Parbreastion Ideas Your Advice, Please 4

Had a similar question - so did a google search and found this thread:

Currently have my machine dual booted XP-Ubuntu on a SATA HD. Have a PATA HD I use for backup of basically "My Documents" folder. XP has starting acting out and think a reinstall is in order. Long term have decided for numerous reasons I will not upgrade to Vista and am leaning towards MEPIS as my OS of choice (at the moment anyway). But know I will need to maintain a dual booted machine for my wife to use XP.

Want to purchase a second SATA HD - getting rid of the PATA all together. Projecting long term and think it best to keep my important files - pictures, documents, etc. the things I can't download and install again on the second HD so I can simply plug that into any new system I build regardless of the OS of choice at the time.

Is it viable to configure this way:

160GB HD1

32GB parbreastion 1; NTFS; XP (OS only) 48GB parbreastion 2; NTFS; XP programs 32GB parbreastion 3; EXT3 Linux (OS and swap file) 48GB parbreastion 4; EXT3 Linux programs

160GB HD2

80GB parbreastion 5: FAT32; "my documents" 80GB parbreastion 6: FAT32: backup of "my documents"

My logic being if I need to install XP again I can do so on parbreastion 1 without loosing anything and same for parbreastion 3 if I say decide to purchase SUSE and overwite MEPIS. For HD2 I want a file system that both XP and Linux can have full read-write access (Any other options?) so I can say read my email in Thunderbird in either XP or Linux as well as get pictures off my digital camera etc. and should I build a new system in the future (Currently 754 looking to upgrade to AM2.) can install desired OS of the time on HD1 and just "plug in" HD2. Lastly I have Windows software that mirrors any folders I specify to any other location I want, parbreastion 6, but does anyone know of any such software for Linux?

Also does any of this make sense or I have I been spending far too much time thinking about this?