How to properly layout partitions

[Guest]

I'm in the process of rebuilding my PC replacing a 3 drives (20, 30, 160) setup to a 1 disk (the 160) or maybe 2 for temp and swap.
My question is what is the 'recommended' layout? OS on one partition (which size), Applications on another one, Data on a third.
I'd like to save our data in one single 'our documents' place and yet create a login for each user (dad, mom, kid).
Any good link I could look at for training material?

 

[purplehaz]

There is no reccomended way, or a right way, or wrong way. It just what
works best for you. I would have one partiton for the os and programs and
one partitions for data files, and the my documents folder.
IMHO - there is no need to install *programs* onto an different partition.
Data files on another partition is a good idea, like mp3's, video, pic,
documents, etc.... but programs no. Why you ask? Well if you installed a
program on another partition the entries in the registry(and possibly files)
are still on the C partition. So if you format the C partition any installed
program on another partition would need to be reinstalled so that the
registry and files would be correct again. Without the registry entries, the
previous installed programs are useless and would need to be reinstalled
anyway. So since you have to reinstall programs after a format anyway, there
is no point in having them on another partition. Install your programs on C
partition and keep your data, personal files on another partition. This way
if you have to format your personal files stay put.

 

[Pavel]

Keep OS and programs in one partition - makes disk imaging very easy and
convenient for the purpose of restoring. Put data on another drive or
partition - again, in case of image being restored, does not affect data.
To put data on another partition, pre-create 'My Documents' on different
drive and then each user then needs to change the properties (Move Data) of
their 'My Documents' to point there.
Putting the pagefile on different drive may improve overall performance and
again, when it comes to creating image, it also reduces size of the image
since the pagefile is not saved thus making the image creation time also
shorter.

--
Pavel

I'm in the process of rebuilding my PC replacing a 3 drives (20, 30, 160)

setup to a 1 disk (the 160) or maybe 2 for temp and swap.

My question is what is the 'recommended' layout? OS on one partition

(which size), Applications on another one, Data on a third.

I'd like to save our data in one single 'our documents' place and yet

create a login for each user (dad, mom, kid).

 

[Alex Nichol]

I'm in the process of rebuilding my PC replacing a 3 drives (20, 30, 160) setup to a 1 disk (the 160) or maybe 2 for temp and swap.
My question is what is the 'recommended' layout? OS on one partition (which size), Applications on another one, Data on a third.
I'd like to save our data in one single 'our documents' place and yet create a login for each user (dad, mom, kid).
Any good link I could look at for training material?

General discussion see http://aumha.org/win5/a/parts.htm

I'd keep the OS partition fairly small, especially if you have
applications separated - that way my OS partition is 7.5 GB, and has
only about 5.5 in use. A benefit of that is that it can be backed up as
a cloned image to a single DVD disk. But up to 16 - your 20 would allow
you to have the Apps in with it. You might well though want say OS 10,
and Applications in the sense of the children's Games another ten or
twenty

I'd be inclined to then have two other partitions - one for Documents in
the true sense - letters, finance stuff and so on; the other big for the
big files - Videos; MP3 library, photos. Put the My
Pictures/Videos/Music folders on that with My Docs on the second one. A
split then might be 20 20 the rest. or 10 20 20 the rest if you do keep
Apps separate. That comes up to the 4 partitions that you can have as
'primary' ones on a single drive

You can assign the special folders like those, for each user to either
personal or common folders outside the Documents and settings on C:. I
might think of each person having an individual My Documents, but having
the Pics/Vidoes/Music in common. For that Use TweakUI - one of the XP
Powertoys from (if you have installed XP SP1)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp

If you have not installed SP1, the earlier version can be found at
http://download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/Install/2/WXP/EN-US/TweakUiPowertoySetup.exe

Once installed you will find it in Start - All Programs - Powertoys for
Windows XP. Use its My Computer - Special folder to Change Location,
while logged in as each user in turn