How to format a hdd?

[jamesgig]

This is my first build and do not know how to format my hdd. I have a single seagate 7200.10 320gb. How much should I partition for the os? what should I set the page file at? how do i do these things? thanks for your help

[schnikies79]

If you're going with Windows, windows setup will do the partitioning and formatting for you at the very beginning. If the drive is on a raid controller, either IDE or SATA, you will most likely need the driver floppy to run setup. Right when setup begins it will say at the bottom to push f6 to specify additional drivers, hit that then provide the floppy when asked. If you are going with linux or something, it also will help setup the partitions, but other that, I don't know anythign about that.

As for partition size, I always make my main drive at 100%. There are several people on this forum that will disagree with me but I don't see anything a partition can do that a directory can't, except make things more complicated. The only real advantage I have seen to partitions is that you can run windows and such on one partition and more permanent type things on the other, so if you need to format and reinstall, you still have the second partition untouched. I keep everything permanent on other hdd's or burned.

I let windows manage my page file. I used to manually set it 1.5 (or maybe it was 2.5) times the size of the ram, but after testing and more testing, I could see no diffrence between having it set and letting windows take care of it, so now I just leave it.

[grumperfish]

I let windows manage my page file. I used to manually set it 1.5 (or maybe it was 2.5) times the size of the ram, but after testing and more testing, I could see no diffrence between having it set and letting windows take care of it, so now I just leave it.
While there's arguments for and against this, generally by letting Windows manage the size you run more of a risk of a fragmented pagefile. I always set mine at a static (minimum and max. are equal) size somewhat above the "system recommended" size.

[darksparkz]

It'll format when installing windows. I recommend leaving about 10-15GB for Windows, I leave 10GB and it's plenty of space, but then it gets fragmented more, so maybe you might want a tad more for Windows, like 12-14GB.

[darkcow]

It'll format when installing windows. I recommend leaving about 10-15GB for Windows, I leave 10GB and it's plenty of space, but then it gets fragmented more, so maybe you might want a tad more for Windows, like 12-14GB.


do you install anything on your windows partition?! my steam folder ALONE took up 20 GB's. add x3, 4 gigs, add starcraft, wc. 2 gigs, add various other games 4 gigs. add programs and such, 1-2 gigs.


i've had 50 GB partitions of windows been too little before, i suggest around 60-80 GB's for windows, and then leave the rest for storage.


i have 4 partitions on my hard-drive. i need to repartition because i have a 20 gig partition for windows which i was forced to make when my maxtor died on me which has 200 megs left.

[jamesgig]

How many partitions should I have? I have read that 3 is popular (one for OS, one for program files, and one for data). Is this a good setup. If I have more than 2, what intervals should they be at(70, 125, 125)? I currently have a 80gig hdd and only use about 41gb, so I am more worried about performance than storage. THanks

[bing]

How many partitions should I have? I have read that 3 is popular (one for OS, one for program files, and one for data). Is this a good setup. If I have more than 2, what intervals should they be at(70, 125, 125)? I currently have a 80gig hdd and only use about 41gb, so I am more worried about performance than storage. THanks

Since you're using only one physical disk and you said the objective is performance, my suggestion is to use the whole drive as single partition.

Multiple partitions will make those HD heads banging between those partitions during the usage and affects your disk's performance and increase the access latency, especially if you utilise those mulitiple partitions frequently at the same time. C'mon, don't say it doesn't make sense especially those heads constantly need to "hop" through that "blank spot" which is the unused space at the 1st partition. :)

I've seen people using expensive Raptor while on single disk they've made C,D,E,F and so on partitions and put the page file at last partition, what a waste. :(

I assume you're using NTFS, it will even make it worst since multiple partitions means multiple MFTs which will caused an increase latency at the OS to handle them and also will increase in the OS drive cache utlisation (consume more memory). (from purist point of view) :D

Unless you're planning to use heavily "ONLY" at one particular partition such as boot,system,page file, program while other you just use it for safe keeping & archieving purpose which will be rarely accessed.

Just use a decent defragmenter (not the built in one though) and defragment often, it'll make a difference.

Want neat & well organized while hate to drill down into deep nested folders ? Just use shortcuts or for more advanced which is free & built in into Windows, use this -> NTFS Junction (http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Junction.html) ! :D

Reading bout that Junction here :

Microsoft KB: How to create and manipulate NTFS junction points (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=205524)

Summary of Junction for multiple drives lover :
You can surpass the 26 drive letter limitation by using NTFS junction points. By using junction points, you can graft a target folder onto another NTFS folder or "mount" a volume onto an NTFS junction point. Junction points are transparent to programs.

my 0.2 cents

[Max0r]

Yeah, totally agree... just do 1 big partition... Last time I partitioned a 250GB WDC I regretted it later. Now all my drives are 1 big part.

[darksparkz]

do you install anything on your windows partition?! my steam folder ALONE took up 20 GB's. add x3, 4 gigs, add starcraft, wc. 2 gigs, add various other games 4 gigs. add programs and such, 1-2 gigs.


i've had 50 GB partitions of windows been too little before, i suggest around 60-80 GB's for windows, and then leave the rest for storage.


i have 4 partitions on my hard-drive. i need to repartition because i have a 20 gig partition for windows which i was forced to make when my maxtor died on me which has 200 megs left.

No, I don't put anything on the Windows partition. Everytime I install anything, I make sure it is installed to a different partition, that way I can easily reformat by formatting the other partition leaving Windows alone. The whole point of having a windows partition is leaving a space for ONLY the OS.

But yeah, I think it would be a bit slower to have many partitions around. If your looking for pure performance, one partition may be the better idea. If your looking for accessibility, partitions can help.