Partition Size Scheme

[Guest]

I have a box of 250gb & 120gb, I intend to separate the OS partiton from the
DATA partition. But I don't know how to decide the OS partition size so the
system will have a high performance without wasting hard disk space.

Any suggestions?

Here's a list of programs I will use regularly:
- VS.NET
- Macromedia Studio
- Adobe Creative Suite
- DVD Burner

Thanks for your help & suggestions

 

[Mark Dormer]

12 Gb works well for me.

Regards
Mark Dormer

 

[Nog]

I have a box of 250gb & 120gb, I intend to separate the OS partiton from
the
DATA partition. But I don't know how to decide the OS partition size so
the
system will have a high performance without wasting hard disk space.

Any suggestions?

Here's a list of programs I will use regularly:
- VS.NET
- Macromedia Studio
- Adobe Creative Suite
- DVD Burner

Thanks for your help & suggestions

For what practical reason do you have for separating the os from the data?
If the drive fails you loose both anyway. If the os fails, neither are any
good. If the data fails, it is usless either way. Running a mirror drive for
backup is one thing but having a jumble of partitions is bad disk management
since you can't predict how much space you need. You either run out of room
or have large wasted areas.
Keep it simple, one partition will do.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Mark for your constructive response. Some technician replied the same:
~10gb free space is good for pretty much every scenario.

 

[frodo]

Since you want to have VS.Net (along w/ all the MSDN Library) on the HD
you may want to consider more space. But regardless, IMHO it's best to
make partitons that are reasonable in size rather than having humongous
volumes w/ large cluster sizes. But also, disks run best when they are
not too full - 50-60% filled is max for efficient allocation and future
defragability. I'd guess a 20-30 GB main partition would suit you, and
put the MSDN Library on a diff partiton along w/ other stuff that doesn't
change often (like your music collection).

Consider carefully how you partition initially. It's best to use XP Setup
to delete all exsiting partitons, and then make JUST THE ONE main
partition, and install XP on that. Then, using Disk Manager, make other
partitions as necessary. It's ok to leave space unallocated for future
use. HOWEVER, choose carefully how you make that second partition -
should it be a Primary (ie, bootable), or an Extended? It might be wise
to first make a Primary of, say, 20 GB and DO NOT USE IT (JUST YET), and
then turn the rest into an extended and allocate a chunk of it for your
next logical drive. Reserving the extra primary partition for the future
may be wise, you could use it as a recovery partiton (w/ second copy of
XP), or a Ghost/True Image boot partition. Since you have a second drive,
it would be a better choice for the Ghost Partition tho.

Google for "Partition" or "Partition Planning", or some such, there is a
lot of reasonable advice out there, much of it conflicting (of course!).
Good Luck.