12/1/2009 7:31:28 AM

I haven't done this, but will sometime in the near future. For twenty or so years now I have used the hard drive from my old computer as a D: drive in any newly purchased one. The D: is only used for backup of all my data (My Documents, etc.). I use a small command file to copy (overwrite, if newer and don't ask) the files from the C: drive to D: drive. If one drive crashes, I haven't lost my data. It's not quite as safe as using an external backup (which I sometimes do), but it only takes one click to start the backup, so I get it done more often.
When I start using your scheme, I will also use the C: drive for the backup of the SSP data on the D: drive.
Good suggestion, Dreece, thanks.

12/1/2009 6:09:49 PM

You can also set the registry to make the documents and settings folder point to a different Partition or Hard Drive. Each profile is located under the following key.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

Instructions for doing this as a part of the image process, or after a computer is built is at the following link.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314843

The image process for NMCI uses the ProfilesDir = z:\foldername as a part of the core image. This is pointed to the Data partition of the same hard disk drive.

I used to use a small extra HDD as the location of the swap file. I would make the first partition just big enough for a swap file. The remainder of the HDD would either be unused, or partitioned as a data drive. I quit doing this when my old HDD were too slow, and it no longer made a noticable difference.

12/1/2009 9:48:12 PM

Well, there are ways to do this without directly modifying the registry.

Incidently, when I clicked on the link you provided, I recieved this message on the web page: "This article applies to a different version of Windows than the one you are using. Content in this article may not be relevant to you." Apparently that KB article doesn't apply to Windows 7.

12/2/2009 6:26:59 AM

Your best bet for performance is to put in enough memory that you don't need a swap file. That's always my goal.

12/2/2009 3:08:38 PM

Too bad about the Windows 7 change. I would imagine that this functionality still exists, but it is probably done a different way. I am sure that tweakUI will do this, but again I am unsure if there is a tweakUI for Windows 7.

Joel,
How much memory would that be with Windows 7. Do you have a MoBo that will support that much memory?

12/2/2009 3:18:25 PM

It's a goal.

Unfortunately, my laptop can only handle 4 gig, even though Win 7 64 could address more. And when I fire up SSP, Online Bible, Photoshop CS4, Word 2007, Chrome, etc. I'm sure I'm over that.

1/5/2010 4:20:19 PM

I've been doing this for years, and now gone one step foward, to using a NAS for my data files.

1/6/2010 5:41:16 PM

I just used freeNAS live CD to build a NAS from old hardware laying around. It's an old .9GHz CPU in a horizontal desktop. I put in a 20, 40, and 30 GB HDD. The config file is saved to a floppy for reboots, but it boots to a CD and runs in RAM.

I have a few more old HDD laying around, so I may install them to test the software raid. If I understand correctly, it can support creating one logical volume from multiple sized HDDs.