On Wed, 17 Mar 2004 13:41:31 -0600, "Carey Frisch [MVP]"
When performing a clean install, Microsoft recommends that NTFS be used and
that the system be installed in a single partition on each disk.
Yeah, but MS has also recommended:
- autorunning scripts in unsolicited email "message text"
- dumping downloaded .EXE in the data set
- using up to 1G+ for web cache PER USER PROFILE
- using NTFS in consumerland
- not bothering to back up in consumerland
- not bothing to look at file extensions when "opening" files
That's going by duhfaults, such as "hide file name extensions", "run
email messages in Internet Zone", "IE default save location is My
Documents" (as well as web pages that suggest putting .EXE there so SR
doesn't fiddle with them), offering Disk Compression but no Backup as
the Win9x installation duh-faults, not offering Backup with XP Home
even as they push NTFS at them, etc.
So please, don't cite MS advice as "best practice" !
Under Windows XP, big partitions are better managed than in previous
versions of Windows.
YMMV there; Defrag does tend to strew material from one end of the
volume to the other. Do you have documentation on how MS decides what
should go at the far end, for maximum head travel? Even when the
entire file set is 10G on a 120G HD?
Forcing installed software into several partitions on the disk
necessitates longer seeks when running the system and software.
Well, that's the result if your partitioning logic is poor, sure.
What I do is:
7.99G FAT32 C: (4k clusters, OS, core apps, page file, temp)
Extended:
2G FAT16 D: (the cleaned-out "My Documents" objects)
largeG FAT32 E: (games, bulky stuff)
2G FAT16 F: (autobackups, "cold storage")
More on "cleaned-out My Documents" and "bulky stuff":
By duhfault, MS dumps incoming ?malware (IE downloads, MS Messenger's
unsolicited "My Recieved Files") and bulky material (My Pictures, My
Music, My Videos) in the My Documents data set - making this too big
to backup, and polluting it with incoming malware that may be brought
back onto the system after a payload-necessitated rebuild.
That's the junk I rip out of the data set and relocate to E:
With the above scheme, C: can blow itself to pieces and the data's
safe. The inevitable auto-check that follows bad exits may kill, bury
and deny files when it "fixes" them, but that's less likely to happen
to D:. Defragging and ChkDsking C: is quick, because C: is small, and
less hassle with the big E:, because the big E: is seldom in use.
No matter how sharp, lazy or just plain clueless Defrag's file
positioning logic may be, C: and D: (combined) can never be worse than
the first 10% of a 120G HD. The heads will never have to step over
all the gunk on E: just to swap, temp or make new files, when E: is
not un use. So even after you accumulate 90G of videos, pics and
music, the system stays as fast as it was when new.
If you decide to use NTFS, then C:'s MFT stays small, thus less likely
to break (large structures, longer critical window times).
This is a highly cynical and objectionable article.
Sure; once the OEM forces one big NTFS, the user's f$%!ed, because the
crappy Instant Restore CD enforces it, and nothing would convert back
from NTFS to FATxx. Much better than setting up as FAT32, and
allowing the user to convert to NTFS if they wanted to **, eh?
Great for OEMs; no pesky "what does it mean when Scandisk says..."
calls, and every virus infection or data burp can be fobbed off with
"NTFS? Sorry, nothing we can do - just run the Recovery CD".
** There is one technical advantage in installing directly to NTFS
rather than on FAT32 and converting later; the former allows more
appropriate per-file permissions, whereas the latter ends up with
"flat" permissions for everything as the installation process cannot
set permissions on FAT32.
So if you know it's more important to you to stop Other People from
reading your stuff than, say, being able to recover data or safely
remove malware without hosing the system, then go NTFS from Day Zero.
-- Risk Management is the clue that asks:
"Why do I keep open buckets of petrol next to all the
ashtrays in the lounge, when I don't even have a car?"
