Topic: Help on HD config & partition

This is all in an effort to put something together that gets close to some sort multi-media system and figured this would be the place to ask. If there's a more appropriate forum feel free to move it.

My old system recently fried so i put together a new box, new MB (gigabyte) 800 celeron
196 mg ram plus a 40 gig HD. So the situation is this;

I'm up and running with the original 4 gig HD which is partioned at approx 2 gig per. C:
for programs - D: for data.

How I use the system and plan to use it.

Graphics obviously. Some sound stuff. voice recording... not singing just 'voice.' Cakewalk or Bandinabox just to 'pick' along with...and down the road I'd like to get a R/W CD.

Very few games but I would like to run them... mostly just to see what's out there.

My thinking at this point is to keep the 4 gig as the primary, slave the 40 gig.

This is where I start to get confused. I'm told that the 4/40 configuration will slow performance because the 40 will basically default to the slower 4 gig.

But even if that is the case I don't like the idea of a single 40 gig HD. How would 'you' parition that 40 gig so that Win98 - PS- afterfx- etc. have their own scratch disks and how much would you give each. I'm thinking 2 gig.

I'm also keeping in mind Mr.Max's advice to keep partitions under 8gig to avoid wasting space.

I'm also told, & don't understand this at all... tht if I do the 4/40 config... what is now "D" on the small HD will actually become "E" and the big HD will become "D" Now how the hell does *that* work?

Ohh.. almost forgot the video card... a not so speedy S3Virge... will have to do for now.

Soundcard is a SB128. Would much rather have kept my old but very good (imo) Gravis UltraMax
but the new MB has only one ISA slot and the Modem got that.

All thoughts are much appreciated. And please keep in mind that while I'm not a *complete* klutz feel free to talk to me like a complete dummy.

thnx ppl

nj

If your willing to spend money I would recommend that you buy a partitioning program, such as Partition Magic. Partition Magic allows your to resize a partition without losing data. If you don't want to spend any more cash or just like doing it the hard way you can use FDISK. FDISK comes with windows, use windows to make a boot disk and it will have it on there.

FDISK is a destructive partitioner, so make sure that your drive is blank or free of anything you want to keep, because it will be gone.

OK now onto what you might want to consider doing.
Make the new drive your primary, I would think that it would be a faster drive therefore you would have better performance. Now you should split those 40gigs up. I would give windows about 2-3 gigs of space. Also on it's own partition make a 500MB swap file, this helps performance a little. You will have to figure out the rest.

Now use that 4 gig drive as a backup.

I really would recommend getting Partition Magic or something like it. That way if you need more space on a drive you can do it without losing your data.

Thanx Lao...

I think someone mentioned a freeware partition prog... will search it.

nj