Program Files by default, saving
you a lot of intervention in trying to force software to install where YOU
want it to go instead of where IT wants to go.

 

[Dan Seur]

CT - Holy wow! never thought of that. What a great idea!

 

[Alex]

Thanks to both Dan and CT.

Just a few minor things to clarified,

1. Following what Dan is doing, do I need to reinstall the apps in drive D after I've restore my W2k in the drive C?

2. As what's advised by CT, I suppose there are a number of link library files installed when installing windows apps, are all these files updated at the same time when you move the program files directory and update the registry?

Really thanks a lot,
Alex
CT - Holy wow! never thought of that. What a great idea!

 

[Dan Seur]

You had better be very precise about what you mean by "drive" in this
conversation.

If you mean "hard drive" you get one answer; if you mean "partition" (or
"volume") you may get another.

Look these terms up. Please don't ask here for definitions.

 

[Alex]

Oh, right I see.

The term "drive" I was using mean "partition". Honestly I am very happy with my 120GB disks and really don't think I need another physical disk. ^.<

Please advise.

Thanks,
Alex
You had better be very precise about what you mean by "drive" in this
conversation.

If you mean "hard drive" you get one answer; if you mean "partition" (or
"volume") you may get another.

Look these terms up. Please don't ask here for definitions.

 

[Alex]

Hi all,

Can someone advise me on that? I am still wondering what are the two answers accordingly.

And I'd to know if I want to dedicate a partition for the swap file ONLY, can this partition be used, probably I mean common, if I want ot set up a dual Windows system?

Thanks again,
Alex

Oh, right I see.

The term "drive" I was using mean "partition". Honestly I am very happy with my 120GB disks and really don't think I need another physical disk. ^.<

Please advise.

Thanks,
Alex
You had better be very precise about what you mean by "drive" in this
conversation.

If you mean "hard drive" you get one answer; if you mean "partition" (or
"volume") you may get another.

Look these terms up. Please don't ask here for definitions.

 

[Dan Seur]

I don't understand your first sentence.

Swapfile contents are not re-used by a newly booted system,
so there is no problem having two W2k systems use the same
disk space - at least as long as only one of those systems
is booted at a time.

For most users, it doesn't matter much where the swap file
is located; only in cases where the fastest performance
possible is required does this make a difference. The
system performance improvement, in most cases, achieved by
placement determined by hard drive access optimization with
such factors as bus contention and access arm travel on the
hard drive, is very small. Relatively speaking. And as those
factors change as software is installed or old software and
data is relocated and user habits change, it's a matter of
constant re-tuning. Of much greater importance with swap files
is size.

In your case, for example, if that dedicated swapfile
partition is actually on a very active drive, you might be
slowing your system down by requiring the disk head to be
moved a great distance many times a second. It's a matter
of the very great speed of execution versus the [relatively]
extremely slow mechanical movement of hard drive heads and
rotating surfaces. And none of this is simple to accommodate
optimally. A solid base in hardware, software, and statistical
math is required. The earlier notes in this thread gave you
simple approximations.

 

[Alex]

I had my first sentence because I was told earlier in this thread that I'd have two different anaswers if the term "drive" I referred to before means physical disk or logical partition respectively. #

So, as what you meant at the end, there is no use/improvement in doing such way of partitioning a logical volume drive for the swapfile. Am I right?

Thanks very much.
Alex
I don't understand your first sentence.

Swapfile contents are not re-used by a newly booted system,
so there is no problem having two W2k systems use the same
disk space - at least as long as only one of those systems
is booted at a time.

For most users, it doesn't matter much where the swap file
is located; only in cases where the fastest performance
possible is required does this make a difference. The
system performance improvement, in most cases, achieved by
placement determined by hard drive access optimization with
such factors as bus contention and access arm travel on the
hard drive, is very small. Relatively speaking. And as those
factors change as software is installed or old software and
data is relocated and user habits change, it's a matter of
constant re-tuning. Of much greater importance with swap files
is size.

