Give Me Some Concrete Examples, Please

[Virgil Moron]

All right. I usually post here under another email address, but I
figured I'd create a new one so that if anyone feels the need to tell
me to get lost, I will have already called myself stupid.

I reread www.pcguide.com's sections on Volumes, Partitions, Labels,
etc. I would like some specific examples of what kinds of files, or
programs, would need or benefit from having a drive partitioned. To
paraphrase Rodney King, can't those programs and files all just get
along? I would appreciate some reasons WHY drives need to be
partitioned, or is it that they're partitioned just to make things more
complicated and so computer genii can "show off."

And I still would like to know how an external hard drive will
communicate with the boot drive. If I purchased an external hard drive
because my original system did not have adequate storage, what the H!@l
does my boot drive care? If the program I need the extra storage for
needs a larger refrigerator to store my seven-course meal in, what does
it matter if this larger refrigerator is placed next to the one I took
the ingredients for the meal from? Am I wrong in assuming (this is a
Gateway 2000 sales rep's metaphor) the refrigerator will be doing the
cooking? Will my computer's "hands" (the processor) and my kitchen
"countertop" (the memory) be dealing with all the data that needs a
gazillion GB in order to store?

Finally, what is a "logical" partition? Wouldn't all partitions have
to be logical in some sense?

Disclaimer: This group is not moderated. I have admitted being a
stupid poster. Ergo, if you exert yourself to remind me of something I
already know, that will make you stupider.

Thank you.

 

[Joep]

All right. I usually post here under another email address, but I
figured I'd create a new one so that if anyone feels the need to tell
me to get lost, I will have already called myself stupid.

That's pathetic ...

I reread www.pcguide.com's sections on Volumes, Partitions, Labels,
etc. I would like some specific examples of what kinds of files, or
programs, would need or benefit from having a drive partitioned. To
paraphrase Rodney King, can't those programs and files all just get
along?

Sure. Why not stuff them all into one folder too?

I would appreciate some reasons WHY drives need to be
partitioned, or is it that they're partitioned just to make things more
complicated

To actually use a disk you will always partition it. You need at least one
partition, ergo the disk will be partitioned.

and so computer genii can "show off."

And I still would like to know how an external hard drive will
communicate with the boot drive.

It doesn't.

If I purchased an external hard drive
because my original system did not have adequate storage, what the H!@l
does my boot drive care?

Ehh ... rephrase please ... does a drive care at all?

If the program I need the extra storage for
needs a larger refrigerator to store my seven-course meal in, what does
it matter if this larger refrigerator is placed next to the one I took
the ingredients for the meal from? Am I wrong in assuming (this is a
Gateway 2000 sales rep's metaphor) the refrigerator will be doing the
cooking? Will my computer's "hands" (the processor) and my kitchen
"countertop" (the memory) be dealing with all the data that needs a
gazillion GB in order to store?

Finally, what is a "logical" partition? Wouldn't all partitions have
to be logical in some sense?

What are you, Vulcan? Anyway, a partition defined in the mbr is referred to
as a primary partition, all others are logicals.

Disclaimer: This group is not moderated. I have admitted being a
stupid poster. Ergo, if you exert yourself to remind me of something I
already know, that will make you stupider.

OMG how pathetic ...

 

[Virgil Moron]

Sure. Why not stuff them all into one folder too?

Okay, I'll take the bait. Why not? Are you saying having all programs
and files in one "folder" would slow down the processor or something?

To actually use a disk you will always partition it. You need at least one
partition, ergo the disk will be partitioned.

All right, I understand this.

What are you, Vulcan? Anyway, a partition defined in the mbr is referred to
as a primary partition, all others are logicals.

Ha ha ha.

 

[Joep]

Okay, I'll take the bait. Why not? Are you saying having all programs
and files in one "folder" would slow down the processor or something?

Well, people tend to organize things. Stuffing everything into one folder is
the oposite. You can run an OS with all it's applications and data in one
partition. I guess many systems come preconfigured like that, so millions
will have just one partition. It's a matter of taste if you keep it like
that or change it and repartition the disk.

using multiple partitions allows you to organize, backup to a different
partition (imaging), optimize partitions for a particular use (cluster size
is a parameters that can be configured) etc.. You may want multiple
partitions to create a multi boot system.

Ha ha ha.

The MBR contains the partition table. In this table there's room for 4
primary partitions. One of those 4 can be an extended partition, all
partitions contained in the extended partition are called logicals. No there
is no logic in that I guess, still that's how they're called. In general, an
operating system requires a primary partition to boot from and will only
allow one primary partition to be visible (well, it was like this in the
DOS/Windows 9x days), so if you wanted a sepearte partition for something
else it needed to be a logical.

If you have more than one disk you may also want to create only logicals on
the 2nd disk so all your partitions receive consequtive drive letters. If
you would have:

disk 1: pri, log
disk 2: pri, log .... then

drive letters (in DOS Win9x) would become

disk 1: c: e:
disk2: d: f:

while when you'd partition like:

disk 1: pri, log
disk 2: log, log ..... it would become

disk 1: c: d:
disk2: e: f:

 

[Odie Ferrous]

I reread www.pcguide.com's sections on Volumes, Partitions, Labels,
etc. I would like some specific examples of what kinds of files, or
programs, would need or benefit from having a drive partitioned.

You grew up in Darkest America. You speak a quaint version of English.

I grew up in Japan. I speak a local intellect known by 3000 people.

Try (this is probably where it gets hard for you) to think of a
formatted (and thereby partitioned) drive being the translator between
your backstreet lingo and my backwash warbling.


To

paraphrase Rodney King, can't those programs and files all just get
along? I would appreciate some reasons WHY drives need to be
partitioned, or is it that they're partitioned just to make things more
complicated and so computer genii can "show off."

Racism / culturalism doesn't exist within the corridors of storage
media. Sorry - this may upset you. