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Drive Partitioning for CAD use. (Read 22693 times)
Harvey
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Drive Partitioning for CAD use.
Aug 2nd, 2006 at 12:06pm
 
Hello Experts!

Yes, I have viewed the “required reading” as well as searched for answers to my questions on previous posts but have not found any related answers, so hopefully you all find this post as warranted and a contribution to the forum.
Cinereous/Background/Details etc:
*New laptop, already loaded with XP SP2, office 2003, and other junk applications all on single 100GB C: Drive.
*Don’t want to wipe everything clean, just want to add partitions for many reasons.
*Plan on using Partition Majic or other to partition the current “as-is” drive.
*Primary computer use is high end CAD (SolidWorks, Pro-Engineer).
* CAD programs create huge files: parts, assemblies, etc. as well as a backup file every time file is saved.
*Yes, I can specify where the backup and original files are stored etc.  
*Yes, I can go and delete the un-necessary backup files at any time when I know the originals are safe.
From my interpretation and implementation of a partitioning scheme derived from the information I have read would be:
(My best guess if I were to partition today):
(100 GB total drive)
Appx. 20 GB C:\ Primary drive, OS and other junk already on system.
80 GB Extended Partition:
Logical  20 GB D:\ CAD Applications and Current CAD Data. (“work drive”)
Logical  20 GB E:\ Personal Drive: “My Junk I guess.”? Outlook.pst etc. Probably doesn’t need this much space.
Logical  10 GB F:\ Dowloads, drivers, etc.??
Logical  30 GB G:\ Stored data (pictures, etc.) and Temporary CAD backup files.???

(would only use 15 GB of G to stay below the 85% of total hd space)
External 100GB drive for all backups and images.
Question(s):
1.
Should I just make the C: drive partition larger to load all the CAD apps, then store only the actual CAD files on the D: drive?  So that when backing up, I do not backup all the CAD application data?  Obviously then backing up C: drive would include the CAD app data….Longer backup…Loss of CAD apps when system OS crash.
That is really it in a nutshell.  Where to load the CAD application and the CAD data files.  I will need to backup CAD data files nightly, and probably everything else weekly.  My concern is the whole “most used files on the outer edges of the disk” idea, where when using my CAD apps, I don’t want the hard drive having to move constantly inward (or down) do be storing the temporary and retrieving current CAD files from the inner section of the drive.  And obviously backup, defrag, etc.  time is a concern.



Any suggestions, comments, drive schemes, or ?? would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You!!

(last minute vague topic/question if your so inclined to entertain)
Also...Anything I can do to maximize graphics memory, use, swaping locations  etc.  System has "512 dedicated" I guess.  The CAD apps are very graphics demanding.  Settings for max file sizes etc. paging etc.  like I said, I know its vague, just general pointers would be helpful.)
 
 
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Harvey
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Re: Drive Partitioning for CAD use.
Reply #1 - Aug 2nd, 2006 at 7:06pm
 
Please, anyone, let me know:

Is there another forum or webiste I should be asking my questions about a good partitoning scheme for CAD software?

I've tried also posting on many CAD sites and like me, they know everything (well most details) about the CAD and insallation, but not down to the system drive partitioning level.  

As I mentioned in the post ANY info helps and is Greatly Appreciated!!



 
 
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Rad
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Re: Drive Partitioning for CAD use.
Reply #2 - Aug 2nd, 2006 at 7:25pm
 
100-gig drive, nice size for a laptop drive, so you have some space to work with.

partition magic will work fine. it did for me. just take it one step at a time. don't queue up a bunch of operations. what version do you have, btw?

have you considered the use of an external usb (or firewire) drive? they come B-I-G big. way bigger than 100-gigs. if your laptop drive dies (they do, you know), you lose back-ups stored on that drive.

yes, your proposed plan would work fine.

how big is cad app itself? more than an entire cd? if l1 cd or less, it can go on C drive. if much bigger than that, consider moving it off, but i prefer to have important prgms on c drive with windows.

see brian's links below.
 
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Brian
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Re: Drive Partitioning for CAD use.
Reply #3 - Aug 2nd, 2006 at 7:25pm
 
Harvey, I'd keep the C drive as small as possible for backup imaging purposes and store your data on other partitions. Data backup is different. The following links should be helpful.

http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/notes.htm#13

http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=49222

 
 
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NightOwl
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Re: Drive Partitioning for CAD use.
Reply #4 - Aug 2nd, 2006 at 11:16pm
 
Harvey

Patience is a *virtue*--this is a forum and not *instant messaging*--folks respond, but sometimes it takes awhile  Wink !

Look at what you posted in your first post--think about what *you* said about how you intend to use this system--partitioning and placement of data and programs depends on personal preferences and how you intend to use your system--no *one way* fits all--having said that.....

Quote:
*Plan on using Partition Majic or other to partition the current “as-is” drive.

For possible *disaster* recovery, going to make a Ghost whole disk image to your external HDD just in case PM glitches on you?

Quote:
(My best guess if I were to partition today):
(100 GB total drive)
Appx. 20 GB C:\ Primary drive, OS and other junk already on system.
80 GB Extended Partition:
Logical  20 GB D:\ CAD Applications and Current CAD Data. (“work drive”)
Logical  20 GB E:\ Personal Drive: “My Junk I guess.”? Outlook.pst etc. Probably doesn’t need this much space.
Logical  10 GB F:\ Dowloads, drivers, etc.??
Logical  30 GB G:\ Stored data (pictures, etc.) and Temporary CAD backup files.

Your partitions and layout make sense given what you have stated is the main use of the system.  I have no idea how much space is enough for your CAD data files--so, you have to be comfortable with the size of the CAD data partition.

I would put the CAD program on C:\ if the program has to access its own files frequently.  And, I would put all the CAD data files on D:\.  Now, if something corrupts the OS and/or the CAD program files (for instance--a program update), you can restore the OS partition from an image backup, and you will loose no data files because they are on that second partition--if your last OS image was 1 week ago, if data files were on the C:\ partition--they would all be lost since that last image backup (but it sounds like you plan on daily backups of your CAD data files--so the 1 week of lost work probably would not happen here).

Quote:
Settings for max file sizes etc. paging etc.

Page file usage will greatly depend on the amount of RAM--how much to you have?  Here's a good discussion of *page file* placement and usage on WinXP systems: 
Virtual Memory in Windows XP


The above reference gives you ways to monitor the page file usage so you can decide how big your minimum size should be.  On a single drive system, according to the above--best to keep it on C:\ because that's where the HDD heads are going to be most of the time anyway.

Quote:
Should I just make the C: drive partition larger to load all the CAD apps, then store only the actual CAD files on the D: drive?

That's what I would do.

Quote:
So that when backing up, I do not backup all the CAD application data?

Correct, you would back the data files up as frequently as you deem appropriate--but if on D:\, you can do this as a separate backup from the OS C:\ backup.

Quote:
Obviously then backing up C: drive would include the CAD app data….Longer backup…Loss of CAD apps when system OS crash.

I presume you mean *CAD app
program files
* when you say *CAD app data*.  But, if you have a regular Ghost image of C:\ created--you can recover C:\ in less than a half hour if you have less than 20 GB of data on C:\ to restore!

Quote:
My concern is the whole “most used files on the outer edges of the disk” idea, where when using my CAD apps, I don’t want the hard drive having to move constantly inward (or down) do be storing the temporary and retrieving current CAD files from the inner section of the drive.

If your CAD app files are on C:\ and your CAD data files are on D:\--I doubt you will have any noticeable lag time compared to placing all files on C:\.  But, you could run some *benchmark* tests to satisfy yourself.  You could start off by placing all the CAD app files and data files on C:\--do some CAD type procedures and time the process--then place the CAD data files on D:\--run the same CAD type procedures and time it again--any noticeable difference?
 

____________________________________________________________________________________________

No question is stupid ... but, possibly the answers are Wink !
 
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Harvey
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Re: Drive Partitioning for CAD use.
Reply #5 - Aug 3rd, 2006 at 12:43pm
 
Rad, Brian, and Nightowl,

Thank you all for your infomative replies and links! 

Sorry for getting a bit impatient.  Hopefully you all know how it is when you have that shinny new system and "can't wait" to customize it and make it your own.....Not to mention that I have posted these same questions on many other "cad administrator" sites and waited days...and even still, NO replies...So If you don't mind I will be going back to the CAD sites and posting my own reply with a link to this great site!

I should have known to be patient with one of the moderators being named “Nightowl”!

Again, I Thank you all.

Anyway, from your replies and links, I should have what I need to get things going.  I will certainly back up the entire drive prior to starting.
Here are a few answers to the questions you all asked in your replies.

