Partition Question

[henryay]

Hello,
I'm getting my new hard drive any day now and I have a question.
If I create 2 partitions, and I install Windows on one of them, can i format that partition later and keep the data on the other partition intact? just like a 2nd hard drive?

 

[CurtCold]

yes

 

[loafbred]

I second that yes. I like having at least two partitions on my primary drive. Using partitioning software, you can also leave an unneeded portion of the drive unpartitioned, then partition the remainder to a size/sizes you like, later, without affecting the integrity of the existing partitions. I have my 80GB partitioned into three (17, 17, and 16GB) partitions formatted in FAT32. I have yet to need the third partition, but when it is filled, I will be free to decide how to partition the other 30GB.

 

[Chaotic42]

I'll third the yes.

When I get home, I'm splitting my hard drive into multiple partitions. I'm reinstalling Windows XP and Debian because my stupid video card kept crashing and taking the system down, messing up the file systems pretty bad.

Anywho, on my 80GB WD drive:

hda1-5GB Win 98 System
hda2-30GB Windows 98+XP Data
hda3-7GB Windows XP System
hda5-3GB Debian /
hda6-3GB Debian /home
hda7-2GB FreeBSD /
hda8-1GB Debian Swap
hda9-1GB FreeBSD Swap (unless I can use the same swap for both)
hda10-1GB Windows Swap
hda11-3GB Debian Backup /
hda12-3GB Windows 2000 System
hda13-1GB GNU HURD
hda14-3GB Other Linux Distro

That's 63GB of 80GB. I might add more if I think that I need to.



Edit: Clarity.

 

[brucehao]

That is a whoooooooole lot of partitions... geez. I get confused with just two

 

[Sid59]

4th yeah ..

that reminds me .. must look for a easy linux distro and drivers for my hardware

 

[arcenite]

hexyes

Bill

Edit: What'd you do w/ hda4? Poor guy.

 

[thorin]

Absolutely.

Thorin

 

[Vegito]

yeah i use to parition but it got to be a big hassle.. so i just went out and bought those 9.1 wd scsi that were in hot deals for 29 bucsk

hd1 - scsi wd 9gb 10k - w98se
hd2 - scsi wd 9gb 10k - w2k
hd3 - scsi wd 9gb 10k - wxp
hd4 - ide - wd 120gb - software and movie files
hd5 - ide - wd 120gb - data files, etc

I got those wd a while back after rebates and gift cards - around 50 bucks each, I only worry about losing the hd5 since its all the excel, word, etc sheets.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: aRCeNiTe
hexyes

Bill

Edit: What'd you do w/ hda4? Poor guy.

hda4 is the extended partition that has the logical drives 5-14 in it.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I'll third the yes.

When I get home, I'm splitting my hard drive into multiple partitions. I'm reinstalling Windows XP and Debian because my stupid video card kept crashing and taking the system down, messing up the file systems pretty bad.

Anywho, on my 80GB WD drive:

hda1-5GB Win 98 System
hda2-30GB Windows 98+XP Data
hda3-7GB Windows XP System
hda5-3GB Debian /
hda6-3GB Debian /home
hda7-2GB FreeBSD /
hda8-1GB Debian Swap
hda9-1GB FreeBSD Swap (unless I can use the same swap for both)
hda10-1GB Windows Swap
hda11-3GB Debian Backup /
hda12-3GB Windows 2000 System
hda13-1GB GNU HURD
hda14-3GB Other Linux Distro

That's 63GB of 80GB. I might add more if I think that I need to.



Edit: Clarity.

Are you a coke fiend? I couldn't even keep those straight! You have got to be up all night trying to keep them separated (thuse the coke fiend comment)! Some OSs don't like to be near other OSs. I assume that you've picked them carefully. Do you really USE them all?

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
Are you a coke fiend? I couldn't even keep those straight! You have got to be up all night trying to keep them separated (thuse the coke fiend comment)! Some OSs don't like to be near other OSs. I assume that you've picked them carefully. Do you really USE them all?

Sure. As far as I know, the only one that is picky about where it's located is Windows 98, so it goes on hda1. Everything else doesn't care. I haven't installed BSD yet, but if it's going to be picky about where it's installed, that makes it look bad in my eyes


Here's a pic

 

[Ilmater]

What do you use them FOR?Do you just not like how some programs run in some operating systems?

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
What do you use them FOR?Do you just not like how some programs run in some operating systems?

Well, let's run them down:


hda1-5GB Win 98 System: I have a lot of programs that won't run in XP, so I'll have 98 around, just incase.

hda2-30GB Windows 98+XP Data: duh

hda3-7GB Windows XP System: Since I have 2 OSes using the same data drive, I split them up. Also, if one of them craps out, I can format it with out losing the important stuff on hda2.

hda5-3GB Debian / : I'm a big Debian user. I have been for 6 years. I use it for programming, web development, pretty much anything except for games.

hda6-3GB Debian /home: Same principal as splitting Windows up into system and data drives.

hda7-2GB FreeBSD /: I've wanted to play around with BSD for quite a while. I've got the space, the disk, and the time, so why not?

hda8-1GB Debian Swap
hda9-1GB FreeBSD Swap (unless I can use the same swap for both)
hda10-1GB Windows Swap: Pretty obvious here.

hda11-3GB Debian Backup /: Incase Debian FUBARs

hda12-3GB Windows 2000 System: I got an old Windows 2000 CD, so why not install it. It would be nice to play with.

hda13-1GB GNU HURD: An emerging system that I'm interested in. Don't know if it will live happily on hda13, but I'll try.

hda14-3GB Other Linux Distro: Just to try out other Linux systems like RH, SuSE, and others. Maybe one day they'll put out a version that I like more than Debian.... Naaahhhh....

 

[DrPizza]

Obviously "yes"....
Since my computer is a family computer, I've partitioned an 80 GB drive into 20 for wife, 20 for each son, and 20 for me. Whatever's on their drive is theirs. I won't erase it. The primary drive is formatted 20/20/40 for windows and programs, data, and songs. I fairly regularly reformat the first partition and reinstall windows whenever I realize that it'll take less time to do that than to hunt down a nagging problem that I can't get to go away. One of these times, I've gotta remember to ghost it to make it easier.

 

[viper118]

yup, that is probably the best thing to do.. if ever you need to format, you can just format the partition that has the os on and your data will be safe on the other partitions...

i have done this many times and i have never ran into any problems...

 

[arcenite]

No one caught my error.. I said hexyes (mainly cause for some reason I was thinking six) I shoulda said pentyes... Oh well, everyone got the idea ;-)

Bill