Q
Quantum09
Guest
Glad to hear that 
No, no, programs are fine, just be careful with MS updates.
Remember, that it'll make your life easier in case you have to reinstall Windows, but if you want to install for example an expansion pack for one of your games, that's not on the default C: partition, it's going to be a little (with 2 partitions), or could be much harder (with even more partitions).
DO NOT touch anything, that Windows installs by default (including the applications in C:\Program Files that come with Windows).
Most of the software (especially the games) should work after you copy/move them from one partition to the other, but not always. It's safest to uninstall programs on the previous partition, and install them on the new one.
But be carefull with saved games:
A game you played might work after moving it to a different partition, but it will have no idea that the location of your saved games is now on a different partition (that's why you need to do backups of all your saved games too), and you'll have to copy your saves to the appropriate location on the new partition for the game to see them.
As for partitions:
Even if you have already created partition(s), and even after you installed Windows, and programs etc.,and you don't wan't to do it again, you can use a Live Linux CD/DVD to manipulate them.
BEFORE manipulating partitions:
1. First, backup of your personal stuff (pictures, documents, saved games, etc), and anything you don't want to lose.
2. Perform a disk defragmentation JUST BEFORE booting PC from Live CD/DVD and resizing partitions, or some data might be lost/corrupted during the process. Might even happen to Windows critical files preventing you from starting your Windows later.
3. DO NOT use the Live Linux CD/DVD to format the partitions you create; use only the Windows Setup CD to for that. (Linux uses file systems (Ext, 2 Ext 3, Reiserfs, etc.) that don't work with Windows (at least not with XP).
4. Remember to leave some room on every partition (a few GiB).
So, in your case, if you already installed Windows, and you now have a one huge partition (500 GiB) filling all your hard drive (not enough, or no unformatted space at all), you'd have to use a Linux Live CD/DVD to resize (shrink) the partition, and then create a new one. Afterwards, you'd have to use the Windows CD to format the freshly created partition for NTFS, and in the end you'd have to copy everything you want to it (except for Windows - you can't just move Windows files to a different partition; your computer won't boot afterwards.
Here are links I've found for you, but you might find better ones by yourself:
Creating Live Linux CD (based on Ubuntu):
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD
The basic process goes like this:
1. Download the Live Iso file.
2. OPEN the ISO file using a CD/DVD burning software, such as Nero Burning Rom (DO NOT create a bootable session because the ISO is already Bootable, and it won't work otherwise).
3. Burn it and Boot your PC from it.
4. Choose: "Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer" (if you chose wrong, just hit CTRL + ALT + DEL and boot up again).
5. Run the Partition Editor and shrink the partition.
6. Format the new partition using Windows CD, or From Windows itself.
7. Copy/Move files/reinstall some stuff if necessary.
I couldn't find any tutorial with pictures on how to resize partitions using the Live CD, but it's really easy after you boot your PC from it and run the Partition Editor (GPartEd) (on the picture in the link above). Just do it carefully.
Creating partitions using Windows XP Installation CD:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/313348
Now I know what I forgot; you mentioned 64 bit version... don't. All the software so far was written for 32-bit hardware, I think we are only beginning to switch to 64-bit applications and it's gonna take many years. You can Google for: "64 vs 32 bit" and you'll see what problems with 64 there are.
No, no, programs are fine, just be careful with MS updates.
Remember, that it'll make your life easier in case you have to reinstall Windows, but if you want to install for example an expansion pack for one of your games, that's not on the default C: partition, it's going to be a little (with 2 partitions), or could be much harder (with even more partitions).
DO NOT touch anything, that Windows installs by default (including the applications in C:\Program Files that come with Windows).
Most of the software (especially the games) should work after you copy/move them from one partition to the other, but not always. It's safest to uninstall programs on the previous partition, and install them on the new one.
But be carefull with saved games:
A game you played might work after moving it to a different partition, but it will have no idea that the location of your saved games is now on a different partition (that's why you need to do backups of all your saved games too), and you'll have to copy your saves to the appropriate location on the new partition for the game to see them.
As for partitions:
Even if you have already created partition(s), and even after you installed Windows, and programs etc.,and you don't wan't to do it again, you can use a Live Linux CD/DVD to manipulate them.
BEFORE manipulating partitions:
1. First, backup of your personal stuff (pictures, documents, saved games, etc), and anything you don't want to lose.
2. Perform a disk defragmentation JUST BEFORE booting PC from Live CD/DVD and resizing partitions, or some data might be lost/corrupted during the process. Might even happen to Windows critical files preventing you from starting your Windows later.
3. DO NOT use the Live Linux CD/DVD to format the partitions you create; use only the Windows Setup CD to for that. (Linux uses file systems (Ext, 2 Ext 3, Reiserfs, etc.) that don't work with Windows (at least not with XP).
4. Remember to leave some room on every partition (a few GiB).
So, in your case, if you already installed Windows, and you now have a one huge partition (500 GiB) filling all your hard drive (not enough, or no unformatted space at all), you'd have to use a Linux Live CD/DVD to resize (shrink) the partition, and then create a new one. Afterwards, you'd have to use the Windows CD to format the freshly created partition for NTFS, and in the end you'd have to copy everything you want to it (except for Windows
- you can't just move Windows files to a different partition; your computer won't boot afterwards.Here are links I've found for you, but you might find better ones by yourself:
Creating Live Linux CD (based on Ubuntu):
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD
The basic process goes like this:
1. Download the Live Iso file.
2. OPEN the ISO file using a CD/DVD burning software, such as Nero Burning Rom (DO NOT create a bootable session because the ISO is already Bootable, and it won't work otherwise).
3. Burn it and Boot your PC from it.
4. Choose: "Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer" (if you chose wrong, just hit CTRL + ALT + DEL and boot up again).
5. Run the Partition Editor and shrink the partition.
6. Format the new partition using Windows CD, or From Windows itself.
7. Copy/Move files/reinstall some stuff if necessary.
I couldn't find any tutorial with pictures on how to resize partitions using the Live CD, but it's really easy after you boot your PC from it and run the Partition Editor (GPartEd) (on the picture in the link above). Just do it carefully.
Creating partitions using Windows XP Installation CD:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/313348
Now I know what I forgot; you mentioned 64 bit version... don't. All the software so far was written for 32-bit hardware, I think we are only beginning to switch to 64-bit applications and it's gonna take many years. You can Google for: "64 vs 32 bit" and you'll see what problems with 64 there are.