New Hard Drive: Partitioning and Installing Windows

[MrsBlue]

<span style="color: #3333FF">I recently bought a new hard drive and will be installing it soon. I would like to partition the drive to achieve some greater degree of efficiency and I'm wondering if I can put each user's stuff on a separate partition.

This way, child1 can have all of his games, music and other crap on one partition, child2 can have the same on another, and each one will have a limited amount of space without being able to spill over into any other partitions.

Is this possible and/or wise? Would there still be a shared folder to allow them to access one set of music, pictures, etc., or would they each have to load that stuff to their individual partitions?

I'm running XP, or I will be if I can get it loaded onto the new hard drive. The computer is a Dell, which means I don't have a full installation disk. The lady at Dell that sold me the hard drive says that as long as I have the disks, I will be able to load Windows on the new hard drive. I won't believe it until I see it.

Any input as to whether I will actually be able to install Windows from the Dell disks?</span>

[j-kid]

Re: New Hard Drive: Partitioning and Installing Windows

Ansewrs to your questions are, YES, and YES.

But, be careful, because with each additional partition you make you loose some extra storage for configuting each partition.

You could have a general SHARED partition for multiple access of data.

It you have the original OS install disks, you should not have any problems installing XP, or you could image the C-drive/partition and install from the image.

What size hard drive did you buy?

[Tuff Gong]

Re: New Hard Drive: Partitioning and Installing Windows

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MrsBlue</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> <span style="color: #3333FF">Any input as to whether I will actually be able to install Windows from the Dell disks?</span> </div></div>

Dell seems to be consistent is not restricting the user and seems to supply non-crippled install disk?

A better idea is to have the shared folder with separate Log On Profiles for every user.
That way only the administrator can make changes and when each user log onto they can configure their User Experience without making global changes.

[MrsBlue]

Re: New Hard Drive: Partitioning and Installing Windows

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: J kid</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ansewrs to your questions are, YES, and YES.

But, be careful, because with each additional partition you make you loose some extra storage for configuting each partition.

You could have a general SHARED partition for multiple access of data.

It you have the original OS install disks, you should not have any problems installing XP, or you could image the C-drive/partition and install from the image.

What size hard drive did you buy?
</div></div><span style="color: #3333FF">My current drive is 80GB and the new one is 640 , so I'm not too worried about the space partitioning will take up. The first drive the lady offered me was 1TB but I figured I don't need THAT much space. Although the more I ponder it, the smaller 640GB seems...

I don't believe that the disks I have are the original OS disks. From what I've been reading, Dell and other companies clone/preload the OS onto the drive and only send repair disks that search the drive for some files to extract something from in order to reinstall the OS. What I'm getting is that if the extracting files aren't on the drive, the OS can't be installed. Something like that.

In order to put each user on a different partition, would I cut and paste the user folder into the designated partition? I'm trying to figure how XP will know where to look for the user files and the &quot;shared documents&quot; folder. </span>

[MrsBlue]

Re: New Hard Drive: Partitioning and Installing Windows

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tuff Gong</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MrsBlue</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> <span style="color: #3333FF">Any input as to whether I will actually be able to install Windows from the Dell disks?</span> </div></div>

Dell seems to be consistent is not restricting the user and seems to supply non-crippled install disk?

A better idea is to have the shared folder with separate Log On Profiles for every user.
That way only the administrator can make changes and when each user log onto they can configure their User Experience without making global changes.
</div></div><span style="color: #3333FF">That is one of the problems that I have been experiencing with XP. Even though each person has a separate user account, programs that are installed by one user install icons onto all of the desktops. One of the brats has a Zune and the software starts up on all of the users when they log in. And in Media Player, the option to delete from library or delete from library and computer is present on all of the accounts, which means the brats have the ability to delete anything in the shared folder. </span>

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: New Hard Drive: Partitioning and Installing Windows

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MrsBlue</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tuff Gong</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MrsBlue</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> <span style="color: #3333FF">Any input as to whether I will actually be able to install Windows from the Dell disks?</span> </div></div>

Dell seems to be consistent is not restricting the user and seems to supply non-crippled install disk?

A better idea is to have the shared folder with separate Log On Profiles for every user.
That way only the administrator can make changes and when each user log onto they can configure their User Experience without making global changes.
</div></div><span style="color: #3333FF">That is one of the problems that I have been experiencing with XP. Even though each person has a separate user account, programs that are installed by one user install icons onto all of the desktops. One of the brats has a Zune and the software starts up on all of the users when they log in. And in Media Player, the option to delete from library or delete from library and computer is present on all of the accounts, which means the brats have the ability to delete anything in the shared folder. </span> </div></div> That happens because you did not prevent it happenning. You have ti select the ootion wher no unser is allowwed to share info,and do not vany of them administrator proviliges.
Go back to th eaccounts and change that,because even if you partition the disc, they can select whatever they want unless you restrict them. It is a matter of user access, that yoiu need to controll, not partitioning the disc.

