This is an area that leaves me scratching my head wondering why so many insist on overcomplicating a very simple concept. Windows XP is well over a decade old...which is absolutely ancient in regular terms. Windows 7 is a completely different animal, so I don't understand why so many try to apply old methods of rationale to it.

That being said, there's absolutely no reason and nothing to gain by altering the default settings. There's no logic behind making any changes at all, or creating special partitions. Just let Windows 7 manage it. Windows 7 is the first OS where Microsoft "got it" and listened to their customers. It runs efficiently out of the box.

The best advice for Windows 7 is and always has been: Leave it alone. If you really care about performance with virtual memory, go get an SSD and let that handle your OS. Make sure you have enough system memory, and then go on enjoying your computer, rather than finding new ways to waste time and effort for zero returns.