Partition?

[Blaine]

I need to create a partition on my hard drive to use as a scratch disk
(virtual memory or page file). I am using high end graphics apps and need my
page file to be on a separate partition. It appears that windows installs
page file to same partition as operating system (just dumps it on empty disk
space I guess?). I'm on a system with a single hard drive running a new
clean install of Windows XP Pro. When I follow the instructions in the help
file the procedure does not work as the disk management tool shows a solid
blue line and there appears to be no way to "right click somewhere in the
empty space on the drive". The disk is at least 75% empty and is fragmented
0%. What am I doing wrong? The "Disk Management Tool" help files don't offer
any alternatives. I have searched exhaustively at Microsoft's site and find
no relevant articles. There newsgroups pertaining to XP went down last night
and are still not back up? They must have been hit again.

Thanks,
Blaine D.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

The only way you can create, delete, resize or merge existing partitions,
and not harm your existing Windows XP installation, is to use
a third-party partitioning program such as Partition Magic 8
(www.powerquest.com).

Partition Magic Instructional Videos
http://www.powerquest.com/support/primus/id3709.cfm


Otherwise, a "clean install" will be required.

The Windows XP CD is bootable and contains all the tools necessary
to partition and format your drive. Follow this procedure and allow
Windows XP to partition and format your drive:

1. Open your BIOS and set your CD Drive as the first bootable device.
2. Insert your Windows XP CD in the CD Drive and reboot your computer.
3. You'll see a message to boot to the CD....follow the instructions.
4. The setup menu will appear and you should elect to delete the existing
Windows partitions, then create a new partition(s), then format the primary
partition (preferably NTFS) and proceed to install Windows XP.

5. Clean Install Windows XP
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

[Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP]

6. After installing Windows XP, be sure and visit the support website
of the manufacturer of the computer to download and install any
available Windows XP compatible drivers, such as video adapter
and audio drivers.

7. It would be best to physically disconnect all your peripheral hardware
devices, except for you mouse and keyboard, before installing XP.
After XP is installed, visit the support website of the manufacturer
of each hardware device to obtain the latest drivers or software
designed to work with Windows XP.


--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| I need to create a partition on my hard drive to use as a scratch disk
| (virtual memory or page file). I am using high end graphics apps and need my
| page file to be on a separate partition. It appears that windows installs
| page file to same partition as operating system (just dumps it on empty disk
| space I guess?). I'm on a system with a single hard drive running a new
| clean install of Windows XP Pro. When I follow the instructions in the help
| file the procedure does not work as the disk management tool shows a solid
| blue line and there appears to be no way to "right click somewhere in the
| empty space on the drive". The disk is at least 75% empty and is fragmented
| 0%. What am I doing wrong? The "Disk Management Tool" help files don't offer
| any alternatives. I have searched exhaustively at Microsoft's site and find
| no relevant articles. There newsgroups pertaining to XP went down last night
| and are still not back up? They must have been hit again.
|
| Thanks,
| Blaine D.

 

[Rowan]

The MS servers are OK, but some others are out.

 

[R. McCarty]

Your drive is fully allocated to your Primary partition (C
To create a new partition, you would have to resize the
existing C: drive, leaving space for creating the new drive.
This kind of operation cannot be done by Windows Disk
Manager. You would need BootItNG or Partition Magic.

Also, you would not want to put your Swap file on the
"end" of your physical drive. This would be inefficient since
swapping would require move drive head movement.

For scratch media, you should install a separate disk drive
and place the Swap File on the first partition on it.

 

[Kris and Blaine]

Thanks everyone.
Blaine

 

[David Shorthouse]

You sure a page file on another partition on the same physical drive will do
you any good? I was always under the impression that it is best to put the
page file on another physical drive for optimum use.

Dave

 

[Rowan]

A separate disk would be optimal, but they have only one, and it is far from
full.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I need to create a partition on my hard drive to use as a scratch disk
(virtual memory or page file). I am using high end graphics apps and need my
page file to be on a separate partition. It appears that windows installs
page file to same partition as operating system (just dumps it on empty disk
space I guess?). I'm on a system with a single hard drive running a new
clean install of Windows XP Pro. When I follow the instructions in the help
file the procedure does not work as the disk management tool shows a solid
blue line and there appears to be no way to "right click somewhere in the
empty space on the drive". The disk is at least 75% empty and is fragmented
0%. What am I doing wrong? The "Disk Management Tool" help files don't offer
any alternatives

You have the whole drive occupied - probably by the sound of it as a
single partition. So you have either to start over, cleaning off the
drive completely in setup of XP, and making a suitable smaller partition
for the system (then afterwards using Disk Management to create your
needed swap one, and then, probably, a third the other side for data
files); *or* you need third party partition management software, such as
Partition Magic 8, to do it for you.

When you then move the page file, take Custom for the drive you will use
and after setting the size (which in this case you would probably make
as both initial and maximum using the whole partition) click Set. Then
do a Custom adjust to the one on C:, setting a small initial and
maximum, I suggest 2 and 50 - and again click Set, or the system may
disregard your settings

I have to say I strongly disapprove of programs that take memory
management out of the hands of the system to use the system page file
for themselves.