Advisable to split 500 GB disk into partitions?

[Jon D]

I use XP Pro/SP2 at home. The PC is a bit slow.

I recently got a 500GB hard drive mainly as a backup for copies of my
main data.

Is there anything (perhaps in XP or in NTFS or just good sense) which
says that I'm wiser not to make the whole 500 GB into one partition?

 

[Ron Martell]

I use XP Pro/SP2 at home. The PC is a bit slow.

I recently got a 500GB hard drive mainly as a backup for copies of my
main data.

Is there anything (perhaps in XP or in NTFS or just good sense) which
says that I'm wiser not to make the whole 500 GB into one partition?

No.

The arguments in favor of partitioning (other than for multiple
operating systems) are basically a matter of organization and
housekeeping.

If the entire drive is to be dedicated to one type of data then there
is no reason to consider partitioning it.

What are the specs of your computer? With CPU speed of 1.2 ghz or
less you really need to have at least 512 mb of RAM in order to get
reasonable performance from XP. Also some security (virus/spyware
etc) apps are noted as performance killers, especially Norton and
McAfee.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[Bob Willard]

I use XP Pro/SP2 at home. The PC is a bit slow.

I recently got a 500GB hard drive mainly as a backup for copies of my
main data.

Is there anything (perhaps in XP or in NTFS or just good sense) which
says that I'm wiser not to make the whole 500 GB into one partition?

For me, the primary basis for partitioning is backup considerations. It
is simple to backup complete partitions; in fact, some backup apps will
only backup complete partions. So, if you plan to backup only part of
a HD's files, part. that HD accordingly.

Also, if you want both NTFS and FAT areas (e.g., for dual-booting),
then you need more than one part.

 

[Noncompliant]

My methods may not be suitable to your file data. But, may give you some
ideas for organization.

I keep a lot of data on a separate hard drive. They are divided primarily
by data type on separate partitions. 1. Software installation software and
hardware drivers, 2. My personal critical data like Outlook backups, tax
return pdf files, banking data, online passwords etc., 3. Video files, 4.
Music files. 5. Image backup files of the OS partition, on still another
hard drive.