OT: a Win XP "trap for amateurs"?

1) This is a question for a Microsoft or Windows group. Nothing to do with electronics. 2) Always read the instructions before installing an OS. If you did, you would have known that you should not --and often even cannot-- install XP in a 2 GB partition. Try 20 GB at least. 3) If you have access to an imaging program (like Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image) you can save your installation. (By making an image, resize the partition and writing back the image.) Otherwise, you need a partition resize program, like PartitionMagic or Acronis Partition Expert. But using them would still require a backup, as it might go wrong :-)

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Kind regards,
Gerard Bok

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There is a free partition editor, Parted, that you run from a booting floppy. Google for it, I believe you can "grow" a partition, but read instructions well.

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Partition Magic?

http://www.used.cheapdown.com/product_info.php/products_id/418

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WD had a utility that could do that how ever, I think XP will see that as an image change and may assume that you did a copy of it.

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"I'm never wrong, once i thought i was, but was mistaken"
Real Programmers Do things like this.
http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5

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Are you kidding? If he could read and follow instructions, he never would have tried installing XP in a 2GB partition in the first place.

I have the OEM version of XP, one CD and a little booklet, the latter of which I did indeed read and follow, Mr. T. The rather skimpy instructions cover everything - all the details that noone knows, e.g. what a partition is and that formatting destroys data - but do not - I say again, *not* - say a word about boot partition size. I just looked again to be certain. Install wouldn't let me specify 1GB but was happy with 2 GB.

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I have a tool that could expand the partition, however I'm aware of the paranoid character of XP that you mention, Jamie, so I decided to ask, in case there's a well known solution. Like I said, I'm essentially a Win newbie.

Thanks for your input.

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After two years and about 150 programs/packs installed,

14GB used out of 80 GB.

But it proposed, to assign your entire drive to Windows :-)

By the way: the OEM version is not intended to be installed by you. It is intended to be exclusively available to system integrators. (Microsoft expects them to be knowledgeable :-)

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Kind regards,
Gerard Bok

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Whatever possessed you to create a 2GB partition on a 700GB drive in the first place ?

Graham

LOL !

I took a look at parted and there's no way I'd use it.

Graham

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Right, so you admit you're clueless and shouldn't have beena ttempting this in the first place ?

Just HOW did you manage to avoid encountering W95, W98, W98SE and ME (spit) ?

Graham

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A Linux user here. If you survived till now with Win 3.1, how come you went XP? For me Windows95 was the straw that broke camels back when it told me "Sit there, you idiot, we know what is best for you!". After years with DOS and 'primitivski' Win 3.11, which needed learning to make it perform. I was not ready to submit my computer to secretive 'wizards'. Few weeks later Linux presented itself on my screen and still is the resident OS. It needs the 'Linux steep learning slope' which for someone coming from DOS+Win 3.1 is very well excersized.

So do what you want but there are choices around and you will end in bed that you prepared for yourself.

Have fun

Stanislaw Slack 12 user from Ulladulla.

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Heh! I admitted no such thing. The "important stuff" was a tongue-in-cheek jab at some of the booklet contents, the information that everyone knows (o why break an elbow writing it up except to pump up the thin booklet).

Since you asked, I managed to avoid each of the various M$ brain farts up to XP by using OS/2, Linux, and DOS.

See my reply to Stanislaw Flatto.

Eeyore wrote:

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I didn't actually "go to XP". Since it's available, I've used it to capture some video. Just fooling around.

This XP install was on a brand new system that I built. The single system replaces two old ones (circa 1997) and is shared by two people, each using a different operating system on its own HD. Each drive is in a tray; remove one, slide in the other, and boot. My OS's are OS/2 and Linux; my mate knows only Win. This separate-drives methodology insures that my system files and data on FAT partitions are never exposed to any nasties that creep in through the use of Win.

I agree with your estimation of Win and reasons for not using it. I would add another important point: Win is bloated and therefore slow. And since Win rules, huge HD's, screaming processors, and vast amounts of RAM have become common.

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Amen. But as your other OS's are OS/2 _and_ Linux those things are known. So recite 100 times slowly the 'old' Linux phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Am in similar situation, the 'one that has to be obeyed' is on XP, worse, she heard the word 'Vista' somewhere, and not one of mine computers has the power (CPU and memory) of the _must have_ video card for this animal. Oh, why we started with computers?

Having fun

Stanislaw

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You are preaching to the choir. ;-)

I've been there! When my sister "felt me out" about the chances that I would do the work of upgrading her to Vista, I declined. Told her she'd have to do it and that I would no longer support her when she got into Win trouble. Haven't heard another word from her about "upgrading".