In your case, for example, if that dedicated swapfile
partition is actually on a very active drive, you might be
slowing your system down by requiring the disk head to be
moved a great distance many times a second. It's a matter
of the very great speed of execution versus the [relatively]
extremely slow mechanical movement of hard drive heads and
rotating surfaces. And none of this is simple to accommodate
optimally. A solid base in hardware, software, and statistical
math is required. The earlier notes in this thread gave you
simple approximations.

 

[Dan Seur]

Alex - as I reconstruct this thread, isolating the swapfile on its
own logical partition (which implicitly means there are other partitions
competing for the disk access arm) simply means that every paging
operation will require that the disk RW-head must move into that
partition which is not used for anything else. Therefore presumably
the head is infrequently already positioned in or [perhaps] very close
to that partition's surface. It's impossible to be more specific without
good knowledge of how your directories and files are organized across
the hard drives and partitions.

To put a finer point on this, you may well be trying to fine tune a
marshmallow. Just take a stab at guessing which hard drive is usually
least busy, and put the pagefile on that drive. Make the minimum and max
sizes of the pagefile the same to avoid fragmentation; that'll help. You
caqn experiment later at your leisure with different placements, to see
if there's any noticeable performance improvement. It's somewhat
unlikely there will be, in most cases.

I had my first sentence because I was told earlier in this thread that
I'd have two different anaswers if the term "drive" I referred to before
means physical disk or logical partition respectively. #

So, as what you meant at the end, there is no use/improvement in doing
such way of partitioning a logical volume drive for the swapfile. Am I
right?

Thanks very much.
Alex

message I don't understand your first sentence.

Swapfile contents are not re-used by a newly booted system,
so there is no problem having two W2k systems use the same
disk space - at least as long as only one of those systems
is booted at a time.

For most users, it doesn't matter much where the swap file
is located; only in cases where the fastest performance
possible is required does this make a difference. The
system performance improvement, in most cases, achieved by
placement determined by hard drive access optimization with
such factors as bus contention and access arm travel on the
hard drive, is very small. Relatively speaking. And as those
factors change as software is installed or old software and
data is relocated and user habits change, it's a matter of
constant re-tuning. Of much greater importance with swap files
is size.

In your case, for example, if that dedicated swapfile
partition is actually on a very active drive, you might be
slowing your system down by requiring the disk head to be
moved a great distance many times a second. It's a matter
of the very great speed of execution versus the [relatively]
extremely slow mechanical movement of hard drive heads and
rotating surfaces. And none of this is simple to accommodate
optimally. A solid base in hardware, software, and statistical
math is required. The earlier notes in this thread gave you
simple approximations.

Hi all,

Can someone advise me on that? I am still wondering what are the two
answers accordingly.

And I'd to know if I want to dedicate a partition for the swap file
ONLY, can this partition be used, probably I mean common, if I want ot
set up a dual Windows system?

Thanks again,
Alex

"Alex" <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>

Oh, right I see.

The term "drive" I was using mean "partition". Honestly I am very
happy with my 120GB disks and really don't think I need another
physical disk. ^.<

Please advise.

Thanks,
Alex

"Dan Seur" <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>

message You had better be very precise about what you mean by "drive" in
this
conversation.

If you mean "hard drive" you get one answer; if you mean
"partition" (or
"volume") you may get another.

Look these terms up. Please don't ask here for definitions.
number of
link library these

of F:.
Then run software
to install

it when
the OS is partition
and a number of also
keep a active
one. If that's hard
drive and connected,
or in a by the
sages. would
like to windows
without messing

 

[hawat.thufir]

If I may add to the excellent advice of Dan:

Immediately after you've got the O/S and all its drivers loaded, copy the
Program Files directory to the drive where you want Programs to live. In
other words, if the O/S is on D: and you want your applications to reside on
F: then you'd copy D:\Program Files to the root of F:. Then run regedit and
search for "programfilesdir" and modify the data so that it points to
"F:\Program Files".

All further software installs will go to F:\Program Files by default, saving
you a lot of intervention in trying to force software to install where YOU
want it to go instead of where IT wants to go.

does it matter if regedt32 is used instead of regedit?

thanks,

Thufir