jues-? about your drive partioning article
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Posted on Oct 09, 2003 06:41 pm
coolo
Frisco's Most Underrated
Member Since: Jan 28, 2003
jues, if you partition your drive into three sections, and you leave the third for data, like you described in your article, do you have to install XP on the third partition as well? Or only install it on the first two?
thanks
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Oct 09, 2003 06:49 pm If you are only running one operating system there is no reason to partition your hard drive at all. If you feel you must partition for whatever reason, you only need the OS installed on the primary active system partition, however, the other partitions do need to be formatted into the NTFS file system format. His article about partitioning was in relation to running a dual boot system that runs two OS's. Partitioning while running a single OS will be of no beneift, and in some cases actually be a drag on performance.
Just an FYI.
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Oct 09, 2003 11:17 pm ok, I'm a bit confused now. If you install XP on the first partition, and XP on the second partition, is that considered running more than one operating system?
My plan for partitioning my 80GB hard drive was such:
partition 1) 15GB for experimenting with creating web sites. I was going to install APACHE server software, whatever I need for php and MySQL.
partition 2) 8 GB for Music production software etc.
partition 3) 8 GB for Graphics production software etc.
partition 4) storage drive for partitions 1, 2, and 3.
Do you think partitioning in this manner is the way to go?
Oct 10, 2003 05:38 am no, I think that is a real waste of space and resources. WHat I would do in your case is what I recomended above, run one partition, one instance of Windows XP.
If you want to learn PHP/MySQL, go to spaceports.com or somewhere and get free space to leanr it, WIndows is not the way to run PHP/MySQL, you can, it works OK, but it's best on Unix/Linux. However, if you HAVE to do this for whatever reason, just keep the apache services turned off until you start developing, when you do turn on Apache and the other web services while you are.
Why is graphics production on it's own partition? Graphics production requires less than half a dozen application and some plugins for them...
Personally, I think you would be better off going and buying a 20GB hard drive or so and using that for the system drive, and using the whole 80GB drive for the storage drive.
Unless you are running two DIFFERENT operating systems, partitioning is a waste of time and resources.
vdalehubbardLost for words with all to say.Contributor
Since: Sep 12, 2003
Oct 10, 2003 08:30 am I make my living working at a College as the PC/Network Technician and I agree with jues. No need to have seperate partitions for graphics, then recording, then everything else. It's only necessary if you are running 2 operation systems (Windows and Linux on the same box for example). What I have done for my recording computer (aka "The Blue Beast"), I have a 20GB hard drive running XP with ALL my applications installed on that same harddrive. Then, I have a second 200GB harddrive as my storage for all my recorded wav files, etc. Don't install your applications on a 2nd partition/harddrive that isn't the one with your OS, you're asking for trouble there. Make sure they are installed on the same harddrive as the OS. Plus, having that 2nd harddrive for files is a most for computer recording in my book. If your OS gets corrupted or your harddrive fails (which happens alot!), you've lost everything in that partition or harddrive. That would totally suck with majority of your project recorded!!
Dale
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Oct 10, 2003 01:38 pm ok, let me clarify to make sure I understand. You guys think the best route is to get a second hard drive for running the system on, and leave the 80 Gig drive for storage space. Barring that partitioning the 80 gig drive and using one partition for the OS and all programs, and one for storage is the way to go? Or don't even bother partitioning at all.
The reason I was thinking about partitioning so much was because I kept hearing about how much better performance you get if you only have your music apps on one drive rather than mixing them up with any other programs.
Thanks, for the help guys.
Oct 10, 2003 01:43 pm Quote:
The reason I was thinking about partitioning so much was because I kept hearing about how much better performance you get if you only have your music apps on one drive rather than mixing them up with any other programs.
Whotold you that? The computer has no idea what programs are what. They just launch what they are told, when they are told.
Keep your system and apps on one drive, and all your projects on another. It's the best solution. Partitioning is not the right answer unless you want to run two different OS's, if anyone tells you otherwise, stop listening to them. :-D
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Oct 10, 2003 01:52 pm Well, per se, in jues's article, he mentions put all the Microsoft Office apps, monkey island and whatever other programs on one drive, and just put audio apps on the second drive. am I missing something?
Oct 10, 2003 01:56 pm I don't agree with that at all. A studio box should not have any of that crap on it in the first place, if it does, partitioning up your hard drive really does no good at all. There are arguments both ways, but honestly, partitioning originally came into being just because hard drives got bigger than operating systems new what to do with, so they HAD to partition to use the whole drive.
What you gain in one way you loose in another, OS's are now smart enough to handle a terabyte or so before partitioning is necessary.
The over-all big picture comes down to loosing performance.
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Oct 10, 2003 02:02 pm so it's off to the store to buy a new hard drive I guess.
Oct 10, 2003 02:03 pm Ultimately the difference will be minimal either way, it's not really worth agruing about or worrying yourself about. I'd sooner see you spend that time making music than sitting there worrying how to get that extra .5% performance boost.
