Re: ntfs, fat32, partitioning

[flash flash@xxxxxxxx]

≪I create one logical drive called SETUP, and copy to it the Windows CD
and the relevant drivers from the driver CD that comes with the system.
That way, if I ever have to reinstall (or add a Windows component for
which it asks for the CD), it's on the drive, and I don't have to go
hunting for it.

Also create logical drives for your swap files: pagefile.sys in XP and
win386.swp in 98 (thanks to Robert for alerting us to this trick, which
has really obviated a lot of those hung shutdowns to which W98SE is
prone).≫

All sound advice. To which I might add: put your OS on one partition,
your apps on another, your data and the I386 folder on another
partition. This way, if the OS crashes and burns, you can restore it
with the image you made previously and not have to re-install all your
apps or lose any data. That's the whole point of the partitioning
exercise. This of course requires that you update your OS image every
time you install a new app (otherwise your restored registry does not
match the apps partition). This is time consuming to set up, but,
believe me, you'll thank your stars next time you have a crash-and-burn.
The I386 folder contains all the drivers Windows occasionally asks for;
keep it on the local HD so you don't have to find the original CD.