How to best partition for my uses?

[PCHeller]

I just bought a Western Digital Caviar WD6400AAKS 640GB.

I'm not familiar with partitioning, so I'd like to try it on my new drive.


C:/ 40gb Raptor: XP Pro, Photoshop CS3, Office 2007, 6gb of pictures, 3gb of random applications used for various infrequent reasons.

J:/ 10 year 8gb old junk drive used for storing music.


I'd like to have some way of backing up XP, or the ability to reformat it without losing all my data.

I could care less about the security of my music, but I've got the junk drive filled up.

Pictures are highest priority since I make money off those, but i'll likely make back-ups on DVD.

Lastly, I still want to maximize speed for the games I'll be playing now that I've got some space.

 

[agathodaimon]

You could keep the raptor as your boot drive...
Install the new drive, then make partitions for each category... one for Music, one for apps, one for pictures, etc... If you need to, create some extended partitions as well, depending on your needs.
I'd scrap that old drive... lol. Not much use for an 8gb drive with a new 640gb drive.

I bet that new drive is even faster than the old Raptor.

 

[Foxery]

I recommend the opposite - use as few partitions as possible; otherwise, a year down the road you'll run out of space on some, while others have room to spare. Directories are how you organize different types of files. If you plan to keep the Raptor, use that as your boot drive and the new 640 for everything else.

Personally, I estimated that a 60GB boot partition should last me for a few years, (yet keeps fragmentation at bay,) and the rest of my drive is one large media warehouse, organized by directory. So far, so good!

 

[Nothinman]

Install the new drive, then make partitions for each category... one for Music, one for apps, one for pictures, etc... If you need to,

Uh, no. That's what directories are for.

 

[BassBomb]

I've got my 250gb partitioned as follows

16GB Boot 104GB Programs 78GB Downloads 34GB Stuff

Downloads consists of my music and tv shows and games before i transfer them to a 500GB external HD

In your case I would:

Raptor 18 strict windows important stuff + 42 install programs / games

640 -> one or two large partitions consisting of your stuff .. possible the second could be other games if raptor is running low

 

[agathodaimon]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

Install the new drive, then make partitions for each category... one for Music, one for apps, one for pictures, etc... If you need to,

Uh, no. That's what directories are for.

ok, thanks. I won't voice my opinion again.

 

[Nothinman]

ok, thanks. I won't voice my opinion again.

You can continue to do so but that doesn't mean that everyone won't point and laugh every time. What you suggested with all of those partitions is akin to buying a separate house for every member of your family, it makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[PCHeller]

I set 590gb for DATA and 50gb for BACKUP.

Should do alright either way.

 

[pugh]

hmm you sure that 640 will give a true 640? Last I heard it is 598. I got two of the sitting here so will know sometime this week.

 

[Foxery]

Ugh, there should be a forum sticky on this.

There are 1024 bytes in a kilobyte, not 1000.
640,000,000,000 / 1,073,741,824 bytes in a GB = 596 actual GigaBytes of space on the drive you bought.

 

[mmc4587]

Originally posted by: Foxery
Ugh, there should be a forum sticky on this.

There are 1024 bytes in a kilobyte, not 1000.
640,000,000,000 / 1,073,741,824 bytes in a GB = 596 actual GigaBytes of space on the drive you bought.

True-dat
......


partitioning is something I am quite familiar with. This is what I reccomend:

C: WindowsXP (for everyday use) -primary partition
D: WindowsXP (clean install, for emergencies) -primary partition
X: Data (storage, backups, etc..) -primary partition
Y: Logical (misc. uses) -extended partition

Here are the main benefits:

1. You have a second partition with an "emergency" OS if windows crashes, just before you need to hand in that term paper. (you might be suprised how often that happens)

2. You can re-format your windows partition without loosing any data.

3. This enables drag-and-drop backups, as windows copies items dragged from one HD (or partition) to another--but won't copy items dragged from one directory to another on the same HD (or partition).

4. You can create any number of logical drives (partitions) within an extended partition. I have used logical partitions for Linux Distros, and Game disks (no I don't like putting in the disk every time I want to play a game).


......
Windows XP has a built-in Partition manager.
C:\WINDOWS\system32\diskmgmt.msc
or type "diskmgmt.msc" using the run command.
......

I see you have a 2 HD setup so some of the above won't apply, but it gives you an idea anywhoo of what you can do with partitions (especially if your new disk is faster than your raptor).

 

[Nothinman]

3. This enables drag-and-drop backups, as windows copies items dragged from one HD (or partition) to another--but won't copy items dragged from one directory to another on the same HD (or partition).

You can have explorer copy with drag/drop to the same volume if you hold down either ctrl, alt or shift. I can't remember which one right now.

 

[aussiestilgar]

Originally posted by: Foxery
Ugh, there should be a forum sticky on this.

There are 1024 bytes in a kilobyte, not 1000.
640,000,000,000 / 1,073,741,824 bytes in a GB = 596 actual GigaBytes of space on the drive you bought.

True, but they sell the drive as a 640GB drive, not a 640,000,000,000 byte drive damn them :evil:

 

[mmc4587]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
You can have explorer copy with drag/drop to the same volume if you hold down either ctrl, alt or shift. I can't remember which one right now.

ah, thanks..

and it is Ctrl.