Partition sizes on new system and moving programs

[Guest]

I have purchased a new PC with a 300gb NTS disk. I have also purchased Norton
Partition Magic 8.

I have heard somewhere that it is best to have a 'small' partition (16gb?)
for just Windows XP (home version), then another for all programs, another
for data , etc ..... [I am told that this makes it easier / quicker to
defragment the XP partition regularly].

As the HDD has XP and several programs already installed, can I create the
partitions and then move the programs into another partition? (after backing
everything up onto an external USB HDD). Will XP 'know' where they have gone?

Or will I have to create the partition, delete the programs and then
reinstall them on the new partition? Thus leaving just XP in the first
partition. Is 16gb too small / big for the XP partition?

 

[Og]

You will find the answers to your questions, as well as instructions for how
to use Partition Magic to perform the tasks that you desire to perform,
inside the manual that came with the software.

steve

 

[Richard Urban]

Many knowledgeable people have multiple partitions on their computer for the
following reasons. They include easier/faster defragging of the Windows
partition and data retention if you ever have to rebuild your Windows
partition (usually drive C.

I would suggest a C: (Windows) partition of 20 gig. Even though you may
install your programs to a folder D:\Programs Files, a great deal of
information goes onto the C: partition anyway. Plus, you need a copious
amount of free space on C: for temporary files that running programs create,
especially if you are ripping CD's, working with rendering videos or
photographs etc.

You can not just move programs. You will have to uninstall the program from
it's present location in the C: drive and reinstall it on another drive. Try
to just "move" it and you will likely break the program.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[MoiMeme]

My XP partition is 6GB, no progs installed on it, temp files stored
elsewhere on a temp-files partition that I daily clean, and pagefile also on
another faster drive, except 10Mb on C: partition left

As for moving programs, if it is simple progs then they can be moved using
for example COA2 ( change of adress) from PC magzine, and there are others
( google for "move programs" +freeware : copy the program to new
destination, and launch the move app. COAS will look in registry, ini files
and shortcuts to correct all entries it find to old location and replace
with new location data
Have done it sometimes with success. However for big program it would not
work reliably ( such as Office for example). So then best would be
uninstall, repartition, reinstall.

Good luck

Many knowledgeable people have multiple partitions on their computer for
the following reasons. They include easier/faster defragging of the
Windows partition and data retention if you ever have to rebuild your
Windows partition (usually drive C.

I would suggest a C: (Windows) partition of 20 gig. Even though you may
install your programs to a folder D:\Programs Files, a great deal of
information goes onto the C: partition anyway. Plus, you need a copious
amount of free space on C: for temporary files that running programs
create, especially if you are ripping CD's, working with rendering videos
or photographs etc.

You can not just move programs. You will have to uninstall the program
from it's present location in the C: drive and reinstall it on another
drive. Try to just "move" it and you will likely break the program.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

I have purchased a new PC with a 300gb NTS disk. I have also purchased
Norton
Partition Magic 8.

I have heard somewhere that it is best to have a 'small' partition
(16gb?)
for just Windows XP (home version), then another for all programs,
another
for data , etc ..... [I am told that this makes it easier / quicker to
defragment the XP partition regularly].

As the HDD has XP and several programs already installed, can I create
the
partitions and then move the programs into another partition? (after
backing
everything up onto an external USB HDD). Will XP 'know' where they have
gone?

Or will I have to create the partition, delete the programs and then
reinstall them on the new partition? Thus leaving just XP in the first
partition. Is 16gb too small / big for the XP partition?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I have purchased a new PC with a 300gb NTS disk. I have also
purchased Norton Partition Magic 8.

I have heard somewhere that it is best to have a 'small' partition
(16gb?) for just Windows XP (home version), then another for all
programs, another for data , etc ..... [I am told that this makes it
easier / quicker to defragment the XP partition regularly].

There is no "best" that's best for everybody. How to partuition your drive
depends on you and the way you work. In general, (unless you run multiple
operating systems) I believe that your partitioning scheme should be
designed to facilitate your backup scheme. So, for example, if you backup
only your data, your data should be segregated on a partition of its own.

Most people who separate installed programs in a partition of their own do
so because they think that if they ever have to reinstall Windows, their
programs will be safe on a separate partition. But this is very much
incorrect. Almost all programs but a few very small ones, have references to
themselves throughout Windows, and if Windows is reinstalled, the programs
won't work and will have to be reinstalled anyway. For that reason, I
normally recommend that programs reside in the same partition as Windows
does.

Regarding defragmentation, if you have, say, 100GB to defrag, whether it is
all in one partition or in three separate partitions, there's little if any
difference in how long it takes. Moreover, I always believe in defragging at
night, when it hardly makes any difference how long it takes, as long as
it's done when I wake up. So I don't see ease or speed of defragging as a
factor at all.