RAD: Quote:
"partition magic will work fine. it did for me. just take it one step at a time. don't queue up a bunch of operations. what version do you have, btw?"
 

  I haven't actually downloaded a partitioning software yet, but was planning on using Acronis PartitionExpert 2003 as you recommended in your partitioning article.

Please Let me know if you would recommend something different?  And BTW, I "plan" on partitioning once, then “hopefully” not having to change anything….Do you think the “trial” version would be sufficient for that?

RAD: Quote:
  " how big is cad app itself? more than an entire cd?
 

  Yes, it’s bigger than 1 CD, each program is 2~3 CD’s with all the textures, images, etc.  which go along with the program.  From your replies, I am planning on just loading them all on C:\. I’m not as worried about losing the application data as I am about the actual CAD files I work on daily.  So I plan on keeping a weekly backup of C:  and a daily backup of my working files.

NightOwl: Quote:
  "Page file usage will greatly depend on the amount of RAM--how much to you have?
 

System has 2GB of RAM expandable to 4GB.

Again, Thank You all Very Much!!!!
 
 
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Rad
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Re: Drive Partitioning for CAD use.
Reply #6 - Aug 4th, 2006 at 5:20pm
 
Re: "
I should have known to be patient with one of the moderators being named “Nightowl”!
"

made me smile.

Re: "
I haven't actually downloaded a partitioning software yet, but was planning on using Acronis PartitionExpert 2003 as you recommended in your partitioning article."


and

"
*Plan on using Partition Majic or other to partition the current “as-is” drive
."

Which partitioning article is that?

Does anyone here have experience with Acronis to modify partitions? I have only used Partition Magic to change the sizes of partitions. I thought Acronis only made back-up/cloning software, similar to Norton Ghost. Is it a non-destructive parttitioning prgm?

But yes, good idea to first create a back-up image before you try to modify partitions. In theory, it *should* work fine, but you don't have to use computers for very long to know things don't always work the way they should.

You have seen this, yes?::>

http://radified.com/Articles/laptop.htm

CAD is fun stuff.

How much is SolidWorks, Pro/Engineer?

http://www.solidworks.com/

http://www.ptc.com/appserver/mkt/products/home.jsp?k=403
 
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NightOwl
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Re: Drive Partitioning for CAD use.
Reply #7 - Aug 4th, 2006 at 5:30pm
 
Harvey

Quote:
but was planning on using Acronis PartitionExpert 2003

Make sure that will allow for partition re-sizing without loosing your current partition data!
 

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Brian
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Re: Drive Partitioning for CAD use.
Reply #8 - Aug 4th, 2006 at 8:39pm
 
Rad wrote on Aug 4th, 2006 at 5:20pm:
Does anyone here have experience with Acronis to modify partitions? I have only used Partition Magic to change the sizes of partitions. I thought Acronis only made back-up/cloning software, similar to Norton Ghost. Is it a non-destructive parttitioning prgm?


Acronis PartitionExpert 2003 hasn't been updated for over two years. But neither has Partition Magic. Acronis now promotes Disk Director Suite 10 which is very similar to Partition Magic but in my experience has better Deleted Partition Recovery. It fixed one of my mistakes when PM couldn't. I've only done limited partitioning with DDS as I just tend to reach for PM.

Mustang has made a BartPE plugin for DDS and in BartPE, DDS is nicer to use than PM. Better plugin rather than better app.
 
 
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Harvey
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Re: Drive Partitioning for CAD use.
Reply #9 - Aug 9th, 2006 at 10:28am
 
Rad,

Sorry for the delayed response.

About "
what artical was that
":  Well, I thought I got the link to Acronis from your Radified Partitioning Strategies article, but after going back and reviewing it again, it must have been a sponsored link on the side that I clicked on??

About SolidWorks and Pro-E:  The companies are both VERY proud of them.  SolidWorks is about $3995, Pro-E is about $4500 for the basic package.  Then they both charge a yearly maintenance fee of ~$1500 if you want tech support and new updates.  

But like everything else they are tools, and you need the right tools to do the right job.

Thanks again for everyone's help and replies.
 
 
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Pleonasm
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Re: Drive Partitioning for CAD use.
Reply #10 - Aug 9th, 2006 at 11:24am
 
Harvey, concerning partitioning tools, you might wish to take a look at Partition Commander (version 10 now available).  Although I have not used it myself, it seems to be a well-respected utility.
 

ple • o • nasm n. “The use of more words than are required to express an idea”
 
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