Partitions?

  • Thread starter Thread starter CWLee
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CWLee

(I'm anticipating the purchase of a new computer with Vista
Ultimate. I'm not sophisticated about computers.)

Why does one partition a hard drive? Pros and cons please.
Thanks.

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CWLee

1. eg: 2 partitions - Programs on 1
Data on the other.
3 partitions - Programs on 1
Data on other
Backup on the other

Backups come into play here with programs & data
on different partitions.

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I should also add that if you have one 1 HD
and then your HD fails and you don't have a
Drive Image Backup (DIB) then you will
have lost everything, irrespective of how many
partitions you have on the drive.
Best to have 2 HD's C: programs & OS
or D: programs, data and other files
etc etc etc.

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All drives are partitioned.. some have only one partition which takes up all
available space.. I prefer at least three partitions, one 40gb for the OS
and programs, one for installation files like free downloads and drivers,
and the the third for documents, pictures, music et al.. it makes stuff that
much easier to find, and I can mess about with them knowing that I will not
screw up the OS or accidentally move something that I shouldn't..

But please be aware that it is not a backup solution.. in the event of a
hard drive failure, not exactly uncommon these days, it has ALL gone..


CWLee said:
(I'm anticipating the purchase of a new computer with Vista
Ultimate. I'm not sophisticated about computers.)

Why does one partition a hard drive? Pros and cons please.
Thanks.

--
----------
CWLee
Former slayer of dragons; practice now limited to sacred
cows. Believing we should hire for quality, not quotas, and
promote for performance, not preferences.
Click to expand...

--


Mike Hall
MS MVP Windows Shell/User
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/
 
to quote a good part of Mikes reply:

"I prefer at least three partitions, one 40gb for the OS
and programs, one for installation files like free downloads and drivers,
and the the third for documents, pictures, music et al.."

This is a very good way to partition your hard drive but to expand on that
its good to have another HD (mines an external PikaOne, 80Gb) purely for
backup and to free up space on your main machine further down the line. Mike
explained that its all lost if the Hard Drive fails, this is a horrible
truth. I tend to back up main data on the external HD and then anything like
OE (or windows mail as its known in Vista) on CD fairly regularly.

Using partitions also allows you to run XP on one partition and Vista on
another if you feel you still have a use for an older OS. Some hardware still
wont run on vista due to the lack of updated drivers, this is why a dual boot
is a good idea whilst the drivers all catch up with the new OS.
 
I have two internal drives and an external also.. there are three other
computers connected to the network, across which I have scattered copies and
backups such that each and every computer is recoverable other that the OS
in use, for which I use a full retail CD or DVD.. this is not a normal setup
for many home users, but I prefer it this way.. there are also data backups
on CD-RW media..

Presently, the two main drives are running independent installs of XP Pro
and Vista Ultimate, each bootable in its own right.. I am not a fan of dual
boots, and I only image a drive for the purpose of transferring to a newer
drive.. clean installs take a while but are always more successful, I have
found..

Whatever route is taken, one should never rely on a single hard drive,
regardless of whether it is a slave or external.. when making backups, make
two, and test at least one of them out.. data files are best saved onto a CD
using something like Nero to copy them.. it is not a good idea to use a
backup program unless one is fully acquainted with the recovery procedure
and any limitations.. the great thing about using Nero is that the files can
be read on ANY computer..


Bufger said:
to quote a good part of Mikes reply:

"I prefer at least three partitions, one 40gb for the OS
and programs, one for installation files like free downloads and drivers,
and the the third for documents, pictures, music et al.."

This is a very good way to partition your hard drive but to expand on that
its good to have another HD (mines an external PikaOne, 80Gb) purely for
backup and to free up space on your main machine further down the line.
Mike
explained that its all lost if the Hard Drive fails, this is a horrible
truth. I tend to back up main data on the external HD and then anything
like
OE (or windows mail as its known in Vista) on CD fairly regularly.

Using partitions also allows you to run XP on one partition and Vista on
another if you feel you still have a use for an older OS. Some hardware
still
wont run on vista due to the lack of updated drivers, this is why a dual
boot
is a good idea whilst the drivers all catch up with the new OS.
Click to expand...

--


Mike Hall
MS MVP Windows Shell/User
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/
 
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