Finally, your word "etc." leads me to suspect that you are thinking of even
more partitions. I strongly caution you *not* to overdo this. The more
partitions you have, the more difficult it is to remember which partition
you put some file on, and the more likely it is that you will size them
wrongly and later run out of space on one partition while having lots left
on others.

For most people running a single operating system, two partitions (one for
data, the other for Windows and programs) is the most that is needed.

As the HDD has XP and several programs already installed, can I
create the partitions and then move the programs into another
partition? (after backing everything up onto an external USB HDD).
Will XP 'know' where they have gone?

No, it won't. There is software available which purports to find all the
references and change them for you (such as COA2.exe), but in my experience
these do not do a perfect job.

Or will I have to create the partition, delete the programs and then
reinstall them on the new partition?

If you don't take my advice above, and put programs in a partition of their
own, that's the best approach, although you can try a program like COA2.

Thus leaving just XP in the first
partition. Is 16gb too small / big for the XP partition?

If it's just Windows, it's probably considerably larger than necessary.

 

[Guest]

Thanks to you all so far. As usual with computers there are several ways to
skin the cat. I can think about all these and decide what I need in the
light of your advice. I need at least two data partitions as I have a fair
bit of digital video which is hard on defragmentation and so I want to keep
it separately to data and programs. With many fairly large programs I thought
it best to keep windows separate and defragment XP much more regularly than
the programmes.

The only big question left is: if I keep XP in its own partition what size
do I need - your advice ranges from considerably less than the 16gb I
suggested (at 6gb) to 20gb to allow for temp files when rendering video, etc.
But MoiMeme says use a temp-files partition (I like the idea of claening that
out daily!) - BUT will that slow down or speed up the XP performance (my
drive is a SATA 300gb)?

David

 

[R. McCarty]

The size decision depends primarily on what you install & run. My own
XP Partition is 10.0 Gig w/3.5 used. However, I have only basic/daily
apps on C:. For large data module programs, Streets & Trips and those
I install to a separate partition. I would give it "Breathing Room". The
key to partitioning a Large drive is to put data in a priority type setup.
In other words put less frequently accessed data further onto the disk.
Example:
|| C: (XP) || D: (User Data) || E: (Multimedia) || F: (Images) ||
Actually, to get the most benefit, I prefer two smaller drives, instead of
these "SuperSize" ones. With multiple physical drives you can separate
the workload between them.

Thanks to you all so far. As usual with computers there are several ways
to
skin the cat. I can think about all these and decide what I need in the
light of your advice. I need at least two data partitions as I have a fair
bit of digital video which is hard on defragmentation and so I want to
keep
it separately to data and programs. With many fairly large programs I
thought
it best to keep windows separate and defragment XP much more regularly
than
the programmes.

The only big question left is: if I keep XP in its own partition what size
do I need - your advice ranges from considerably less than the 16gb I
suggested (at 6gb) to 20gb to allow for temp files when rendering video,
etc.
But MoiMeme says use a temp-files partition (I like the idea of claening
that
out daily!) - BUT will that slow down or speed up the XP performance (my
drive is a SATA 300gb)?

David

I have purchased a new PC with a 300gb NTS disk. I have also purchased
Norton
Partition Magic 8.

I have heard somewhere that it is best to have a 'small' partition
(16gb?)
for just Windows XP (home version), then another for all programs,
another
for data , etc ..... [I am told that this makes it easier / quicker to
defragment the XP partition regularly].

As the HDD has XP and several programs already installed, can I create
the
partitions and then move the programs into another partition? (after
backing
everything up onto an external USB HDD). Will XP 'know' where they have
gone?

Or will I have to create the partition, delete the programs and then
reinstall them on the new partition? Thus leaving just XP in the first
partition. Is 16gb too small / big for the XP partition?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

But MoiMeme says use a temp-files partition (I
like the idea of claening that out daily!) - BUT will that slow down
or speed up the XP performance (my drive is a SATA 300gb)?

A separate partition for temp files is a poor idea. You run the twin risks
of making it too small, which will cause applications to fail when they
can't create temp files they need to, or making it too large and wasting
disk space.

It also puts the temp files distant from other frequently-used files on the
drive, thereby increasing the time needed for head movement to and from
them, and ultimately slowing you down.

There are disaadvantages to haveing a separate temp partition, but no
advantages.

If you want to clean out your temp folder daily, do so. It really isn't
necessary to do this that frequently, but other than wasting the time it
takes, there's no disadvantage to doing it.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Ken that really does help.

A separate partition for temp files is a poor idea. You run the twin risks
of making it too small, which will cause applications to fail when they
can't create temp files they need to, or making it too large and wasting
disk space.

