Re: Advice needed on partioning HD for XPPro

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

From: Mike Kolitz (mikekol_at_idontlikespam.mvps.org)
Date: 03/29/04 

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 03:38:35 -0600

Having your swap file on the same physical drive as the operating system,
but on a separate partition is not the best way to go. Doing this will only
make the drive head have to move more to do the same job, and will actually
decrease performance. That's why Microsoft recommends it stay on the same
partition as the OS (which really isn't necessary - if you move it to
another physical drive, you may get a performance increase, depending on the
speed of the drive). 

-- 
Mike Kolitz MCSE 2000
MS-MVP - Windows Setup and Deployment
Remember to check Windows Update often,
and apply the patches marked as Critical!
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect
"A Colwood" <ac@nbco.nospam.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:OQyXWcDFEHA.580@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> Hi,
>
> I am about to install Win XP Pro on a system presently running Win ME. I
> would appreciate if anyone can advise me about partioning a large HD in
XP.
>
> My current arrangement is as follows:
>
> Drive 0: Maxtor 120GB
>
> C:    18GB      Windows and application programs
> D:    2GB        Windows swap file
> E:    50GB      Data
> F:    50GB      Data
>
> Drive 1: Seagate 20GB
>
> G:    20GB      Backup files
>
> (The swap file is on a partition on drive 0 because I figured it is still
> faster than putting it on drive 1 which is older and slower.)
>
> All partitions are FAT32. The system has 512MB of memory and the swap file
> is set to a minimum size of 512MB. (It only really uses much swap file
when
> I'm really pushing the system with PhotoShop and GoLive.)
>
> The Microsoft site recommends partitioning as one huge NTFS volume which I
> don't really like the idea of. MS also suggests that the paging file in XP
> should be on the same partition as the OS for efficiency.
>
> Would a sensible compromise be to combine the C: & D: partitions as a
single
> NTFS volume for the OS and page/swap file and application programs and
keep
> my separate Data partitions?
>
> Also, should E: & F: be converted to NTFS or can they be left as FAT32?
>
> I hope I haven't been too long winded with this query.
>
> TIA
>
>
> -- 
> Antony Colwood
>
>

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Partition Planning
    ... Having a dedicated partition for the swap file will most likely prevent the ... Don't install any hardware or software yet. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware)
  • Re: knoppix 5.01 mkdosswapfile ?
    ... How can I set up a swap file on dos to save files permenantly? ... pretty much any folder on any partition. ... NTFS is, however, dodgy at the ... Knoppix creates a loopback image inside of the ...
    (comp.os.linux.misc)
  • Re: knoppix 5.01 mkdosswapfile ?
    ... How can I set up a swap file on dos to save files permenantly? ... pretty much any folder on any partition. ... NTFS is unusable as a swap partition. ... build a new model that makes the old model obsolete. ...
    (comp.os.linux.misc)
  • Re: Multiple Hard Drive Advice
    ... Putting your applications on another drive or partition doesn't do anything for you. ... Personally I like to make C: just a bootstrap partition and install the OSelsewhere, but that is just me, and if one OS will do for you then unnecessary. ... Since you have more than one drive I would recommend using a dedicated swap file on a drive that does not contain an OS and is otherwise only used occasionally for backup. ... The reduced head movement to access a swap file guarantied to be in a limited area and two drives running in parallel may only speed things up a small amount, ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware)
  • Re: Multiple Hard Drive Advice
    ... Applications on the same drive and partition as XP Pro? ... Personally I like to make C: just a bootstrap partition and install the ... swap file on a drive that does not contain an OS and is ... disadvantages of any configuration of the hard drives that would be worth ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware)