Santander said:
New laptop without OS, 250GB hard drive. I plan install windows XP.
Does it make sense to divide hard drive into two partitions, one 20GB for
Win XP and programs (C), and the rest for data (D)?
Will 20GB enough for C partition? Or better just create one partition at
the maximum size possible? so the default number provided will be the
maximum space available and the best choice?
Santander
(Santander later adds...)
it seems, notebook manufacturers usually set 20Gb partition when laptop
come with operating system?
Santander:
I would agree with David B.'s recommendation that a single partition
encompassing the entire disk space of your 250 GB HDD will work just fine.
In my opinion, for the overwhelming number of PC users, there's really
nothing wrong or particularly limiting with living with a single-partitioned
HDD. You can effectively organize your HDD by using folders to segregate
this or that major program or division of work. You need not multi-partition
your HDD unless you have some very special need for doing so such as
installing two operating systems on one physical HDD (although let me be
quick to add that except where there is no other recourse left open to the
user, i.e., he or she is unable or unwilling to use separate hard drives,
I'm not particularly enthusiastic about installing multiple operating
systems on a single HDD.)
The great advantage of having a single partition per physical HDD is its
simplicity. You never encounter the situation where the free space is in the
"wrong" partition nor is there ever a need to adjust partition size because
one's later need for more (or less) disk space has changed.
Many advocates of multi-partitioning schemes invoke the presumed advantage
of separating the operating system from one's programs/data. The presumed
advantage is that by doing so a significant level of security is thereby
introduced in that when the system goes down, only the OS need be
(re)installed and all of one's programs & data will be salvaged and brought
back to life. It's an illusion. In "real-life" it never seems to work out
that way (especially in an XP OS environment). Time & time again we run into
that common situation where the user finds this or that "partition" needs to
be expanded, or shrunk, or merged, but there's no way to accomplish this
without third-party tools and the inherent danger of data loss that can
occur through the partition-manipulation process.
By & large, the *real* answer to securing one's system is creating &
maintaining a comprehensive backup system that the user employs on a routine
& systematic basis. So that when one's day-to-day HDD fails or the system
becomes dysfunctional and unable to boot, one can effectively recover from
that disaster with a minimum of effort. My own preference is to use a
disk-cloning program such as the Casper 5 program, but there are other
disk-cloning & disk-imaging programs such as Acronis True Image or
Symantec's Norton Ghost program that will also do the job. And, of course,
there are other backup strategies one can employ based on the user's needs.
But establishing & maintaining a backup system is the crucial point for
security - not multi-partitioning one's HDD either for security or thinking
it will provide enhanced performance of the system.
Anyway, think hard & long before you multi-partition your HDD. And if you
conclude that multi-partitioning your HDD is the most desirable course of
action in your particular circumstances, then go ahead and partition away.
But even if you do - please establish and use on a routine basis a backup
system that meets your needs.That should be your crucial objective.
Anna
is