It also puts the temp files distant from other frequently-used files on the
drive, thereby increasing the time needed for head movement to and from
them, and ultimately slowing you down.

There are disaadvantages to haveing a separate temp partition, but no
advantages.

If you want to clean out your temp folder daily, do so. It really isn't
necessary to do this that frequently, but other than wasting the time it
takes, there's no disadvantage to doing it.

 

[Guest]

Great, another key bit of information to help me get it right first time!

The size decision depends primarily on what you install & run. My own
XP Partition is 10.0 Gig w/3.5 used. However, I have only basic/daily
apps on C:. For large data module programs, Streets & Trips and those
I install to a separate partition. I would give it "Breathing Room". The
key to partitioning a Large drive is to put data in a priority type setup.
In other words put less frequently accessed data further onto the disk.
Example:
|| C: (XP) || D: (User Data) || E: (Multimedia) || F: (Images) ||
Actually, to get the most benefit, I prefer two smaller drives, instead of
these "SuperSize" ones. With multiple physical drives you can separate
the workload between them.

Thanks to you all so far. As usual with computers there are several ways
to
skin the cat. I can think about all these and decide what I need in the
light of your advice. I need at least two data partitions as I have a fair
bit of digital video which is hard on defragmentation and so I want to
keep
it separately to data and programs. With many fairly large programs I
thought
it best to keep windows separate and defragment XP much more regularly
than
the programmes.

The only big question left is: if I keep XP in its own partition what size
do I need - your advice ranges from considerably less than the 16gb I
suggested (at 6gb) to 20gb to allow for temp files when rendering video,
etc.
But MoiMeme says use a temp-files partition (I like the idea of claening
that
out daily!) - BUT will that slow down or speed up the XP performance (my
drive is a SATA 300gb)?

David

I have purchased a new PC with a 300gb NTS disk. I have also purchased
Norton
Partition Magic 8.

I have heard somewhere that it is best to have a 'small' partition
(16gb?)
for just Windows XP (home version), then another for all programs,
another
for data , etc ..... [I am told that this makes it easier / quicker to
defragment the XP partition regularly].

As the HDD has XP and several programs already installed, can I create
the
partitions and then move the programs into another partition? (after
backing
everything up onto an external USB HDD). Will XP 'know' where they have
gone?

Or will I have to create the partition, delete the programs and then
reinstall them on the new partition? Thus leaving just XP in the first
partition. Is 16gb too small / big for the XP partition?

 

[Jonny]

And it helps to provide all the information regarding usage the first
time...
--
Jonny

Great, another key bit of information to help me get it right first time!

The size decision depends primarily on what you install & run. My own
XP Partition is 10.0 Gig w/3.5 used. However, I have only basic/daily
apps on C:. For large data module programs, Streets & Trips and those
I install to a separate partition. I would give it "Breathing Room". The
key to partitioning a Large drive is to put data in a priority type
setup.
In other words put less frequently accessed data further onto the disk.
Example:
|| C: (XP) || D: (User Data) || E: (Multimedia) || F: (Images)
||
Actually, to get the most benefit, I prefer two smaller drives, instead
of
these "SuperSize" ones. With multiple physical drives you can separate
the workload between them.

Thanks to you all so far. As usual with computers there are several
ways
to
skin the cat. I can think about all these and decide what I need in
the
light of your advice. I need at least two data partitions as I have a
fair
bit of digital video which is hard on defragmentation and so I want to
keep
it separately to data and programs. With many fairly large programs I
thought
it best to keep windows separate and defragment XP much more regularly
than
the programmes.

The only big question left is: if I keep XP in its own partition what
size
do I need - your advice ranges from considerably less than the 16gb I
suggested (at 6gb) to 20gb to allow for temp files when rendering
video,
etc.
But MoiMeme says use a temp-files partition (I like the idea of
claening
that
out daily!) - BUT will that slow down or speed up the XP performance
(my
drive is a SATA 300gb)?

David

:

I have purchased a new PC with a 300gb NTS disk. I have also purchased
Norton
Partition Magic 8.

I have heard somewhere that it is best to have a 'small' partition
(16gb?)
for just Windows XP (home version), then another for all programs,
another
for data , etc ..... [I am told that this makes it easier / quicker to
defragment the XP partition regularly].

As the HDD has XP and several programs already installed, can I create
the
partitions and then move the programs into another partition? (after
backing
everything up onto an external USB HDD). Will XP 'know' where they
have
gone?

Or will I have to create the partition, delete the programs and then
reinstall them on the new partition? Thus leaving just XP in the first
partition. Is 16gb too small / big for the XP partition?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Thanks Ken that really does help.

You're welcome, David. Glad to help.