Preparing for installation

Hi.

Well, right out this sounds like some strange requirements but why not. Let me try to answer some of the questions.

You can use FDISK to delete the old partitions and create new ones and FORMAT to format the hard disk. Be aware that with FDISK you destroy ALL the data on the hard drive when you change the partitions. The key to formating a drive with a boot disk is to NEVER use the /s trigger. Win98 or WinME or XP will automatically write the system stuff on the hard drive. That way no matter what system the format utility came from you can install any system on the hdd without any interference with any preinstalled system files.

What are the 6 Microsoft start up disks. Most systems are just on one cd.

Yes, you can copy the i386 to the hdd and go from there. Should work just fine. However, there is really no need to put the swapfile or pagefile on the biginning of the hdd. Most software installed after the system is installed, is past the system files and the hdd will be jumping down to get these files and data and back towards the beginning for the system files. Putting the swapfile or pagefile in the center makes it more accessible. However no. 2, you should have at least 256 (if not more) memory these days. With that, you will find that the swap file is rarely, if ever, used. Only when you get into editing very dense graphic files and do a lot of changes will the swap file be used to any real degree. I would forget about any need to place the swapfile or pagefile in any particular place anymore. Not even a minor advantage.

Look around for a program that will sit in the tray and tell you how much memory you have left all the time. Unless it gets down to nothing, forget about any advantage to placing the swapfile or pagefile.

As for Fat32 or NTFS, I prefer Fat32 because I work with a lot of programs that do not work with NTFS. Old stuff from way back. NTFS will give you more disk space but not that much. If you're never low, I would suggest staying with Fat32. You never know when you might install something that won't work with NTFS.

My preferences on hdd usage is never partition a hdd unless it is over 32gigs (windows limit), get O&O or Vopt defrag and only defrag every 2 months (I normally only defrag every 6 months, the time you save in a years time is about the same as the time it takes to sneeze). More just wears out the hdd and is totally unnecessary. If you want to make your system sing better, get more memory and a faster agp screen card with more memory on it.

Hope this helps.

 

Chris

You are making this thing harder than it should be.

1. Install to fat32 because you can quickly and easily convert at anytime later. The cluster size and additional performance of the NTFS file system will be insignificant to you in this (your) configuration. Advantage of booting from a dos disk to get access to the drive if problems crop up.

2. Even NTFS can be fairly easy to convert back to fat32. I don’t use Ghost, but use Drive image to create an image of a NTFS partition then reformat the NTFS to fat32 then restore the image, will put it back to fat32. Drive Image will give an ominous sounding warning about some features will not be available if you do this. Only means the specific security features of NTFS will be gone. Say you set security access to a folder using NTFS features, then this folder will lose those settings only, not the access or contents. Ghost will probably do the same. So in answer to your question about using the win98 or ME disks to go back. Yes if you want to start all over. NO if you think it will convert an NTFS drive. To do that you would use an image as I explained above.

3. Now if you need to use NTFS for getting used to it you can make one of your other partitions into an NTFS. One of the things you could do with this is use the advanced security features of NTFS to say set a folder so that only you or some other user only have access, and no one else could get to it.

4. This stuff about swap/page file is valid but again overrated somewhat. If you want the best swap/page file solution then put it on its own partition large enough to hold any reasonable size you may want to use in the future. Never put anything else on this drive. This way it will never fragment. Technically if it were on another drive on another controller it would be even better. How far do you want to go?

Advice if you are starting a clean install.

1. Use fat32 to install. Geeze use the CD!

2. Install OS and get only required hardware running with no problems. Install no virus scanners firewalls or application programs at this time.

3. Install all service packs and all windows updates. Then…..

4. Install any firewalls virus scanner etc but no application software.

5. Install only OS and OS utilities on C: Like Adawre Spybot only thing you use to maintain or enhance the OS etc.

6. Install all application software like Office games etc on say d: this allows a backup of the OS and data/applications separately. Less fragmentation on OS drive, less need to defragment as often, faster defrags. Image files per drive are smaller more likely to say be sized to be written to a CDRW etc.

10-4??

