Super Partitions How-To
Recreating these modifications is not as hard as it looks.
I can re-install windows, and re-set my custom settings, and re-install my vital software in 30 minutes.
This mod It takes two programs, TweakUI and X-Setup. These are registry hacking programs that allow you to customize windows. Search Google for the latest version of these for you operating system.
I am not responsible for any damage to your system, due to the use of these programs or use of my guide
I am going to explain how to do this using a totally fresh install.
I did not do this with a fresh install how-ever, instead I copied files from one drive to another, formatted, partitioned, and moved the files back. This takes a lot of time, but I have a lot of data.
I am explaining from a fresh install just for easy explination.
Step 1: Preparation
First decide how you would like to split up your single or multiple physical drives.
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Decide on the space you will need for the following drives: |
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SYSTEM |
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PROGRAMS |
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MEDIA |
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SETTINGS |
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GAMES |
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And any other drives you wish |
I decided to split the three drives in my system as shown here:
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Disk 0, 40GB Total: System, 5GB, Programs 8GB, Media 20GB, Settings 5GB |
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Disk 1, 20GB Total: Games 20GB |
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Disk 2, 15GB Total: Projects 5GB, Kazaa 10GB |
Step 2: Install Windows
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Make the partition for windows system first. Make sure and make it the size you decided in the last step. You can do this using the Windows 2000 Installer. |
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Don't worry about making all the partitions at this time, You can make them later using windows 2000 Disk Management. |
Step 3: Setup other partitions
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Once windows 2000 is installed open the "Computer Management" program. |
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It is located in the Control Panel, under "Administrative Tools" |
Step 4: Setting up partitions in Windows 2000
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Once open you will see a window similar to the above |
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Double Click on Disk Management |
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It should show a list of all the drives on your system |
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If this is a fresh install then only the SYSTEM partition will be listed. |
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The drive should have grayed area's next to the SYSTEM partition, this is empty un-partitioned space on the drive. Right click here and create the partitions in the sizes you want. |
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Once the partition is created you can right click on it, and select format, to format the partition. |
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Choose NTFS partitions always |
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Once formatted, you can change the drive letter for each drive to your preference by right clicking it and selecting "Change Drive Letter and Path..." |
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Make each partition according to the sizes and names you setup in step 1 |
Step 5: Setting up for Registry Folders
This can be a bit tricky, but if taken step by step can work very well
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Install TweakUI and X-Setup on your system, both are needed as neither has a complete list of the folders you can customize. |
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First Open TweakUI from the Control Panel |
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Go to the MY COMPUTER tab |
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Then under special folders flip though each special folder, and take note of the original location of each special folder |
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Close TweakUI |
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Open X-Setup from the Control Panel |
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Click on X-SETUP DEFAULT GUI -FOR POWER USERS |
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Navigate to: SYSTEM > FILE SYSTEM > FOLDERS |
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Take note of the locations of each folder in DATA, SYSTEM, and TEMPORARY |
Step 6: Duplicate the original data
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On your new partitions copy the folders noted in Step 5 to their new partitions. |
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DON'T MOVE OR DELETE THEM, if they are in use you can kill windows, and will have to start over. |
For example:
I copied the entire contents of the "C:\Program Files" folder to "D:\"
I then copied all the files in the "C:\Documents and Settings" folder to "F:\Settings"
I then copied misc folders that I had noted from their original locations to where I wanted them.
Example. "C:\Windows\History" was copied to "F:\Settings\History"
and "C:\Windows\Temp" was copied to "F:\Temp"
Step 7: Setup all the new locations in TweakUI
Now you have to tell windows where you want it to look for your new folders.
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Open TweakUI and go to the MY COMPUTER tab. |
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Under special folders select the folder you wish to re-direct |
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Click CHANGE LOCATION |
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Browse to the new folder you copied |
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Click OK, to set the new location |
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Repeat Step7 for each folder until you have setup all the folders you have choose to re-locate. |
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Once completed click OK to exit TweakUI |
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Restart the Computer to save your changes. |
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Once windows is back up you can continue to X-Setup |
Step 8: Setup all the new locations in X-Setup
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Open the DEFAULT GUI as before |
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Navigate to SYSTEM > FILE SYSTEM >FOLDER |
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Under Each setting in DATA, SYSTEM, and TEMPORARY set the folders to your new custom locations. YOU MUST click Apply Changed at each Set of changes or they will not take effect. |
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Some folders may be blank, others may already be set by TweakUI |
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DOUBLE Check your work here by going over each changed setting and clicking Apply Changes. |
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Exit and Re-boot the computer |
Step 9: Delete the Original Folders
WARNING DO AT YOUR OWN RISK!
I am not responsible for lost data, backup first!
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Now that windows is using your new folders through the registry you can delete the original folders. |
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For Folders that you want to be re-directed to a drive just delete the contents but not the folder. (C:\Program Files, C:\Documents and Settings, Etc...) |
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DO NOT RESTART UNTIL YOU HAVE MOUNTED THE NTFS FOLDERS |
On my system a few start-up programs kept me from deleting the Program Files folder.
Refer to Appendix A on how to fix this
Step 10: Create Mounted NTFS Folders
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Open "Computer Management" from the "Administrative Tools" in the Control Panel |
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Go to "Disk Management" |
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Right click on the drive you would like to mount as a folder, and select "Change Drive Letter and Path..." |
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Click on Add |
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Check the Box for "Mount this in a NTFS Folder" |
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Browse or type in the the original location of the folder. (Ex: C:\Program Files) |
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If the folder doesn't exist you may have to re-create it by clicking New Folder |
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Click OK to set the Mounted Folder |
For example: I Mounted my "D:\" Drive to "C:\Program Files"
Now even if a program tries to write to the Program Files folder it will be re-directed to the D:\ Drive, completely seemlessly
Appendix A: Residual Registry Clean-up
This step may not be necessary, but can fix a problem with a program pointing to the wrong place.
If you end up having a program that constantly gives errors do to missing folders or files, then that program didn't use the registry setting to locate your custom folders.
I have not had any problems with any programs I installed after this modification, but with a few that were installed before this modification.
Not every program obeys the registry setting so some registry settings will still be pointing to the wrong locations
Do fix this you can use the Find feature in REGEDIT (Regedit can be launched by START MENU > RUN > and typing REGEDIT and pressing OK)
If you do not know which folder to search for, search for all the folders you noted in Step 1 and correct their locations to the ones you setup in steps 7 and 8.
For example to make sure that every program uses "D:\" instead of "C:\Program Files" you will have to search the registry for "C:\Program Files" (Without Quotes)
You will then have to replace each with the proper location, then restart your PC.
I only had to do this for the Program Files folder, as a few startup file were keeping me from deleting the old program files folder. Once fixed I could delete the original folder and replace it with a mounted folder
Results
In the end you should end up with a very organized system that will run fast, fragment less, run efficiently and organized.
Any programs installed from now on will install in the proper directories.
All windows functions, such as the My Documents link on the desktop, and the favorites in the start menu will use your new locations from now on.
If you every have your windows crashed beyond repair, or just want a clean update, you wont have to worry about re-installing every program, or moving all you documents and media.
I have been running this way for a year now without any problems.
Actually I have had far fewer problems since switching my folders to custom locations and partitions.
Please Re-read this guide before submitting questions.