partitioning hard drive noob

[chris123]

ok,

have just built my first computer and am installing xp home on to it. i have heard that it is a good idea to partition the drive. all i really want is to have one partition for the OS and another for everything else. how do i go about this? i've heard it helps to move the programme files folder to the other partition, and still have things install into this by defult, how do i do this? are there any other tips you can give me.

i'm new to this, so any help is much appreciated.

Thank you.

[mike_w]

To partition the hard drive, I would recommend using a program such as Partition Magic. Just create the Primary (C:) partition about 10 or 15GB big, and make the rest the other partition (D:). To move the programs to the other partition, just tell it to install onto the D: drive when you run the programs installation program.

I personally don't see the benefits of partitioning a hard drive. I just stick it all on C:, back everything up and reformat every few months!

[chris123]

cheers for the reply.

i think i'll just do two partitions, one os and one for everything else. is there anyway to make programms automatically install to my second partition?

thanks

[cm_uk]

yeh partition magic ownsv8 here

[chris123]

is there a free version of partition magic i can download, which is still good enough.

cheers.

ps a link would be great.

[mike_w]

http://www.softpedia.com/public/cat/13/8/13-8-2.shtml

Google is your friend!