what are the benefits to partitioning my 30G HDD?

[#2]

hello
I was wondering what are the advantages of partitioning of 30G HDD.
thanks

[daveleau]

Usually I put the system files and some apps on the C drive and data and volitile apps (netscape) on the D drive to keep fragmentation down. It is easy to format and reinstall without losing your data if you have your data on D while your system is on C as well as long as you use the same type of partition. Other than that, you gain no real speed except for less fargmentation on C.

[Ed_S]

Several potential advantages, really.

>If you ever want to set up multiple OS's, you're better off with each in it's own partition.

>As Dave said, fragmentation is easier to control. As is other disk maintenance.

>When something goes wrong, the loss of data is usually confined.

>You can set up a small partition just for Windows' install files. Copy from the CD to here, then install. From then on, you won't need the CD every time Windows needs a file.

>Seperate partition for the swapfile.


But for me, the most important reason is organization. OS & utils on C:, data on D:, important apps (Office, Quicken, etc) on E:, internet on F:, games on G:, etc.

IMO, one (or two) partitions just turn into a jumble of junk, eventually.

Ed

[otheos]

One and only drawback:

Partitions are split by cylinder position!. What this means is that you restrict the speed of the second (and all partitions after that). The outer part of the disk is faster than the inner parts.

So you make two partitions: 15G and 15G. the second will only have a max speed equal to the first's min speed. And most of the times the first partitions 10GB sit there doing nothing.

So you should partition thinking of having the least amount of unused space on the first partition so that the second is as close to the outer cylinders as possible.

EDIT: As a consequence of this hard disk basic understanding comes the tip to place your swap file at the edge of the first partition and actually make it (using Norton Speed disk) the first piece of data on the hard drive. This ofcourse asumes a fixed (say 256min 256max)or a semi-fixed (say 256min 512max) swap file.

[This message has been edited by otheos (edited 12-06-2000).]

[Mungla]

Otheos, what about HD's with multiple platters? Just as example, the IBM 75GXP -- since they store 15G per platter, what if you set up say 4 partitions that are 15G each, will each partition run at the same speed as compared to the other partitions? Just a thought, since theoretically, each platter SHOULD be independant from the others.

[Luser]

What??? No. It's like that regardless, even with only one partition. The farther out you go on the cylinder, the faster the drive is because there's more surface containing data moving past the head. It's all about something called CAV. Your hard drive's platters spin at a constant (pretty much) RPM, so that means your hard drive is considered a CAV, or constand angular velocity drive. Old CD-ROMs used to be CLV drives, or constand linear velocity drives, because they would change the speed the disk was spinning at to maintain a constant data rate.

[otheos]

Cylinder counts in all platters (this is why they are called cylinders).

All the platters form a cylinder with a radius equal to the radius of the disk. Now take cylinders concentric to the first one with smaler radii. The first partition will lie in all platters from the outer cylinder to the next one.

This makes sense in terms of design as all heads are in one arm and it would be a waste of time to write on the disk from surface to surface.

So simply put the 1st partition will take the outer part of all platters.

[angusterd]

"True genius is the ability to make the complex sound simple"


Albert Einstein

[Win_98]

well for one, splitting them into more then one give you more drive letter. YOu dont want C drive of 30gig do you? you can control what size drive C will be say 500meg, 1gig, etc... while having only 1 partition give you no option!