How much to partition a hard drive

[Aseem Sheik]

I had installed Windows Xp on my system. I'm planning to format my system, as there are some of the programs files seems to be missing on my system. I would like to reinstall Windows Xp back on my system. So, i would like to know while formatting my system how much partition how much to partition a hard drive? I'm having a 40 Gb sata hard drive on my system. Kindly provide me the correct information on the above issue. Any kind of information on the above issue would be appreciated.

[Hardwareman]

Partitioning a hard drive is the process of dividing a hard drive into separate, discrete sections, called 'volumes'. Partitions are usually created when the hard disk is first being prepared for usage. As the average computer can use up to three hard disks in addition to a CD drive, it's easy enough to go out and buy a new drive to add extra storage space to your system. Once a disk is divided into partitions, directories and files may be stored on them.

[Maxforu]

Hard disks can be partitioned to run separate operating systems on the same disk, or to break down a disk into manageable chunks for storage. The easiest way to understand the system drive structure is to use a tool supplied with Windows XP called Disk Management, a snap-in that's part of the Microsoft Management Console. The majority of systems sold today for home or small business use will come equipped with one hard drive, although many manufacturers offer special deals on new systems that make it financially attractive to add a second, third, or even fourth hard drive if you have a need for the extra capacity. Partitioning is performed on a new or reformatted disk. These instructions describe using FDISK for PCs using Windows XP or later.

[Killen]

You can create up to 16 different partitions on a hard drive, each one can be of different size and format, even including the 'MS-DOS' format for use with PCs on a network. If you are having 40 Gb then you should create a three equal different partitions on your system. If your computer is already running Windows XP, and you want to create partitions other than the System or the Startup partitions, you can use the Windows XP Disk Management tools.