New disk partitioning strategy

[Nil]

I will probably be installing XP Pro to new 600 GB hard disk. I would
like to create a system partition for the OS (and applications?) in
order to make it easier for me to keep offline disk images for recovery
in case of disaster.

How large should I make the system partion? Would 50 GB be sufficient?

 

[Bob I]

Maybe, why not go for 100?

 

[Smiles]

Well Nil I went to 30gig which is more than you will need

then I would split the rest into maybe 4 or 5 equal partitions

enjoy

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I will probably be installing XP Pro to new 600 GB hard disk. I would
like to create a system partition for the OS (and applications?) in
order to make it easier for me to keep offline disk images for recovery
in case of disaster.

Placing data files on a partition or physical hard drive separate from
the operating system and applications can greatly simplify system
repairs/recoveries and data back-up. There's very little point,
however, in having a separate partition for just applications. Should
you ever have to reinstall the OS, you'll still also have to reinstall
each and every application anyway, in order to recreate the hundreds
(possibly thousands) of registry entries and to replace the dozens
(possibly hundreds) of essential system files back into the appropriate
Windows folders and sub-folders.

How large should I make the system partion? Would 50 GB be sufficient?

It's largely a matter of personal preference. Personally, I create
a "system" partition that I think is large enough to contain the OS and
applications, the swap file, and to accommodate future growth, and a
much larger "data" partition to store all of my data files.

Without knowing much more about the number and types of applications
you plan to install, and how much room you'll need for the swap file
(which is largely dependent of both the amount of physical RAM and the
types of applications installed/used), it's virtually impossible to
provide a definitive answer to this question. Given the size of the
physical disk you're planning on using, I think I'd tend to "err on the
side of caution," and make the system partition larger, something on the
order of 100-125GB.


--

Bruce Chambers

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[boatman312]

Sure

I have often installed XP on 40 gig drives and have not run out of room
(assuming data are stored elsewhere)

I guess I've been collecting programs too long. My 40Gb C drive has
28Gb of OS and programs, plus a 2Gb swap file.

As far as the other partition sizes, it depends on the nature of the
other storage required. I've got AVI video files that consume 3 or 4Gb
at a time, but I use a separate 500Gb disk for them. I also Ghost C:
onto the second hard drive (plus on an external drive, of course...)

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Nil:

How large should I make the system partion? Would 50 GB be sufficient?

Yes... and 30-40 will probably (depending on # of apps...) be
too. That's what I've been using for a number of years.

But if I were doing it on another person's machine, I'd allocate
100.

Reason: Each MS update leaves a footprint in the form of
"Uninstall" files. After a couple of years, they add up and
the bigger C: is, the longer it will be before "Out of space on
C:" starts popping.

If it's my own PC, no prob - I know where to look and 30-40 is
plenty. But if it's a technophobic family member that is 100
miles away and I haven't found out about TeamViewer yet, the
longer before that message, the better...

 

[Nil]

Without knowing much more about the number and types of
applications you plan to install, and how much room you'll need
for the swap file (which is largely dependent of both the amount
of physical RAM and the types of applications installed/used),
it's virtually impossible to provide a definitive answer to this
question. Given the size of the physical disk you're planning on
using, I think I'd tend to "err on the side of caution," and make
the system partition larger, something on the order of 100-125GB.

OK, I'm back in business, thanks to all your good advices.

A little more of the story I didn't mention before is that what
prompted this whole thing was that my 250 GB, single partition hard
disk was failing. I bought a new 600 GB disk with the intention of
transferring my old boot partition to the new one with Acronis True
Image 11. Unfortunately, because the file system on my original disk
was corrupt (but still working) my every attempt to clone to old disk
to the new one resulted in a new corrupt file system. Even though I
REALLY REALLY wanted to avoid the pain and tedium of having to
reinstall XP and all my applications, I was ready to grit my teeth and
get down to it. The one upside of it would have been that it would have
a good opportunity to revisit my partition strategy - hence my post.

However, I finally managed to restore the contents of my old disk to
the new, avoiding the corruption. I had to jump through a bunch of
tedious hoops, but I won't go into that now, unless someone wants to
hear the story. I also had the chance to reduce the boot partition from
250 GB to 80 GB. I now think that's overkill - now that I've moved all
my data files off to another disk, my new C drive has only about 25 GB
of OS and apps. Oh well, disk space is cheap these days. And I still
have over 500 GB of space to spread my data out in. Life is good again
in Computerland.

Thanks, everybody for all your help.