[MrsBlue]

Re: New Hard Drive: Partitioning and Installing Windows

<span style="color: #3333FF">I want all users to have access to the music, that's why I put it in the shared folder. That way each user does not have to install however much gigs of music. I just don't want them to be able to delete it.

None of the other accounts are administrator, I know better than that. Otherwise I'd have 80GB worth of games and viruses and spyware installed. </span>

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: New Hard Drive: Partitioning and Installing Windows

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MrsBlue</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="color: #3333FF">I want all users to have access to the music, that's why I put it in the shared folder. That way each user does not have to install however much gigs of music. I just don't want them to be able to delete it.

None of the other accounts are administrator, I know better than that. Otherwise I'd have 80GB worth of games and viruses and spyware installed. </span> </div></div> What you should od in that case is to out th esecond harddrive as theines that their music is stoted on,and select th eoption that make all downloads to be done to that HDD. They you out the music that you don't want them to be able to erace on th eoriginaldisc. If they can erace itnow even with a partition they will still be able to erace it. It is all about access. Unless someoine with your password is accessing the adnin they are not suppose to be able to earce stuff if they have low levelaccess to thecomputer. this is how corpirtations do it, nit with alot of partitions.

[j-kid]

Re: New Hard Drive: Partitioning and Installing Windows

Make sure you format the hard drive as NTFS and not FAT. You will get a lot more security flexibality with NTFS.

As Doc indicated, you can lock out any Folder/File/Drive as an Administrator, or give certain privilages to whomever you want under their individual account access, with NTFS.

[MrsBlue]

Re: New Hard Drive: Partitioning and Installing Windows

<span style="color: #3333FF">Okay, so I have successfully installed Windows () on the new, superspacious 640G hard drive. I've got most stuff up and running, but I seem to be missing the ethernet driver.

When I look in the control panel at the system devices I seem to be missing the ethernet controller, SM Bus controller, an unknown device , a video controller and a video controller (VGA compatible). All of these items have a question mark next to them.

I've looked at all of the installation disks and installed everything that seems to include drivers. I've looked all over for answers on what I need to download or where to locate the ethernet driver and everything points to the Dell downloads page, but nothing I've found says exactly what needs to be downloaded. I've got no internet access from home for now and the brats are going crazy.

</span>

[Diplomat]

Re: New Hard Drive: Partitioning and Installing Windows

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MrsBlue</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> <span style="color: #3333FF">I've looked at all of the installation disks and installed everything that seems to include drivers. I've looked all over for answers on what I need to download or where to locate the ethernet driver and everything points to the Dell downloads page, but nothing I've found says exactly what needs to be downloaded. I've got no internet access from home for now and the brats are going crazy.

</span> </div></div>
Drivers are usually grouped by computer model, so if you know your PC's model, you shouldn't have a problem finding the drivers you need.

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: New Hard Drive: Partitioning and Installing Windows

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MrsBlue</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> <span style="color: #3333FF">Okay, so I have successfully installed Windows () on the new, superspacious 640G hard drive. I've got most stuff up and running, but I seem to be missing the ethernet driver.

When I look in the control panel at the system devices I seem to be missing the ethernet controller, SM Bus controller, an unknown device , a video controller and a video controller (VGA compatible). All of these items have a question mark next to them.

I've looked at all of the installation disks and installed everything that seems to include drivers. I've looked all over for answers on what I need to download or where to locate the ethernet driver and everything points to the Dell downloads page, but nothing I've found says exactly what needs to be downloaded. I've got no internet access from home for now and the brats are going crazy.

</span> </div></div> Ethernet drivers missing like that is usually caused by having an added LAN card. Usually they come with a disc. just look in your collection of disc for one. Sometimes the disc is a very small mini-disc. So if you find it it, just unplug the Ethernet and insert the disc and after it runs just plug in and you should be all clear. Otherwise if you have another computer on line just go to the page of the LAN card manufacturer and download the driver to a flash drive then unplug the LAN then load it and then plug the LAN in and you should be as good to go. usually the Ethernet drivers are brand and model specific,and unless it id very new machine may not have that driver. the manufacturer of the computer won't have it either, since the drivers for that machine would be older.