partitions, page files and optimal performance

[daveh0]

Ok. My install of XP is pretty hosed so I'm going to bite the bullet and re-install from scratch. As long as I'm doing this, I want to optimize my system for best performance as I rebuild.

Here's what I've got:

- p4 3.2GHz processor with 3Gb RAM
- C: 160gb 7200rpm SATA HD
- D: 80gb 7200rpm ATA HD (using a SATA adapter)
- E: (just bought - not installed yet) 500 gb 7200rpm external USB 2.0 HD

A typical session for me involves opening several larger applications at the same time and switching between them frequently (ex. Outlook, Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash... in addition to a few web browser windows, maybe Word and an IM client).

My system's performance has been OK but with all that RAM, I fel like it could/should be a lot better. I've been reading some and here's what I'm thinking of doing.

1. Install OS and applications on unpartitioned 160gb HD (C:)

2. Partition the 80gb HD into D: and E:. with the D: partition being be used strictly for Windows page file. The E: partition for 'data' (i.e. the files that I create and edit in all these applications)

3. Partition the 500gb drive into F: G: and H:. F: will be used strictly for Photoshop's Scratch Disk (similar to Windows Page File). G: will be used for 'other' files like music, photos, etc. and H: will be a rather large partition where I back-up ALL data from ALL machines on my LAN (also running an Ubuntu box as a web and mail server, an OS X box just for fun and my g/f's laptop)


I'm still uncertain about a few things:

will partitioning my 500gb drive increase the likelihood of having issues thus defeating the purpose of it being my backup?

Is an external USB drive going to be too slow to be my primary Scratch Disk for Photoshop - am I better off keeping the Windows Page file on the same drive as Windows (C:) and using the D: partition of the 80gb HD for Photoshop's scratch disk?

One other variation that I can throw in the mix would be to install an old 10gb SCSI drive I have laying around. This could be used for a Scratch Disk or Page file. But is using an old (probably slower than USB) dedicated drive for 1 of these purposes worse than using a partition of a newer drive?

Sorry for the long post. If anyone was able to follow my ramble and has some wistom to share, I'd be most appreciative.

Thanks,

-dave

[CapnGimp]

With 3gb memory, DON'T even have a page file, you will not need one. This will make your system MUCH faster.
Don'tuse external drives for anything 'real time' they are too slow. You have all the space in the world, why not just partition them and utilize that for everything?
As far as the windoze os partition, you do not need a huge space for it. Make a primary partition of 20gig and put ONLY the OS on it. Personally, I wouldn't waste that muchon it, but you have those huge drives so it isn't costing you much on land taxes, lol.
Make an extended partition spanning the rest of that drive and split it up into however many logical drives that you need for ONE-software and TWO different raw data storage drives. I can't imagine filling a 500gig drive and see no need for the others, but that is just me.
Remember, you do not need a swap file to slow you down with 3 gb ram. SEPERATE the os and anything else. That way when you reload or have a problem, you ONLY lose windoze, all the rest is there on the logical partitions to use(raw data) or extract the necessary files for 'backup' when you reinstall the various software programs that you use.
Most important of all....
Try out a few flavors of LINUX on all that real estate. You can have whatever you want and keep windoze as your primary, even boot it by default and begin to learn linux and what is is to have a REAL computer running and not spend all your time guarding the doors and windows with an army of costly protections AND paying out the waz00 for the os and software too. Linux is free and so are all the 10s of thousands of apps that you will ever use or need. Computers are supposed to be fun.
ps take that 500gig usb drive out of the case and put it INSIDE your computer where it will be fast and not clutter your area up :D

[Raccoon]

I, too, once thought that I wouldn't be able to fill a 500 gig hard drive. Then I started getting MP3's...

Is there any voice software for Linux?