I use a Disk Utility called 7 Tools Partition Manager. I downloaded it from Download.com and it works great and is reasonably price.
very simply put: if you back up your "data" to an encrypted file ("virtual hard disk") and your "Programs" partition gets hacked / corrupted / virused then all that needs to be done is to boot from CD, start Acronis and wipre the whole partition. Within 10 minutes you have a clean install up and be running again. Because you are then booting from a "clean OS" then it is easy to do a virus / trojan check to see if the backup partitions are clean (sofar always have been because no executable files are residing there) and then get your data back from the last backup (night before). Additionally what a lot of people do not realise is that when you have XP (Win2000 / WinNT 3.51 etc) running for a long time then you have to "rebuild" your machine periodically since all the crap that gets into the registry ("Windows rot"). All I have to do is just restore the backup, apply all the patches since I made the install, make a new backup and I am good for another 6 months without having the trouble to reinstall, obtain new licenses for some special software etc. etc. This takes between half an hour and an hour to do at those moments which imho is a darn side less than having to install your OS, applications, configure it to your liking etc etc. Weekly I write the "data" to DVD but because it is in an encrypted file it never gets "contaminated" (as long as I do not have the "virtual hard disk" mounted during the operational hours). It also allows me to surf questionable websites and do a restore afterwards without a worry. This is particularly handy when travelling - airlines are getting more and more restrictive about weight. Neither do I need to run any anti virus, anti trojan etc real time as long as I have done a restore, updated my data and did not visit any websites. This is a considerable boost in computing power. In short - for the life of the machine it gets only installed once which considerably aids stability. How long do you wait with trading real cash after you have completely reinstalled your machine from scratch or do you go "live" the moment you think that you have finished installing (only to discover some conflict between hardware / software/ drivers?) Maria
c: -> 10GB for system files and installed programs d: -> ~10GB for a second OS (optional) e: -> 70GB for all personal data (including downloads, emails, personal files, everything that's yours). this way, you got all your data in one place and it's easy to back it up. if your system fails, you can format C: and re-install Windows without any hassle. all your personal files are on E: anyway. it's easy to change application settings (such as outlook etc.) to search for your data on E rather than in their default folders on C. i've been working this way since i started using a PC. very comfortable and much safer. 50
http://www.osloader.com/ Software that allows up to 99 isolated c drives / versions of xp or whatever windows you use and/or linux,etc. I use that - trading machine on one xp version (bare load - only what is necessary for trading), play xp on hardware raid, linux on software raid (which is faster than the xp raid load btw). All loads imaged to NDAS drive for backup if needed.