Are there benefits to partitioning??

[seadooman]

Im getting ready to put together a new computer and am wondering if a system with only 1 operating system would benefit from multiple partitions?? The computer i use now has 6 w\ 3 operating systems,new 1 80 gig harddrive.

thank you for your thoughts

 

[cdogg]

Yes there are.

The obvious benefit is file management. You can separate the OS from other types of files. For example, you could divide the drive into 3 parititions - (10GB, 30GB+, 30GB+). Use the C: drive for the OS and any main applications you plan on keeping long term. The D: drive could be for any secondary applications/games that either consume a lot of space or are meant for a shorter term. The E: drive could be for misc (i.e. data storage of multimedia).

Another advantage that goes along with file management is quick defragmentation. By keeping your OS partition relatively small, you cut down on defrag times. After all, the C: drive will be the one you defrag most often to speed up boot and application load times.


~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind"
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[diogenes10]

I recently reformatted a win98 machine and setup a partition for programs, a partition for data, and a partition for an image. If im concerned about some program or setting I want to add or change on the program partition, I can first use drive image (or ghost) to back it up to the image partition. I then have a quick and easy restore procedure when something goes wrong. (It's the times when I dont think there's going to be a problem that get me.)

(It also allows me to back up my data more easily.)

I tried to use a separate partition for the swap file but I apparently didnt understand that process because I couldnt make it work properly.

But yes, as cdogg says, the extra partitions can be really helpful to you in managing your computer.

 

[cdogg]

Yes, thanks diogenes! Saving time to make an image of a smaller partition is crucial if you plan on securing your data on a regular basis.

Unless you have two physical drives, however, it's not going to help much to move the swapfile from one partition to another on the same physical drive. It's best to have 2 drives - one for the OS and another for the swapfile.


~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind"
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[micker377]

Placing the "image" on the same physical drive isn't advised. The main reason to image is in case of hard drive failure. So if the hard drive dies, so does your image. Get a cheap 30 or 40 meg hard drive and put your image and swap file there. As for setting up the swap drive - when you change it to the new drive, don't forget to disable the default one.

 

[diogenes10]

Well, as far as the image is concerned, that depends on what you're trying to accomplish. In my case I'm just wanting a before program or settings change recovery point. I currently have a problem I dont know how to fix, I've experimented with 2-3 times, and have had to restore from the image partition each time, the restore process has worked fine. For longer term restore points which might be needed from system degradation or drive failure, Ive burned some cds.

 

[micker377]

OK, that's fine for what you use it for. I use "Go-Back" for experimenting, and Ghost (on another drive) for system back-ups.

 

[cdogg]

Depending on the size of the partition, a CD or DVD burner is also a good alternative for making the image, although a slower one at that. That's what I had in mind when suggesting that you keep the OS partition as small as possible to save time during backups.

 

[braddds]

I just read a very good article on this very subject that articulates most if not all of the recommendations above:

http://partition.radified.com/

Cheers