Partition confusion....please help!!!

[slipchuck]

I need some recommendations on partitioning my 2 200G hard drivers. The partions on it now seem to have slowed my system.
My main purpose for this computer is for photoshop and video editing as well as the net and Macromedia products.
My partions are
1st drive....maxtor 200G 8mb cache...
C: system partion with programs 47G
E: photoshop scratch disk 5.4G
K: windows scratch disk 5.2G works in combo with another partion on second drive
L: most Adobe programs including Photoshop CS2 and Premier Elements
O: video files (empty so far)

second hard drive 200G WD 8mb cache
D: windows scratch disk 4G works in combo with K: partion from 1st drive
F: Photoshop scratch 4G
G: some programs etc.
H: video files etc. 158G

is it best to have all programs in the same partion as windows (C?
is it best to have windows in its own partion?
do I have to many partions? I do know that windows and photoshop scratch disks work best on a separate drive, on its own partions and from what I herd, works better with the same size dedicated partion on a 3rd or system drive is a 3rd drive is not possible

confused to say the least!!

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[cowboytech]

My preference is to have the operating system and programs on one disk and data that I create with those programs on another partition or disk. If you put the data on a separate disk you speedup access because you are using different read write heads.

On my old system I setup a separate little hard drive for page file since I only have 512 ram on this little 450cpu.

 

[hubbardt]

Partitions are normally used to organize things on your disk.
Putting several partitions on the same disk will not give you any performance advantage, you would need a 2nd drive for that (as CowboyTech said)

Personally I think you have far too many partitions

I would use a C: drive for Windows XP and then a D: drive for your apps and data. Having too many partitions usually ends up in some partitions filling up too quickly and others being unused .... i.e. you waste space.

I would use Disk 1 for a 10Gb C: drive and rest as D:
Disk 2 I would keep as a single partition. Install Apps on Disk 1 - D: drive
Put the Windows swap file on the second disk and the Photoshop scratch disks on Disk 2.

Use folders to organize your data, not partitions. Just my preference 8)