I am GOING to purchase a SATA 160 GB Harddisk. Is there any way to ensure that it is ABSOLUTELY OK (having no bad sector, etc.) ? I want to make 4 partitions in it. How much SPACE should I allot to each of 4 partitions for better PERFORMANCE. I do not want to use C drive for any storage.

Kindly help me.


Vishnu Thakor
The best way to determine if a hard drive is in perfect condition is to download the manufacturer's test utility. Most hard drive manufacturers have their own software for testing their drives. You should be able to download it from the manufacturer's website.

How big to make your windows partition depends on what version of windows you're going to install on it. For XP I would recommend at least 10 GB but if you're going to install a lot of software to your windows partition you'll probably need more. If you're going to be using Vista I would recommend at least 15 GB or maybe even 20.

How big to make your other partitions is really a matter of personal taste. Me, for example, would only create one partition for storage instead of 3.