Partitioning new HD with Leopard in mind

[Lazarus18]

So we have a new iMac on the way. When it gets here I'll be partitioning the HD for boot camp anyway (setting aside 40GB for that). I'm thinking it might be smart to partition the rest of the HD to separate the OS from the rest of my files because it's a sure thing I'll want to do a new install whenever I get Leopard.

How much space does one normally reserve for the OS, and do I need to do anything else to make it go smoothly?

[eric2006]

You will probably be able to run an upgrade install from leopard. I would just do that, because having files separate from your OS can be a hassle.

[MisterMe]

Originally Posted by Lazarus18

... I'm thinking it might be smart to partition the rest of the HD to separate the OS from the rest of my files because it's a sure thing I'll want to do a new install whenever I get Leopard.

...

I heartedly agree with eric2006 on this issue. You are much better served doing a simple upgrade. Leopard will not include updated versions or even the old versions of your bundled apps. If you delete them, then you will have to reinstall them from your System Restore disk.

[fryke]

Set 40 GB aside for BootCamp, that sounds alright. (But let BootCamp do that.) No other partitioning required or recommended. But you'll also want a USB 2.0 or FireWire external harddrive for TimeMachine (backup) purposes. Not only because TimeMachine is great, but also because it simply makes sense not to lose important files.

[Lazarus18]

Well, I guess since we'll have been using it for only a month or two an upgrade install would be OK. In the past I've just had better luck with a clean install when putting on the next OS version. That is a good point about the bundled apps though. Don't they give you a DVD as well should you need to reinstall?

[Satcomer]

Also it would be a good idea to get and external Firewire 800 drive. You can use that drive for backups or a large Fusion or Parallels partition. Firewire 800 would be that fastest.