Re: Formatting New HDD

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From: Ken Blake (kblake_at_this.is.an.invalid.domain)
Date: 12/17/04 

Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 11:26:38 -0700

In news:ABA937A3-DF20-4569-9CD7-30AD69C0ACF5@microsoft.com,
Enrique <Enrique@discussions.microsoft.com> typed:

> Hi Harry and R.C. White:
>
> Thanks for all the useful information. Your thoughts are truly
> appreciated.
>
> Do you have any thoughts on which file system - FAT or NTFS -
> should
> be used?
>
> Since I will partition and format a 40GB hdd for my laptop,
> this is
> the configuration I envision:
> C: drive - 1GB (Sytem files)NTFS
> D: drive - 14GB (OS)NTFS
> E: drive - 12.5 (Apps/Utilities)NTFS
> F: drive - 12.5 (Data)NTFS
>
> I am separating my system partition from the boot partition for
> two
> reasons. Firstly, as an added security measure should someone
> access
> my C: drive they won't find my OS and data there - making it a
> little
> more difficult to wreak havoc on my system. Secondly, I hope
> that I
> can run MS-DOS from the C: drive, in the event that the OS
> fails, I
> can at least obtain a C:> prompt to begin repairs or retreive
> data.

MS-DOS has no support for NTFS and won't be able to access your
partitions (at least not without special third-party software).

Besides MS-DOS shouldn't be needed. The way to retrieve your data
in the event of a serious problem should be from your backups.
The way to repair the operating system if it fails is with the
use of the Recovery Console.

Also be aware that there is little, if any, value to separating
installed applications from the operating system. People
sometimes do this because they think that if they ever have to
reinstall the operating system cleanly, they can keep their apps.
However this isn't true; if the operating system is reinstalled,
the apps have to be too.

In my view, you are planning too many partitions, especially with
a drive as small as 40GB. With such small partitions, you run the
risk of running out of space on one while still having lots left
on the others. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't consider
having more than two partitions: one for the operating system and
apps, the other for data.

> All my system files will be on the C: drive in my
> configuration.
> 1- Can I also add MS-DOS system files to the C: drive as well?

Yes, but they won't do you any good.

> Will
> MS-DOS operate in NTFS?

No. See above.

> I won't have enough space for a double OS
> installation, and would like to be able to boot back to a C:\>
> prompt
> should the OS become corrupt.

In my view, people worry far too much about the operating system
becoming corrupt. With a modicum of care, this almost never
happens. If it does, you can always boot to a DOS diskette (but
remember that no matter how you boot to DOS, you can't access
your NTFS partitions). And, as I said above, the Recovery Comsole
is provided for this purpose.

> I've heard that over time the OS will tend to grow and consume
> more
> space on the hard drive.
> 2- Is this due to Microsoft updates and service packs? Or is it
> due to
> applications depositing their files in the OS?

Both.

> 3-If, applications do rely on the OS that heavily (both using
> OS
> dll's and adding their own shared files to the OS), then
> shouldn't
> applications coexist in the same partition as the OS?

Yes, as I said above. 

-- 
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

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