Datasheet

which might be 200 GB; a D: drive, which might be 150 GB; and an E: drive, which might
be 150 GB.
The following sections detail some of the major considerations for disk partitioning:
Partition Size One important consideration in your disk-partitioning scheme is
determining the partition size. You need to consider the amount of space taken up by your
operating system, the applications that will be installed, and the amount of stored data. It
is also important to consider the amount of space required in the future.
Microsoft recommends that you allocate at least 16 GB of disk space for Windows 7. This
allows room for the operating system fi les and for future growth in terms of upgrades and
installation fi les that are placed with the operating system fi les.
The System and Boot Partitions When you install Windows 7, fi les will be stored in two
locations: the system partition and the boot partition. The system partition and the boot
partition can be the same partition.
The system partition contains the fi les needed to boot the Windows 7 operating system. The
system partition contains the Master Boot Record (MBR) and boot sector of the active drive
partition. It is often the fi rst physical hard drive in the computer and normally contains the
necessary fi les to boot the computer. The fi les stored on the system partition do not take any
signifi cant disk space. The active partition is the system partition that is used to start your
computer. The C: drive is usually the active partition.
The boot partition contains the Windows 7 operating system fi les. By default, the Windows
operating system fi les are located in a folder named
Windows.
Special Disk Configurations Windows 7 supports several disk confi gurations. Options
include simple, spanned, and striped volumes. These confi guration options are covered in
detail in Chapter 3, “Managing Disks.”
Disk Partition Configuration Utilities If you are partitioning your disk prior to
installation, you can use several utilities, such as the DOS or Windows FDISK program,
or a third-party utility, such as Norton’s Partition Magic. You can also confi gure the disks
during the installation of the Windows 7 operating system.
You might want to create only the fi rst partition where Windows 7 will be installed. You
can then use the Disk Management utility in Windows 7 to create any other partitions
you need. The Windows 7 Disk Management utility is covered in Chapter 3.
Language and Locale
Language and locale settings determine the language the computer will use. Windows 7
supports many languages for the operating system interface and utilities.
Locale settings are for confi guring the format for items such as numbers, currencies,
times, and dates. For example, English for the United States specifi es a short date as
mm/dd/yyyy (month/day/year), while English for South Africa specifi es a short date
as yyyy/mm/dd (year/month/day).
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