XP boot partition on larger drive?

**Bobby_M** · 04-06-2009, 01:49 PM

Ok, so I'm an electronics nightmare lately. First the compressor on a 6 year old refrigerator seized. I then fried the graphics chip on my 14 month old laptop. Now I have a virus that requires me to completely reformat and install winXP. I made the mistake of leaving my first 300gig HD as a single C: partition so I have a lot of data files intermixed with system/windows files. I have everything backed up to an external drive, but I'm rethinking my long term strategy.

Do any of you create a smaller boot partition on a single drive to isolate the OS?
I currently have two 300gig internal drives and a 750g external that auto backs up the two internals. How much of the current C: drive would you partition off for boot? Would this also be used for additional program installs like Office, etc? Pros/Cons of this strategy? Thanks.

Tenchiro · 04-06-2009, 02:34 PM

If you haven't already reformatted you can use a Linux Live CD to clean that virus, such as Knoppix STD. Isolating the OS is the best way to get rid of a virus.

If you are still going to reformat I generally just do one partition per drive with windows. Especially if they are <500GB drives. Although getting one small <100G 10,000RPM SCSI drive is a fantastic way to separate the boot portion of the PC from the storage portion.

**Homercidal** · 04-06-2009, 05:46 PM

I'd probably partition 80 GB or more.

You can repartition without uninstalling if you use Partition Magic, or one of those programs. I have a Floppy Disc and CD set that I can boot with and select different sizes of partitions and it will create new and resize without messing up your data.

I would def check into a Linux Live CD, or Barts PE that you can boot to and see if you can manually clean up that virus enough to be able to get your files or even repair windows. For that matter, you might want to try running a repair from the install disc and see how that works. I've had success that route before too.

**Bobby_M** · 04-06-2009, 05:52 PM

I don't think I've done a fresh install of XP since I built this machine 4 years ago. I'm pretty set on starting over because this virus is in some of the sys files. I'm going to take a guess that a windows repair isn't going to overwrite them. The machine always runs faster anyway because it gets rid of all the bloat in background processes.
I'm thinking about putting a new 160g drive in as my C: and reformatting the current drive for spare data.

Stef1966 · 04-06-2009, 05:55 PM

I Always make a separate System C: partition, then i install all the software i need following the D:\program files\"name of the software" instead of C:

Of course all my precious documents are also stocked in the D: or E: and so on extra partitions.

Then when all the OS, Drivers, software and fine tuning is done, i use Acronis true image to make an image file of my system partition, then is anything goes wrong, (virus, root kit, spyware whatever...) it takes about 20 minutes using acronis boot disk and my system is back to mint condition.

I. L.O.V.E I.T

Blender · 04-06-2009, 06:00 PM

I use a separate drive for all data that I want to save. That way if the C drive or OS fails that data is still there on the other drive. I do not use the My Documents folders that are created with Windows but use separate folders for all my savable stuff.

**Homercidal** · 04-06-2009, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stef1966

I Always make a separate System C: partition, then i install all the software i need following the D:\program files\"name of the software" instead of C:

Of course all my precious documents are also stocked in the D: or E: and so on extra partitions.

Then when all the OS, Drivers, software and fine tuning is done, i use Acronis true image to make an image file of my system partition, then is anything goes wrong, (virus, root kit, spyware whatever...) it takes about 20 minutes using acronis boot disk and my system is back to mint condition.

I. L.O.V.E I.T

+1 on this. I have a friend who does this and he can image his computer in minutes, and that installs all of his basic programs too. Then he just runs updates on a few things.

I've had the same install since I last upgraded my MOBO. I can't remember when that was. Years.

But I would consider doing what you wanted to do with using the 160 GB as OS partition and the 300 as data. Not a bad choice.

TwoHeadsBrewing · 04-06-2009, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby_M

I don't think I've done a fresh install of XP since I built this machine 4 years ago. I'm pretty set on starting over because this virus is in some of the sys files. I'm going to take a guess that a windows repair isn't going to overwrite them. The machine always runs faster anyway because it gets rid of all the bloat in background processes.
I'm thinking about putting a new 160g drive in as my C: and reformatting the current drive for spare data.

Fantastic idea, and that's what I do in my computers. Extra hard drives are so cheap anyways, it's a good way to avoid data loss in event of HD failure: have two drives instead of one. Not to mention that two drives can be accessed at the same time, so this configuration is fater. Once you've got your new OS installed, I'd buy/borrow/steal a drive imaging program and make a snapshot your OS drive. Next time you have to reinstall it will take you 20-30m tops.

**JVD_X** · 04-06-2009, 06:26 PM

I've given up using separate partitions. Now I just go get the largest drive I can find (2 x 1 TB in a mirror right now) and put everything on the same drive. When a 2 GB drive is available at a decent price I will move up to that.

Stef1966 · 04-06-2009, 07:50 PM

My C: partition is only 20 gygabytes, all that goes there are windows system files and some resident drivers files.

My image file can be stored on a DvD data disk, but nowadays i put my image files on an external USB drive.

Takes me at most 20 minutes to recondition my OS with Acronis this way.

Viruses? rootkits? Ha! bring 'em on!

(of course, HD failure can always happen, thats why i try to burn the very precious data like familly pics and the like).