put user-data on separate partition with nLite?

[munichrob]

I'm looking for a tool that will allow me at install time to move "Documents and Settings" to a separate disk partition. Can nLite do this?

thanks,

Munichrob

[Ponch]

I don't know if it can do it "at install time" (you can try) but you can change the "Profiles Path" in the options and it will be on the cd.

Note that of course you have to have drive and path (at least I believe the part before the last folder name) existing at first or the install will crash.

[fallsoff]

Gracias, ponch. Will give that a shot as soon as i return to that project!

salud y plata,

fallsoff

[munichrob]

I don't know if it can do it "at install time" (you can try) but you can change the "Profiles Path" in the options and it will be on the cd.

Note that of course you have to have drive and path (at least I believe the part before the last folder name) existing at first or the install will crash.

hmm. ok. So how can I automatically create a C: and a D: partition, with NTFS filesystems?

Munichrob

[danker]

You can do this only manualy with the winnt.sif, but i think only one partition. This is very dangerous and it woud be a lot more saver to do this with a other tool!

[Data]

AutomaticUpdates = "No"

Autopartition = 1

MsDosInitiated = 0

UnattendedInstall = "Yes"

UseWholeDisk = "Yes"

I think there are some reasons wy this option isent in nlite!

...and by the way, it isent very usefull to take the "Documents and Settings" on a other partition!

Edited May 1, 2008 by danker

[fallsoff]

Thanks all,

I am still puzzling out this one. My simple and lazy thought was 'why rebuild my docs after a reinstall? Why not put it on a separate partition like I do with MyPrograms. That way it survives more catastrophes short of total drive failure.

thanks again,

fallsoff

[AgiHammerklau]

I think there are some reasons wy this option is absent in nlite!

There is one really good reason :

Windows always grabs the "first available" partition, if "autopartition" is used.

This is, how Windows numbers/ letters the partitions:

1./ c: first primary partition on "device0" (IDE HDD)

2./ d: first primary partition on "device1" (HDD plugged to any controller [ATA or S-ATA])

3./ e: next partition on "device0"

4./ f: next partition on "device1"

I remember vaguely, that there is a "read-me" in the "support-folder" (deploy.exe) on your windowsCD and a "knowledge base" article on microsoft.com, how to modify the .sif .

Agi

P.S.:

@danker

Welcome to the forum !!!

[Ponch]

This is, how Windows numbers/ letters the partitions:

1./ c: first primary partition on "device0" (IDE HDD)

2./ d: first primary partition on "device1" (HDD plugged to any controller [ATA or S-ATA])

3./ e: next partition on "device0"

4./ f: next partition on "device1"

Quite not exact. This is closer to reality:

1./ c: active primary partition on "device0" (IDE HDD)

2./ d: active primary partition on "device1" if any (HDD plugged to any controller [ATA or S-ATA])

3./ e: next partition on "device0" and next...

4./ f: next partition on "device1" and next...

I can't say right now if Windows just skips to next disk if there is no active partition on the 1st one.

[portnoy256]

maybe it could be better to let user data on C:\Document and Setting and mount the 2nd HD in this directory (NTFS required)

[AgiHammerklau]

@ponch

Tested it with W2K and XP.

Found out, via the "hard way" (loss of data), that the partitions don´t have to be active.

It´s enough, that they are present and "visible".

"Autopartition" doesn´t care about that anyway.

It just grabs the first drive, formats it and makes it a partition.

That´s the reason, why I have to switch off my IDE-HDD, if C: should be installed on my RAID0-array.

Long time ago, I found a pretty good tutorial, what parameters are available and how to use them for "format" and "mount", unfortuanately a systemcrash killed the link and I can´t find it anymore.

Agi

[mikesw]

maybe it could be better to let user data on C:\Document and Setting and mount the 2nd HD in this directory (NTFS required)

I was thinking the same thing about mounting the partition to this directory path, but this means a whole

disk partition being allocated to one directory path. Although I assume one can have multiple directory

mount points to the same hard drive.

Another possibility is to leave the directory path where it is and use a directory-to-directory link path.

This is similar to the shortcut or symbolic links to the other drive or partition directory location.

I.E. "C:\Document and Setting" links to "D:\Document and Setting".

The problem with the above method is that as drives get added and removed the drive letter assignments

will change and may break the linking since these are absolute/explicit driver letter assignments. Perhaps

there is a "relative" pathnames, using an environment variable in the pathname specification

i.e. %drive%\Document and Setting" which will be updated somehow during booting to be updated before

it is used. Dynamic drive letter assignments.

I wonder if the above will work?

[danker]

Even its works it realy dosent makes sense!

But i wish you "Good luck!"

Dont forget to post your results! (...and dont forget to count your BSODs!)