Setting up ATX with partitions

[MarkM]

Can I run ATX on Windows XP Pro with the program file and data on separate partitions? I know ATX does not support workstation setups, but I am hoping I can at least partition the data.

Thanks.

[DonnaA]

I am using Tax Works this year, but in past years I could not find an option to move the ATX database to another partition. I have always set the backup location to a different partition and saved my PDF and export files there, also. I have a separate folder for each tax year on my D drive. In TRX Tax Works you can set the "Data Paths" to any location.

[SunTaxMan]

Why would want to separate data from program?

[kcjenkins]

I separate the backups, actually backing up to two different hard drives on two computers, plus backing up to a flash drive, which process I rotate between three flash drives, but see no reason to separate the program data.

[MarkM]

Why would want to separate data from program?

You should ALWAYS keep your data files segregated from your program and OS files whenever possible (either on separate drives or partitions). On my PC I run Windows on one drive and my program files on another. I use a second PC as my file server where all my data files are kept. The server PC is backed up continuously 24/7.

The reason you separate the programs and data is that if you ever have a problem with Windows (that's a given) or with a program and need to reinstall, it won't affect any of your data. Almost all PC problems are program or Windows related, not data related. And sometimes the only way to fix a serious Windows problems is to do a clean reinstall which entails wiping your hard drive. I wipe my windows drive and do a clean reinstall every 2 years. It makes my system run like new. Your registry can become corrupted very quickly and your system will slow down. Wiping the hard drive will also prolong its life.

[ILLMAS]

You might want to contact ATX directly for this, but I think it turns to be samething if you network you ATX, install ATX on the server any return you prepare on a workstation, the data is stored on the server, on the workstation you are simply using the software but the data is saved on the server.

[SunTaxMan]

A solution I thought of to use periodically, in addition to normal back ups, is to copy the "database" folder to a different location - perhaps as end-of-day or weekly.

[Randall]

I got a new computer last fall. I have a solid state HD with W7 on the solid state HD, my c drive. But it only has 150gb so I have the regular type HD, 1 terabyte, my d drive. I wanted to install ATX on the the c drive and direct my date files to the d drive. With some other programs, during installation prompts, you can direct your data to another place other than the program's default file. ATX told me I couldn't do it, that both program and data had to be on the same drive. So I installed ATX on my d drive. I had hoped for faster response on the c drive, the solid state hd but had to settle for it on the regular hd.

I do have my os W7 on the solid state hd.

[MarkM]

Randall, that's pretty much the exact setup I am looking to do with my new system. I will have a SSD with two partitions: one for Win 7 and he other for my program files. I will put all my programs' data files on a separate server.

It doesn't appear that we can split the ATX program file from its data, but I definitely want ATX to run on the SSD because it will speed up the program dramatically. I guess I will have to put the ATX program file AND the data on the SSD because I don't think there is another way to do it.

[kcjenkins]

You can direct your backup files to a different drive, but not the data file. You can however copy that datafile to another drive, so that should you ever have to reinstall the program, you can then copy the data file once the new install is working.

[Eric]

Mark, what you're looking to do is really not all that different from installing the entire application on a secondary partition. Even when you do that, all of the system files required by the application still get installed on the primary windows partition.

Now, the non-data parts of the software (executables and whatever) aren't going to be on your faster solid state primary drive, but I really don't think that would give you much of a performance increase even if you could do that. The software still has to access the slower hard drive every single time it needs to access the data, which is constantly.

Having only the program itself on your solid state drive might allow you to start the program faster, but once it's loaded into memory, you're not likely to see any further performance improvement.

So if better performance is the primary goal, your data should be on the solid state drive and backed up regularly. Of course, that goal puts you at odds with your wish to conserve space on your new drive.

[MarkM]

I think what I'll end up doing is just installing the ATX programs and data files to the SSD. ATX is not my primary tax program so each year's folder only takes up about 1.5 GB of drive space.

I agree with you about the programs on the SSD still having to access the data files on the non-SSD HD, but the most time consuming part of running software is generally loading it into memory. Once that is set, accessing the data is done fairly quickly whether the data is on the SSD or regular HD.

By putting all my data files on a separate file server, the only programs I have running on it are Windows and whatever backup/imaging programs I am using (basically Carbonite, Second Copy and Acronis). As those programs can hog system resources, I like having them run on a PC with no other programs running (except Windows). That way they can run 24/7 and not affect the performances of the other programs I run on my primary workstation.