Mike

 

Ok! Your choice

Response to item #1
I don't think you understood the info you read previously on NTFS. Sure NTFS is a superior file system. Robustness, cluster size, fault tolerance and most important of all file system security. Has more benefits than the fragmentation you seem to have a phobia of. Choose it for those but not for your presumed fragmentation factor.

Being a Sr. Systems Analyst and Systems Administrator managing 62 networks in 6 states I of course use NTFS but not on the system drive. But it is an absolute necessity for confidential data. And several times I have booted to DOS to repair an OS drive and for the time being would not have it any other way.

Item 2
Well I can go on and on about that. I have already mentioned the backup and defragmentation advantages. But separating Operating system and Application and data files to different partitions has many more advantages. I have seen viruses hit one drive and do damage all over without hitting the other partitions (I have also seen it effect all partitions also). I have seen a file system wiped out on one partition and not effect others.
Searches are faster file retrievals are faster.

My favorite benefit, other than just knowing items belonging in the passenger seat or trunk is not in the engine compartment. Is the ability to back up the OS and only the OS and the data or Apps and only the data or Apps.

Yeah! It was ok not partition when you had a 10g HD but even then a good idea.

Finally
Quote:
Finally, about the Paging File, some people say that you shouldn’t place all of it on a different partition or HDD, you should let one piece of it, say 2MB remain on the system partition.
I don’t remember the reason, it was something about a dump to the Paging File when something goes totally wrong can’t access anything but the system partition?.?.?
Unquote

Have no idea where you got this, you can delete or run without a pagefile if you had the RAM and wanted to. Not a good idea. I delete my page file from dos once a month or so as do many. Besides what are backup for?

You asked! I give opinions and options. It is your system do it anyway you want!

Good luck.

Mike

 

Hi Christer.

Placement of the pagefile is a non-issue. If it was a problem, Microsoft would set aside space for it on installation of the operating system. You neither gain nor lose anything by placing it in any particular place or partition. The hdd heads do not necessarily "idle" anywhere. Most all of the Western Digital hdds (and many others) are designed so the head moves from track to track when not used so as to spread the wear over the entire surface of the platter. Chances are the head will not be near the pagefile when it has to access so no lose or gain.

If the pagefile is fragmented it doesn't hurt a thing and doesn't slow down your system unless it is greatly fragmented. You can get O&O defrag and it will defrag the pagefile. You set it to do that and on the next boot it will defrag the pagefile before Windows uses it (it's still unlocked at that point). I would forget about doing anything to the pagefile. Totally unnecessary.

As for partitioning and putting certain data on certain partitions, doesn't matter. Do what works for you. There's no advantage either way except in what you can comfortably control. There's as many valid reasons not to as there are to. You can back up a directory as well as a partition. No real difference. No real advantage.

As for security, the only security for data is OFFLINE storage. Write the data and take it out of the computer and put it on a shelf. If it's on the computer it is susceptable to damage from hackers, viruses, etc. NTFS offers no more security than Fat32.

When you sell your computer, download a program to do low-level formatting from the manufacturer of the hdd. It will write 0's (or some other data) on the entire hard drive. The only way to kill all your data. Nobody can recover it that way. Then fdisk and format.

 

LoL!

Ok! Chris

That confirmed exactly what I told. The part you leave for the dump like Newt said noone uses DUMPS anyway. When it comes down to that most reformat and start over. Put it all on its own partition.

Actually the DUMP was designed for use in beta testing Beta versions of the OS mostly! Microsoft does pick up the DUMP from authorized beta testers on some things.

But you thought this disabled access to other drives. No noone said that.

Chris don't be paranoid about this give it its own private partition and forget the dump. Let microsoft have their DUMP! Smile!

Now that that is over. Think hard about my logic on NTFS on the boot drive. Also seperating OS and data. Think it through because to do it later is hard. Fresh install is the time to do it.

Mike

PS Now show me the part where coverting from fat32 to NTFS makes large clusters!

 

Hi Chris

I speed read the 1st ref to 512b.

Yes I agree this should happen (slowdown and defragmentation) in theory, just as larger (than 4K) could be faster. I have never noticed the difference. BTW Partition Magic will allow you to change this.

But irreguardless of the file system you choose for the boot drive if you limit the boot drive to the OS only it will become almost static as far as fragmentation.

Any way good luck

Mike