Primary PARTITION Size???

[mitch77]

Hi, thanks for reading my question,

I want to partition my new drive to get the maximum usable space.
How small can I leave the primary with 98SE in it.
Will this harm performance?
Are there any other apps I should put in with 98SE?

My sys (if it matters)
1GHz PIII, 512ram, Abit SA6R, 87SE. 60GB hd

Thanks for your time and help

Mitch

[pjungwirth]

Mitch,

Welcome to the PC Guide!

I don't know exactly how much space the partition table uses or even whether it grows when you add partitions, but I know it's got to be almost nothing. People don't usually partition a drive to gain space, nor do they worry about losing any. Good reasons to partition are organization, filesystem integrity, operating system limitations, and backup simplification. And if you want to run a multi-boot system, you'll need at least one partition for each operating system.

60GBs is a huge drive! I'd definitely carve out a few partitions.

I don't know the answer to your question about the size of Windows. Someone more knowledgeable than me will have to speak up. (But if you want to leave room to upgrade to future versions, maybe you should buy another drive.... ;-)

Paul
~{:-)

[bassman]

Hi Mitch, and welcome.
You can partition that whole sucker as one big old 60 gig drive, or as 10, 6 gig drives, or what ever you like. You can even make one small partition (1 gig) and leave the rest for later. The purpose of partitioning is to create usable space and determine the File Allocation Table (FAT).
If you have a need for multipul partitions, these are created with Fdisk or a third party partitioning software (Partition Magic).
You can put everything you want on your computer on your primary partition.
Hope this helps http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

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If I tell you to think for yourself, then you're not doing it.
.
.
This is not directed at those asking questions in order to gain knowledge. That shows you are thinking.

[This message has been edited by bassman (edited 08-29-2001).]

[mitch77]

Let me start over,
I want to isolate Windows from all my other data.
The idea is when windows blows up (as it always does)
The I can just reformat the primary partition and
leave all the other data undisturbed.
As a 2nd line of defense, I also have Norton's Ghost
and a 2nd HD that I will use to copy all the non-OS data to.
I have Partitiion magic but I have never used it.
I just am not sure of what needs to be on the same
partition as the OS.
I don't want to slow down the sys by leaving some app
out of the primary partition.
Windows takes less than 400 meg space
Does this help with an answer?

Thanks again

Mitch

Originally posted by bassman:
Hi Mitch, and welcome.
You can partition that whole sucker as one big old 60 gig drive, or as 10, 6 gig drives, or what ever you like. You can even make one small partition (1 gig) and leave the rest for later. The purpose of partitioning is to create usable space and determine the File Allocation Table (FAT).
If you have a need for multipul partitions, these are created with Fdisk or a third party partitioning software (Partition Magic).
You can put everything you want on your computer on your primary partition.
Hope this helps http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

[mjc]

Why use Ghost just to backup the non-OS data? You can make an image of the entire OS setup...just get it setup and tweaked to your pleasure, then Ghost the install to your second drive, and when as you say Win blows up, just restore the backup...and you'll be up and running in a fraction of the time.

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

Gun Control...hitting what you aim at!

[yawningdog]

The way you're talking about doing it doesn't work very well. Yes, all of your important data will be backed up, but if you format and reinstall windows. you will still need to re-install all your applications. (In the case of Office 2000, or such similar software, that's a drag. MJC sounds like he's got it wired and in fact, I think I'll try it myself.

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Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him to use the net, and he wont bother you for weeks.

[bassman]

Hey Mitch,
Now I get it. Yes Windows takes less than 400 Megs, but you will need a tad bit more room than that. You will need to figure in double your Ram and I would say at leased 100 Megs more. With todays basic configurations in mind, that comes close to 800 megs, so I would go for a full 1 gig. If you put all other apps and data on the rest, you should be just fine.
One thing to keep in mind is, Windows crashes quite often due to conflicts between other apps. If you feel you are protecting your system and data by doing this, you are using false hope. Those other apps are still co-existing with your data and when they get into it, everyone in the room gets hurt.
You might try something like this,
1 Gig---OS, swapfile, +a little, "set as active"
20 Gig---All other apps, + a little
39 Gig---Storage for all data.
Actual numbers may vary due to actual usable space on that monster, and how much you need for apps.
Hope that helps
http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

------------------
If I tell you to think for yourself, then you're not doing it.
.
.
This is not directed at those asking questions in order to gain knowledge. That shows you are thinking.

[This message has been edited by bassman (edited 08-30-2001).]

[bogart]

i also use this method of safety. i have 3 partitions. i use 1 (E http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif for when windows crashes or starts slowing down. i move all relavent data to E: that i want to keep, then format C:.
however, even if you do put your apps on another partition you will still have to install them again after installing windows as the registry will have no record of them.
still, i used this method in the absence of a cd/rw for back up, and it works quite well.

i also think that windows 98 should be in no bigger than an 8Gb partition, but this might just be for first edition. someone may be able to answer that query.

bye

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son, i'm thirty, i only went with your mother cos she's dirty

[Vic 970]

I have been thinking along some of those lines myself. I have partioned my HD (40 Gb) with partition magic. with the intention of putting up a second o/s. I am running 98 at the moment & was going to try 2000. then changed my mind to 98se. & probably then delete the original 98. however at that point I realised that this would involve the registry settings, so the apps would have to be reinstalled. (can't figure out though how people say that they run their apps with either system, as surely it would install in one or the other.)

Basically if the system curls its toes, there's a fair bit of re-installing to do, but partitioning does help to organise things better.

If using partition magic though, (I believe) you don't need to worry about the sizes of the partitions as they can be adjusted as circumstances change.

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for every question there's an answer. Then a load more questions.

Regards..,
Vic.

[BigBlue66]

Whoa, slow down here a minute. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/eek.gif

Let's say for example that you have three partitions. C drive is the OS. D drive is all other application programs. E drive is a mirror (ghost) copy of the C drive.

The registry in the OS that's installed on C knows that the other apps are on drive D. So, when Windows decides to go bye-bye, you format the C drive and copy the mirro image back to it from the E drive. Voila! Registry is same as before and apps have not moved.

Right? Wrong?

Cheers,

BB 66


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"Right turn Clyde!"

[Vic 970]

Yeh, agree with that, but what about multiple o/s. or what I was thinking of doing was to put in 98se (as well as 98) then delete 98. I would have to reinstall apps. whether I kept 98 or not (or 2000 or whatever) also if there are 2 o/s, how COULD you run apps from either. surely when the apps are installed it tells the registry to link to one o/s or the other!

or tell me I'm wrong?

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for every question there's an answer. Then a load more questions.

Regards..,
Vic.