> -----Original Message-----
> Date:    Sat, 6 May 2006 18:44:47 -0400
> From:    Hugh Vandervoort <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Partition question
>
> If you're using XP or 2000, create your System partition when you
> install the OS. Create the additional partitions with Disk Manager when
> the install is complete.
> I'm not sure your system would actually work. Would you really be able
> to avoid re-installing the programs in the event of a crash? You'd have
> to change the default install of every program, and you'd have to
> re-create some of the info in Documents and settings.
> Does anyone know the answer?
>
> chipo chika wrote:
> > I always partition hard drives whenever we buy new pc's. I usually make
> > 3 partitions: system, programs and data. I do this to safe guard data in
> > case of corrupt system files and a format is inevitable. Also the
> > prgrams are isolated so that I dont need to re-install them whenever the
> > OS is re-installed. Whats the best way partition drives?
>
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> ------------------------------

I did exactly this at one time with an older PC using Win98SE (still
working) and had partitioned the HDD in much the same way. While an OS
re-install on another partition does not affect the actual program files
installed elsewhere, any newly registered dll's or reference to shared ones
within the OS created by the install of the programs will not be
re-established during the reinstall of the OS. What might work (at least it
did for me) is a current image of the OS on another partition. I used
Symantec's Partition Magic 8.0 to separate the HDD into several partitions
on an 80Gb HDD after everything had been originally installed and used one
of them to create an image of the partition with the OS. When I did
something that needed a re-install of the OS, I installed the OS onto the
primary partition (which was recognized during install) and the copied the
image (still a rather lengthy process). It did help avoiding having to
re-install all of the programs I had as some of them can no longer be found.
I don't know whether this would work on XP or 2000.
Of course now, rather than partition an existing drive as Chipo Chika has
indicated, I backup the entire primary drive to an external unit. ;^) YMMV.

Chris Ryan
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