Look at it this way. If you have your OS, apps and audio on different partitions of the same disk to run your OS, run your apps and get your audio would make the hard drive head have to boundce around all over the disk to get what it needs from where it needs it. This is a big loss in disk I/O (input/output). Having your OS and apps on one DRIVE and your audio on another DRIVE (not partition) you have two sperate disk heads that can go about their merry business completely independ of each other...decreasing seektime and increasing I/O.
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Oct 10, 2003 02:19 pm that makes logical sense. Like I said, it looks like I'm heading to the store to get another hard drive.
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Oct 10, 2003 02:24 pm woops double post
juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Oct 11, 2003 07:48 am No no no no no, you've missed the point completly dB :)
The point was to create two seperate WinXP installations - one which would house the general purpouse gaff and the other which would be purley for Audio Work. This mean's the windows registery and components can be streamlined and optomised soley for running the DAW of your choice.
jues.
Oct 11, 2003 08:07 am No, I understand that. I just disagree with it being that important, while I think your article is wonderfully written and very thorough I don't necessarily agree this should be the case all the time.
More importantly, what I was more concerned about in coolo's case was that he wanted to have a partition on the same drive for his project storage, which would be a waste of time and energy due to the performance hit it would take for the reasons I explained above.
el musicoFreeleance Producer/Engineer/GtrMember
Since: Aug 11, 2002
Oct 12, 2003 02:30 am so you're both right then. i don't want to *beat a dead horse but i'll kick it once more:
i use a combo of both.
i have a 40 gig drive that i have split in 2 partitions using XP Pro for the reasons stated by jues... to have my DAW OS registry free of the extra crap that i may download or install on the other. i have 2 more drives for storage like a 15gb for mp3s/photos and a 120gb for audio files.
it's worked fine for me thus far.
*edit- yeah i'm dumb
juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Oct 12, 2003 09:37 am Yeah, so if you imagine the drives as:
C: General OS
D: Music OS
E: MP3s etc
F: Audio Werk
Now you have to install Windows XP on C: and D:, but E: and F: do not have to have any OS installed on them and XP will be able to "share" the information on these drives between installs with no problems.
Regards
jues.
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Oct 12, 2003 09:59 am audio werk? is that like kraftwerk?
olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Oct 12, 2003 01:15 pm I agree that it's not really important any more to partition an HD, but it's still not a bad practice.
The OS partition is the most likely to become corrupted, if your data is on that partition your more likely to lose it. It also keeps the OS running somewhat faster due to fewer files on the partition and less fragmentation since the drive is written to less frequently. The target drive for most virus's is C:\ if your data is is on it and it's a nasty virus you could easily lose alot of stuff by the time you could stop it. For those that like to reinstall their OS occasionally it makes it much easier to do a clean install. It's also more convienient to back up. Defrags take less time as well. HD's have multiple platters & Heads, with a single partition your more likely to be using a single head for all writing/reading with the resulting slowdown. There are still alot of good reason's to partition an HD IMO, though for alot of people there's really no need to do so. On machines I build for clients I rarely create partion's on them (other than a recoverey partition) for the simple fact they go unused since the default for install of all programs is C:\Program Files. :)
Dan
vdalehubbardLost for words with all to say.Contributor
Since: Sep 12, 2003
Oct 13, 2003 07:51 am Wow! Leave for a few days and look what happens! ;) Me being a computer technician, let me break it down for you.
Having seperate partitions so when your OS gets corrupted, the partitions will save you from losing anything, is not true. If your OS happens to get corrupt and you have no choice but to reinstall, I can guarantee you that data on all your other partitions will be screwed up. When data gets corrupt is mostly due to the harddrive going bad. If that happens, you're screwed. That's why I said that on your recording system, a 2nd harddrive is a most. You can put twenty partitions on a single 10GB harddrive, and not a single partition is safe from the other ones. I see it pointless to partition a harddrive for what we do here at HRC. Have one harddrive with the OS and whatever recording applications you want, have a 2nd harddrive for the temp files and such. All you are doing with partitions is putting a little wall up for organizational purpose, you are not protecting any data at all.
Dale
olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Oct 13, 2003 02:05 pm vdalehubbard: We'll have to agree to disagree. :)
Dan
Oct 13, 2003 02:08 pm Please Note Sarcasm:
Or, you'll have to be wrong
:-D
vdalehubbardLost for words with all to say.Contributor
Since: Sep 12, 2003
Oct 13, 2003 02:18 pm I fix PC's daily. Your funeral.
Dale
Oct 13, 2003 02:22 pm I fixed PC's daily for years back before AGP was even heard of, but while I don't see it as being anyone's funeral, and I can see pros and cons both ways, I tend to agree two drives is far better than two partitions.
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Oct 13, 2003 04:38 pm Ok, well here's the thing. CompUSA has a Seagate 120 GB hard drive for $60 after mail in rebate. I think I'm going to pick it up on principle. Plus I won't have to worry about partinioning my hard drives, and I'll have more than plenty of disk space.
olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Oct 13, 2003 07:29 pm that's the ticket coolo, can't go wrong there. :)
Dan
