Partitioning is confusing !

Clear the C drive then insert the windows setup cd/dvd and reboot, install to C drive. All your data on D will still exist and you can recover/move/delete anything on D you wish after you installed windows on the C partition.

So you don't have to re-partition or format anything.

Why would you want something ass backwards like the D:/ drive for the OS and the C:/ drive for files? I'm not sure how much space you wanted for your OS but you can do it like this.

During Windows XP install erase existing partitions. Create a partition that will fit the OS install, format with NTFS.

When windows is done loading up go to disk management in windows and then you can create logical drives and format with NTFS.

Theres no advantage of having FAT32 except for legacy systems, NTFS is faster, supports compression, encryption, disk quotas and more.

If you just want to keep D as the OS drive, when you install a program, change the directory to C before clicking install.

Right, ald also fyi C:\ is the standard for windows installs, so a lot of software and setups just expect it that way. Anything older than vista may have occasional issues if it's installed on a non default drive letter.

Right, ald also fyi C:\ is the standard for windows installs, so a lot of software and setups just expect it that way. Anything older than vista may have occasional issues if it's installed on a non default drive letter.

You need to click custom install if the option is available and either click brows if it lets you and navigate to c: or type in c: or, c:\ {whatever directory you want} here to change the location where stuff is put by default.

Hi,

Is there anyway I can Combine these two drives ? If not then I will Format & start all over again  

Jim
Hope I'm not to late - But before you "start over" save your "Work" (your Data to a DVD. Then that 4 hrs will not have been invain.

As others have stated, but in diff formate.

1. insert XP disk and slect Custom Install.
2. Look at both for "New" when asked where to install
3. Delete all existing partitions.
4. The create a partition of say 60 -> 80 gigs. Leave the rest of the disk UNpartitioned.
5. Highlight the new partiton and complet installation.

6 After installation is completed go to computer management and select Disk management. You should see drive (0) with a 60 Gig system, health. DON'T mess with the unpartitioned section yet.

- High lite your cd/dvd drive (Should be drive D. Change drive letter to say E (May get a warning message that some programs may barf. IGNORE.

- Now high lite unpartitioned portion of HD. partition it. Will also need to do "Logical" drive, just select default. after it formates you should now have that partition as drive D

Hi  

Thanks for all the replies, I learned something new...sorry chief I did a clean install as well as a NTSF Format incase I broke a sector or something from doing Disk management. I tried partitioning & a dual boot about 5 years ago with Partition Magic...the same results, I just don't get it.

I now have a C drive & I'm loading World of Warcraft as I type this.

RetiredChief...were you a Navy Chief petty officer? I was a deckape in the Naval reserves...1961 to 1063 active duty on the US Davis DD937  

Its also possible to alter the environment variables so that your my documents, temp files, etc., go to your storage drive rather than the OS drive.

Partitioning is SO much easier than you're making it. The thing about partitioning, is it can't be UNdone without losing your data. All partitioning does, is chop up one hardrive into multiple, smaller ones, totaling the actual space available on the single drive.
The first time you actually need to create a partition is when you first install your OS/Windows. Most of the time, you make it for the total capacity of the drive. But say you only have 1 drive and wanna have a 'backup'. Instead of the total size, you could give the OS partition a smaller size than the total size available. That would leave some left over for you to create another partition on later. Basically, each partition is seen as a different hardrive, and given its own drive letter. C: D: etc.
I gave up on partitioning a LONG time ago and found another hardrive works so much better. The only time I'd really recommend it is possibly multiple OS's or on a laptop, where it's near impossible to add a second drive; although external drives are cheap now. The thing to remember is if the hardrive dies, you lose all partitions/data. It is so much easier to just use another hardrive.

Jim
No, USAF from 1961 -> 1983 then worked at Nasa from 1986 -> 2004. They called me last July an asked if I would come back causal time.