StarDestroyer.Net BBS

I need some information about disk partitioning. I have some (frustrating to use, but it works) software already to do it, though if someone has better, please post.

1)
My computer is having major Windows rot and slowdown. When it shipped it had the STUPIDEST configuration out of the box I have EVER seen, and I didn't bother to correct it (I should have).

C: partition: 15 GB
D: partition: 100 GB

Whoever set that up should die.

The computer was basicly a brand new Sony VAIO that a company was getting rid of on EBay (they were selling 20 or so). I didn't get the restore disks (BTW any chance I can get Sony to send me these? Anyone know?).

So anyway my C drive has really piled up. I try to install everything I can to D, but some stuff ends up on C. And don't forget, C is the partition for paging. Disk space is too low to defrag, and I only have 500 MB of free space (Everytime I free it up it drops back down, I can't figure out why, my Program Files folder is nearly empty at this point). I try to do anything intensive and my HD space literally DISAPPEARS when I cut into the paging space (using more RAM than I have). It doesn't come back sometimes, either.

I can't even install the SWAT 4 Demo.

ARGH.

I have no 'real' backups (though a lot of important stuff exists in some place or another, since I have several computers).

I want to know how safe it would be to resize the partitions and cut a few gigs out of the D drive and slap them on the C drive. Any chance I could lose all my data?


2) What programs would you recommend? The one I have installs itself as a boot loader and stops booting after 30 days if I don't install a new loader, which is VERY annoying.

You can change the location of the swap file. As for resizing, see http://mlf.linux.rulez.org/mlf/ezaz/ntfsresize.html

You need something like partition magic in order to resize without formatting too. But yeah, C: needs more space. Also, while you're at it if you're using XP you should create an extra 2GB partition and custom set the paging file to use that partition (set the paging size to 100 MB LESS than the entire actual size of the partition. IE: if it comes out to say 1980 MB, set the paging file on it as 1880MB.) Doing this is the optimal set-up for XP, as you've got nearly 2GB of it, and it can't be fragmented since it's the only thing in the partition. Be sure to get rid of a paging file on any other partition.

EDIT: Just to be clear, do *not* put *anything* on that extra Paging File partition, just leave it dedicated for the swap file.

First of all, unless you have low RAM, you can kill the page file, its in My Computer, Properties, advance.

Second, delete your temp files, they might be holding stuff up.

Anyone else notice that laptops often come with anal partition tables? I sold one ages ago to my sister: it shipped with a 20/20 break. WHY? 40Gb isn't that much, why break it down? They even had stupid names like 'home' and 'system' or something.

It's actually a pretty good practice to keep your system partiton small and limited to the OS. That way if something gets fucked, you just reimage the system partition, so you don't have to worry about your data, stored on the large partition.

Most interesting. Every time I tried to install the SWAT 4 demo, it got locked up and I literally lost 200 to 300 MB on my C drive, and could not regain it. I would drop to 100 MB of free space and cleared a few more hundred. After doing this several times (and clearing gigabytes of space) and still having only 300 MB of free space, I got very frustrated.

I rebooted into Linux for a bit, then back to Windows. BAM, I suddenly have 5 GB free on my C drive, up from 300 MB.

w00t!!!!

Linux really is the cure