Partitions

[Skybird]

A gospel for some, not even a second thought for others. However, with HDs in the terabyte range now, I think it is even more a good idea to keep a little structure on your HD.

You can do it by folders. But you cannot defragmentise individual folders.

I learned from XP that Windows is best kept alone, so I want to give it an individual partition, the first one on the HD. 100 GB

Swap files can fragmentise, but there is no tool I know of that can defrag swap files. But if you have them on a separate partition, you can occasionaly format that one. make it twice the size of the maximum possible mepory (if I should ever upgrade to 16 GB RAM ). 40 GB for the swapfile on the second partition.

The next one should be all applications and games, plus data files: pics, texts, projects, save games, downloads, archives. This obviously will be the biggest partition, close to 800 GB. - Is it a good idea to keep data and applications of two different partitions? Currently I do, but I failed to see a benefit from it.

Next, the Flight Simulator with 80 GB. Ypou do not necessarily want those huge databases I use being included in every defragmentation routine (occasionally XP started to reshuffle those multiple dozens of sorted GB just for npothing and althoigh they had not been used, which then turned the defragmentation from a seconds- and minute-business into an hour-business).

Finally, a small 10 GB chess partition, because the database interferes with the system restoration function, so that it can be switched off for just the chess database (else the database gets rewritten every time you reboot or end Windows.

Good ideas? Bad ideas? Comments welcome. For example I read that some people recommend never to put Windows and applications and data on different partitions under Win7.

[Gerald]

To split up into two or three-is good, I myself have two parts which correspond to my needs.

[Arclight]

Partitioning is a good idea. Simply dividing it in 2 means you can keep the OS and eveything else separated, meaning you lose no data at all with a reinstall (provided you make sure what you want to save is on the other partition).

If you're looking for better performance I'd suggest splitting up over multiple drives.


I have 3 drives, with a 64GB partition for Win7 and programs. Static data (installers etc), media and games are installed on other partitons or even other drives entirely. Never had any issues with the setup.

[Skybird]

That makes me wonder about one thing (never did that myself).

Imagine you have Windows on a partition all by itself and npothign else there, maybe just some data in "Eigene Dateien", but usually you have kept all datafiles and applications on other partitions.

Then your windows messes up, and you decide to format drive c: and reinstall Windows, or you copy an image.

What about the software on the other drives? The original registration was on c: and thus got deleted, right? Gets the other software and needed hardware drivers recognised automatically and reenetred into the registry all by itself? What about manually done driver updates?

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I also have no experience with system restoration. In XP I used to had it switched off, becasue in the early XP days before and during SP1, it gave me nothing but troubles and bogged down system, I don'T know how often I had to reinstall the whole thing. I leanred to not trust system restoration.

But when I use it now, what does it actually do, physically? What kind of files and data gets set back, what data is kept? I never saw it working as advertised in those early XP years, so I really have no real clue what to expect of it and what not, all expreience I had were sauch that I learned it did not work back then. What happens with software that got installed after the system restore point that is being used for restoration?

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Finally, I know that Win7 includes an internal routine for creating volume images. How reliably does it work? Is it inferior or as good as a separate program like for example Acronis True Image? I mean for complete images of all partitions, no gimmick stuff?

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by Skybird

That makes me wonder about one thing (never did that myself).

Imagine you have Windows on a partition all by itself and npothign else there, maybe just some data in "Eigene Dateien", but usually you have kept all datafiles and applications on other partitions.

Then your windows messes up, and you decide to format drive c: and reinstall Windows, or you copy an image.

What about the software on the other drives? The original registration was on c: and thus got deleted, right? Gets the other software and needed hardware drivers recognised automatically and reenetred into the registry all by itself? What about manually done driver updates?

-----

I also have no experience with system restoration. In XP I used to had it switched off, becasue in the early XP days before and during SP1, it gave me nothing but troubles and bogged down system, I don'T know how often I had to reinstall the whole thing. I leanred to not trust system restoration.

But when I use it now, what does it actually do, physically? What kind of files and data gets set back, what data is kept? I never saw it working as advertised in those early XP years, so I really have no real clue what to expect of it and what not, all expreience I had were sauch that I learned it did not work back then. What happens with software that got installed after the system restore point that is being used for restoration?

-----

Finally, I know that Win7 includes an internal routine for creating volume images. How reliably does it work? Is it inferior or as good as a separate program like for example Acronis True Image? I mean for complete images of all partitions, no gimmick stuff?

This one?,
http://www.acronis.eu/promo/ATIH2011...6934&k=acronis true image

[Arclight]

Best thing and prolly only thing you can do for the page-file is move it to another drive. Think they nailed proper config from XP Sp1 or 2.


Don't know about the system restore (disabled except C: ) and backup functions, never touch 'm. Reinstall for me means wipe C:, install OS and then software.

So yes, you do need to reinstall programs to get their registry entries sorted again. Many programs, especially games since the last years, depend on it.

You can drastically cut this effort short by only installing the most critical stuff first (system drivers, most used software) and then storing an image of C: for future use.

Not sure the image tool in Win7 is as good as the Acronis one, but you can be assured it's a proper tool. Indeed, Microsoft does know what they're doing (it's how they're doing it that raises concern).

*had a peek, looks simple yet functional. Think I'll start keeping images of C:.

[Gerald]

No problems with system restore, I have experienced, that "some" changes made on the newly installed program, because you are going to go back in time, but records other files and your o/s in which nothing happens, used it four days ago, no problem at all,the only thing that happens is that you can take down the updates you did before the restore.

I use W7 64-bit Ultimate,Partitioning (2) 1TB and 500GB

[Skybird]

FYI, I yesterday used that Windows 7 porgram for creating volume copies, and created an image of the HD of that gentleman's notebook I mentioned before. I used an old external HD he still had.

The procedure went like a breeze, and relatively fast although the external HD was 4 or 5 years old, he said, and no USB 3.0 connectors. When the machine was done, it automatically created also a rescue disc from which to boot in case of emergency, to copy back the image onto the main HD.

No need for Acronis or Paragon software anymore. Trust W7, I say. It does the job, maybe without gimmicks and candies, but it gets the job done. And that's what counts.

[MaddogK]

Why defrag swap files ? Just delete the suckers, run defrag then re-init them. I wouldn't try it on anyone elses computer, but have done it many times on my XPsp2 machine: boot in safe mode and goto your virtual memory settings and set 'no paging file', save, reboot in safe mode again and run your defrag. Once done, go back and re-enable your paging file, reboot again. I run 2 page files- one on the boot drive (C: 1.7 times ram size, fixed), the other on the second partition (D: windows configured size).

Run NOTHING else while in safe mode with paging disabled.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by MaddogK

Why defrag swap files ? Just delete the suckers, run defrag then re-init them. I wouldn't try it on anyone elses computer, but have done it many times on my XPsp2 machine: boot in safe mode and goto your virtual memory settings and set 'no paging file', save, reboot in safe mode again and run your defrag. Once done, go back and re-enable your paging file, reboot again. I run 2 page files- one on the boot drive (C: 1.7 times ram size, fixed), the other on the second partition (D: windows configured size).

Run NOTHING else while in safe mode with paging disabled.

You cannot defrag swap files. Thats why I like to have them on a separate partition which instead of defragging it gets reformatted occasionally.

I have three partitions on my HD now: windows+own files/data, swap, and software+games.