Partitioning drive

nottseagull

esuhl wrote: »

If "D:" is your data drive, you shouldn't be installing anything on it! There can be no "half-installs" on a data drive, and if it's fragmented, just run a defragmenter like you would on any other partition.

I do not understand this advice. Windows XP stores documents etc on the C drive, yet that is the drive it also suggests you download programmes on to.

esuhl

nottseagull wrote: »

I do not understand this advice. Windows XP stores documents etc on the C drive, yet that is the drive it also suggests you download programmes on to.

You can install the operating system, other software and personal data on any partition you like, provided it is formatted with a compatible file system. In the example I was referring to, the "C: drive" would be used exclusively for the operating system and other software, and the "D: drive" exclusively for personal data.

JasX implied that this would lead to problems when the operating system was deleted from C: because C: would contain registry settings for programs installed on . I was trying to explain that the whole point of creating a "D:" partiton is to keep the data separate; programs shouldn't be installed on , so this should be a non-issue.

Hope that explains what I meant!

JasX

nottseagull wrote: »

I do not understand this advice. Windows XP stores documents etc on the C drive, yet that is the drive it also suggests you download programmes on to.

As per eshul's explanation, hence if you are going to partition you need to make sure you change this to hold your documents on D rather than C and only install programs to C (unless you know they're ones that can survive being 'orphaned' on D if you reinstall windows on C).

By all means download programs to D and keep the install.exe there.

I regard all that as very fiddly and that you're much better off with a single partition as default

esuhl

JasX wrote: »

I regard all that as very fiddly and that you're much better off with a single partition as default

While I would find it more "fiddly" to mix up my data with OS and application files.

Both approaches are perfectly valid - it's about finding the right way to organise your system so that you find it easier to run backups, re-install operating systems, find your files, etc. There's no right/wrong way as such...

I didn't want to complicate matters... but I actually have a number of partitions on my main hard drive (and a few other drives too). Because I have several operating systems, it makes sense to have my data separate from them. I can delete any OS, leaving my data untouched. I can also back up just my personal files (which change regularly) or my music files (which don't) or... whatever.

In case you'd like an example of a system with multiple partitions, here's how my system is set up:

DISK 0:
1st partition (NTFS): Windows XP (and installed applications)

2nd partition (ext3): / mount-point for Arch Linux OS (and apps)
3rd partition (NTFS): Windows 7 (and installed apps)
4th partiton (ext2): /boot mount-point for Arch Linux OS
5th partition (ext3): /home mount-point for Arch Linux (c.f. "My Documents")
6th partiton (linux-swap): swap partition for Arch Linux
7th partition (FAT32): useful "scratch pad" as FAT32 partitions can be read/written to natively by Windows and Linux.

DISK 1:
1st partiton (NTFS): Data
2nd partition (NTFS): Music
3rd partition (NTFS): Video

DISK 2:
1st partition (NTFS): Backup 1

DISK 3:
1st partition (NTFS): Backup 2

DISK 4 (external):
1st partition (NTFS): Backup 3

Anyway.... hope that helps!

JasX

Doesn't your PC get 'warmer than it needs to be' with 4 drives in it? do you always have all 4 powered up?

Hammyman

JasX wrote: »

Doesn't your PC get 'warmer than it needs to be' with 4 drives in it? do you always have all 4 powered up?

Power Management should automatically power down the laptops.

JasX

Hammyman wrote: »

Power Management should automatically power down the laptops.

....I'd assumed a desktop with 4 physical drives ;p

esuhl

Ha ha - yes it's definitely a desktop! The backup drives power down automatically when they're not in use. And, if I'm just surfing then the Data/Music/Video drive will be powered down too after a few minutes.

I was intending to add a panel with key-operated switches to turn the backup drives on/off (similar, but not quite the same as this device)... but I'm not too worried about wearing the drives out - I have 3 backups (unlikely to all fail simultaneously) and I'm running out of space on the backup drives anyway.

As for the temperature, I have a roomy, well-ventilated case (Antec P193, I think) with 2 x 120mm fans in the front, 2 x 140mm fans on the top, 1 x 200mm side fan and another 120mm fan in the back which sucks air in over the radiator (CPU is liquid cooled). According to the mobo, it's 34C (14C above room temperature) - don't think that's too bad.

Hammyman

LOL. I meant to type hard drives and for some reason put laptops, DUH!

Been moving house this week and I think its got to me, wibble