Recommended Partition Size for installing Vista Ultimate (64Bit) on Macbook Pro 200GB

[nickodemus]

Hey guys I'm new to the forums and to Mac!!

I just wanted to ask, what's the best partition size for installing Vista Ultimate 64bit?

I'm switching from Windows XP but I THINK the only Windows things I would use are games, Office 2007, and Photoshop?

I have music and video but I plan on leaving that all to the Mac as I want to switch my video editing to Final Cut rather than the old Windows options..

I have no idea what the requirements are for Vista and how much space future service packs will take!! Thats why I ask!

My new Macbook Pro (hasn't arrived yet) has the 200GB 7,200RPM Hard Disk, I was going to partition 40GB for Vista Ultimate (only because my old laptop had 40GB and that lasted 5 years!).

Thanks for your help and advice!

** Also I don't understand why some people recommend trying to install windows onto an external hard disk? I read something about repairs can't be made on a hard disk that is partitioned with Windows? Bootcamp doesn't allow installation on externals does it?

 

[steveza]

You can use any size you like over about 10GB (practically speaking) dependent on the amount of data you want to store on that disk. 40GB sounds like a good shout if you need that much space.

 

[The Flashing Fi]

How are we supposed to know? There is no "perfect" size. It depends on the amount of programs you'll have on there and how large they are as well as the amount of pictures/music, ect that you'll have. This is something that YOU have to figure out. We can't really help you out with this.

If you really think you can get by with 40 gigs, then I guess that's how large it should be. If you have games on your desktop that you plan on playing on your MBP, you can go to your desktop to see how much space the games take up and go based off of that.

 

[jcb431]

A standard Windows Vista installation will consume approx. 7GB of hard disk space. This does not include any room for the installation of applications or your data. The recommended minimum amout of hard disk space is 20GB, and the recommended amount is 40GB.

 

[Riyadh]

id go with at least 40gb, because i have learned this the hard way. i had started out with a 20gb partition. then i did updates on my vista, and filled it up to the max, so i thought id increase it by another 10 and went up to 30, and now it is filling up again, and i havent even installed service pack 2. so it looks like i will be resizing my partitions again. if anyone has done this, they will know what a pain it is to resize a 300gb hard drive's partitions. it's really shocking how big 64 bit operating systems are. i remember when operating systems only took up 4gb, and it was not long ago that i used to use less than 2gb for xp.

 

[terzinator]

I went with 60GB for my Windows 7 partition on my new MBP with a 128GB SSD. (All my mac data -- movies, music, photos, etc... -- will live on a 750GB HDD in the optibay)

My old MBP had a 60GB partition for WinXP, and it seemed to be about the right amount. I still have plenty of space left on that one, and that's with lots of SQL database stuff Visual Studio and MS Office and whatnot.

So, I'd say 40GB is fine, but if you have lots of stuff planned for it, I'd feel better with 60GB.

EDIT: Um, I just saw that this was a three-year-old thread that just got revived!

 

[WilliamBos]

Thanks. Also what I was looking for too. I assume the same for 7??

 

[balamw]

or for that matter smoke signals...

I'd be impressed if you actually posted via smoke signals.

On topic: I generally suggest 20% of the drive size as a minimum as long as that exceeds the system requirements. More depending on what you want to DO in Windows.

B

 

[vistadude]

40 Gb minimum, 60 GB recommended if you want to save your photoshop projects on the same partition.

If you have the cash, I'd recommended windows 7 for better stability, and the 32 bit edition to save a few gb's space, and a logitech mouse for more accurate pointing (the trackpad sucks in windows).