Seperate Partitions for OS and Programs/Data

[Bob Day]

We are creating stand alone computers using custom .NET software, Windows XP
Pro and Dell Computers. No end user ever looks at the screen of this
computer (it handles telephone calls).

We are considering Creating a seperate partition for the operating system
(c:\), and then a partition for all programs and data (d:\), and maybe a 3rd
partition for a drive image created by back up software (E:\). We are
trying to achieve more stability, so that if Windows XP crashes, it is
isolated on its on partition and will not affect programs or data.

Qusetion 1) Before I head down this path, is there a URL that would
completely explain this approach, its pros and cons? What are you thoughts?

We recently had an ugly Windows XP crash on C:\ (only partition), that took
a lot of time to restore (because all programs were there as well). The
Windows XP recover console, and even repair options, would not make it
bottable, so we did a re-install. Once we reinstalled Windows XP and got
it booting, all programs, while still physically on the hard disk, were no
longer 'registered' to the newly installed XP. The only way I see to get
them recognized by new XP, is to re-insall each programs (or repair if their
original CD has such an option).

Question 2) Is the only way to get XP to recognize programs on its hard
disk to reinstall (or repair) from the original CD? Of is there some type
of utility that would look at the hard disk and register all programs there
to the new XP (that would be great).

Thanks for your input.

Bob Day

 

[Chris Lanier]

Greetings


It is a great idea to have different partitions on your PC. Even
Microsoft's XBox's hard drive is made up of different partitions. If you
use a program like Drive Image to make backup you will not have to reinstall
your software on top of it. But if you just do a Clean Insall of Windows
with your programs on that different partition you will. You lose all the
registry info for the programs when you do a Clean Install.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Naturally, isolating data onto a separate drive or partition is
almost always a good idea. Doing so should be standard practice
whenever the data is of any importance at all. Besides isolating the
data from OS/application problems, this practice makes data backup and
recovery much simpler.

However, as you've discovered, whenever you re-install the OS, you
have to re-install the applications, as well, to create the thousands
of necessary registry entries and to place essential files into the
OS's system folders. For this reason, it makes very little sense to
place applications on a partition separate from the OS.

Install the OS and applications into a single partition and
configure them the way you need them to be. Then create a recovery
image of this partition and store it else where, for easier recovery.


Bruce Chambers

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