Quick Partition Question

[LeonE]

Hi all

After experiencing a complete OS crash for the 3rd time in 2 years, I've decided to take some steps to make things easier should it happen again.

I plan on dividing my HD into 2 partitions- one for the OS and all updates/hardware drivers etc, the other for all my programs and data, plus a copy of any downloaded updates/drivers.

Will it be ok arranged like this? I presume that drivers and OS need to be together, but will it have any ill effect putting all programs and data on a seperate partition (e.g. slow things down, cause it to crash etc)?

 

[SNGX1275]

You will be able to run your system like that without any problems. I've done that with all my systems for about 5 or 6 years now. The only "issue" you'll have is that all the programs want to install to C:\Program Files and likely you'll want them installed to D:\Program Files. Its a little bit cumbersome initially, but I've gotten so used to switching the C to a D that I hardly notice when I'm doing it.

If Windows needs to be reinstalled you will still have to install your programs again, but at least you'll have a list of what you installed sitting there in D:\Program Files as a reference.

A lot of people use a program like Norton Ghost and then clone their system right after a fresh install of Windows with all the latest updates so that may be an option too if you feel like shelling out some money and having a Norton product installed...

 

[LeonE]

You will be able to run your system like that without any problems. I've done that with all my systems for about 5 or 6 years now. The only "issue" you'll have is that all the programs want to install to C:\Program Files and likely you'll want them installed to D:\Program Files. Its a little bit cumbersome initially, but I've gotten so used to switching the C to a D that I hardly notice when I'm doing it.

If Windows needs to be reinstalled you will still have to install your programs again, but at least you'll have a list of what you installed sitting there in D:\Program Files as a reference.

A lot of people use a program like Norton Ghost and then clone their system right after a fresh install of Windows with all the latest updates so that may be an option too if you feel like shelling out some money and having a Norton product installed...

So even if the programs are on a seperate partition, I'd still have to re-install them again if I wiped my OS partition?
If so, is there any way around this?

 

[smore9648]

Hi all

After experiencing a complete OS crash for the 3rd time in 2 years, I've decided to take some steps to make things easier should it happen again.

I plan on dividing my HD into 2 partitions- one for the OS and all updates/hardware drivers etc, the other for all my programs and data, plus a copy of any downloaded updates/drivers.

Will it be ok arranged like this? I presume that drivers and OS need to be together, but will it have any ill effect putting all programs and data on a seperate partition (e.g. slow things down, cause it to crash etc)?

Thats what the smart people do!

 

[LeonE]

Thats what the smart people do!

What's the point of it though? I could understand if it meant not having to reinstall all your programs again, but if you have to do that anyway I don't see what the benefit is of having programs and OS on seperate partitions.

 

[PuterGeekGirl]

I think he meant using Ghost or something else to image it. This will make it so you wouldn't have to reinstall anything....if something happened to your drive or windows and you put the image back on, it'd be like nothing ever happened. At most you'd maybe need to run some updates that had come out since the time you created the image.

We use this at work for mass deployments, it makes everyones lives alot easier!

 

[SNGX1275]

What's the point of it though? I could understand if it meant not having to reinstall all your programs again, but if you have to do that anyway I don't see what the benefit is of having programs and OS on seperate partitions.

Because you mentioned storing other stuff on that partition other than just your program installs.
If you don't want the hassle then just make your C drive big enough to hold all your program installs and use D for music/movies/documents/pictures/whatever else. That way if you have to reinstall windows at least those things are left untouched.

 

[LeonE]

This sounds similar to what I'm after. My ideal situation is to have 2 seperate HDs, each with 2 partitions (one for the OS and any programs, drivers etc and one for all data files).
I'd then have a program that I can use to copy the contents of one HD onto the other, so that they're always the same. That way, if I have a serious problem I've always got one HD with everything as I like it.