XP Media Center_Lopsided HD Partition Config (???)

[mark4man]

OK...

Here's a brain burner for the XP men out there:

A friend of mine purchased an HP PC last year...w/ Windows XP Media Center. Lately he tells me he gets a message when he fires it up that says he's running out of disc space. I took at look at it for him last night...& he has a 300 GB Hard Drive on board...but w/ only 20 GB volumed (partitioned) as Local (C); & the remaining 280 GB partitioned as HP_RECOVERY (D.) Everything he has (My Documents, My Pictures, important Files, Folders, etc., etc.) is mapped to the Local Disk. The recovery volume is virtually empty. The local disk is now starting to bog down.

So...without asking why the drive would be configured w/ numbers that seem to be opposite of what I feel would be normal...at first I was thinking I could help him by using the Disk Management console to reverse the size of the volumes (decrease D & then increase C.) But if the entire disk is utilized, I would need 3rd party partition software (& I'm not sure volume capacity can be reduced in Disk Management, anyway.)

Then an MVP suggested that I simply rename the HP_RECOVERY volume to 'Data' or something similar; & move all his files & folders over to that volume.

So...is this a plausible solution?

And if so...how then does data remapping occur? I know for most apps, when they're reopened (& the data is missing), they throw up a browse dialog; & if all is found all is well, no problem. But last night...for the hack of it...we moved his 'My Pictures' Folder over to the recovery partition & then fired up Media Center...& Media Center didn't seem all that interested in finding 'My Pictures'. Is there a setting in Media Center I'm missing? Or…better yet…is there a way to configure the whole doggone operating system to remap the data? Thanks,

mark4man

[atomic tofu]

mvp?....

Commercial software may be the only way to move the data around to re-partition. I have not found...or easily found...any freeware/opensource apps for disk management with full functionality as the commercial software out there for this.

Sadly, it looks like this HP was set up incorrectly, either by HP or someone else. Yes that should be reversed. If possible make a set of recovery discs. HP machines in the past and maybe currently, only allow 1 set to be made...and HP being the cheap a-holes they are may tell you they are out of discs to send you.

The HP partition is usually hidden...even if you enable it so you see it...chances are apps will not see it.

I did this and I suggest you guys do the same....make your own set up discs from the HP install. I was basically able to create a full unbloated, single disc XP disc from my HP drive.

There are many ways to do this and you should become really familiar with it, if you are a computer techie. Be AWARE that the version of WXP may or may not be a valid retail one. What I mean is, not that it is retail, oem, or volume license...but sometimes they actually used "beta" versions...or RTM versions.

If they are not REAL versions of WXP, the slipstreaming methods out there to build your windows may not work. In that event, you can still build a full WXP disc, but without the updates. Since this is WXP MCE...make sure to include the MCE components.

Practice with it using VPC so that you know the disc you are building is functional...given if this is your only fix. I much prefer my single WXP disc with ABSOLUTELY NO bloatware added, vs the HP recovery that might be on 8 discs.

KEEP in mind....you may need specific drivers from the HP installation.

[mark4man]

atomic tofu...

Don't know if I intend to go through all that. I have two huge external HDs at my disposal; & if worse came to worse...I was going to pull everything off both partitions that wasn't system related...kill the existing D (recovery) partition...create a new smaller one & then expand the C partition...& then put all his data back in on the new D. Then I was going to repair the OS if necessary off of the OEM reinstallation CD; & do a boot-time defrag w/ Diskeeper (to defrag the system files.)

But you didn't answer my question...why can't I just rename & remap.

No matter what gets done here...his data cannot continue to stay on a small system partition, correct?

Thanks,

mark4man

[atomic tofu]

you could rename and remap...but you have to have the correct software right?...as the 3rd party software you mentioned

Again, any number of ways you could also achieve this...

take drive out and put as slave in another and do it that way...
make a bartpe with needed apps (not sure if there are any free plugins or commercial apps with bartpe plugin usage)...

BUT you simply cannot rename and remap without something else to handle the in between....we don't know what you intend to use. You CAN with the software out there.

Not sure how valid any of the following in the link are..but check it, hehe

Live Search: partitioning software

Take a look at the second listing...the contents within it might be valid...I have no clue...gluck!

[EricB]

Back up the C:/I386 folder and the swsetup and hp driver folder to your usb drive. make those restore discs too, so that you can reverse this.

you can do kit your way. unhide the D or format it.

then hit start and right click my documents and select properties (you can only do it here) select move. when it ask to move the files select yes.

I would reformat windows (using the bart pe cd, the usb hdd and the I386 folder), then I would then make one drive 40 gig the other 260.

[mark4man]

guys...

1) Finally got back to my friend's house (he's been working 50+ hour weeks)...& moved his default 'My Documents' folder location via Properties > Target...which worked fine. But in attempting to use TweakUI, ran into a dead end. On the interface, there is an instruction that recommends dragging a folder to a new location as the more precise way of moving 'Special Folders'...but...there was then no response to any folder dragging in the interface's file tree. Does Microsoft provide any type of support for power toys? Or are there power toys discussion forums around to anyone's knowledge? I couldn't find any help files in the app itself (TweakUI)...& I'm either doing something terribly wrong or something's not working correctly.

[as a recap...I went with (as a solution) trying to move most of his data over to the larger partition (via TweakUI.)]

2) The dumb-*** (my friend)…for some inexplicable reason…moved 4 (what look to be) XP update folders to his desktop. When I asked him what happened, he couldn't remember how (or even why) he did it. The 4 folders have the following names:

1d4fd9963973dabfea5d8e74496e
4c26c12abe5caa2b406baa026a
10e1c969ba1687aace
bfa585fc22d676f9bcb4900371229b50

Each folder has a subfolder entitled 'Update'.

Does anyone know where these belong…so I can move them back to their rightful location?

Thanks very much,

mark4man