I can think of a few applications that might require being installed into the primary partition, but not many. Perhaps a firewall, applications for use with a router, or an anti-virus program ... some of the Windows-based utilities or programs with a need for Common File access, in other words. But almost everything else can be installed in a separate partition with no ill effects. There's certainly no reason to install an inordinately large application like a game on the primary partition. If I had my system set up in that manner, it would take 17-18 CD-R disks every time I backed up the OS partition, and more time than I'd wish to detract from my limited computer use while at home.
Actually, I don't need 5GB for the primary partition, not with a slaved drive, because the paging file has been moved. 3GB is closer to being the optimal size for that partition, within these circumstances. However, with just one hard drive, even a slimmed down version of WinXP (with only the most essential applications installed within the primary partition) can approach 3GB after a year or so of use, and with the paging file added to that, could reach nearly 4GB. And there must be a certain amount of free space left on the partition for programs to run, or you'll begin to experience out-of-disk-space errors. That begins when the free space on the partition reaches 200MB or less.
Supposedly, WinXP can be installed on a partition as small as 1.5GB, but I think that is pushing it just a little bit.
I wish I could talk you into taking a look at an imaging program like Drive Image 2002. Clean installations become a thing of the past with an image in hand. Which is basically the whole point, IMHO. It's not just about backing up; it's keeping downtime to a bare minimum. I like to fix computers while at work, but when I get home, an error message is the very last thing I want to see ... and as for formatting and starting over; no thanks. I've got better things to do.
I also have all my programs, updates, drivers and patches safely stored away on disks for easy access, but I still advocate imaging as the best back up solution. I don't know about you, but setting up my desktop exactly as I want, including a plethora of tweaks for optimal performance ... this can take me six to eight hours, working straight through, and I'm bound to spend another week or so making a few changes each day until I am completely satisfied with the way the system runs in every respect. If a problem arises that might require a reinstallation of the OS, a format and a clean install, (for me, at least) is simply a major pain in the rear, and something I'd rather avoid if at all possible.
For example, the other day I installed an Elcard codec that caused all other video applications to stop functioning correctly. Uninstalling it left over 150 errors and orphaned keys in the Registry, corrupted the Control Panel display, and removed my LAN connection. (It also appeared to remove my ability to create a new connection, despite my best efforts.) Nasty bit of work, that codec.
Based on your personal preferences, I'd have been looking at a repair of the OS, (which would have necessitated reinstalling 45 hotfixes), or a format and clean installation of the OS, which would have required that I reinstall over 80 programs with their updates (purposely not counting about 100 Photoshop plug-ins), all the drivers, reinstalling the hotfixes, alter more than 50 Registry settings, and <i>then</i> customize the desktop and the start menu ... everything from the type of cursor to the color scheme to the screen saver.
Sorry, dude ... but I'm just too lazy to go to that much trouble, just because one application did some damage. Doing everything once (the first time), was all the effort I intend to spend on a single system. Sure, it's being picky, but I'm just not capable of building a computer, installing only a handful of programs, and using the default settings. Call it a personality defect.
Using a recent image had me back up and running in perfect condition in 12 minutes flat, counting reboots.
I'm glad you do your system maintenance on a regular basis, and while asleep is an excellent time. But not everyone takes out the time to perform these necessary procedures, and sometimes leaving things on automatic means they just don't get done. For instance, I talked to a user the other day who was complaining about his system being sluggish. I asked him about his defragging schedule, and he responded that the computer did this without any intervention on his part. It turned out that the utility in question had long ago been disabled, without his knowledge, and the computer hadn't been defragged in over 2 years.
As for myself, I defrag the system partition each day, and the other partitions once a week. I always run CHKDSK on the partitions before a defragmentation run, and move the directories to the top of the hard drive. It takes about 2 minutes to defrag the primary partition because of this, or about the same amount of time needed to get up, get a cup of coffee, and walk back to the computer room. As a result, maintenance is simply not an issue with my systems, and I expect to rarely ever encounter a disk error due to a bad cluster or sector ... not as long as the hard drive is functional.
There are some habits worth adding to your daily schedule, IMHO.
Of course, my friend, you certainly don't have to agree with any of this. That's your right, and you are more than entitled to your opinion. But I hope you won't hold it against me for advocating a different point of view. That's life on the 'Web.
Later ...
Toey
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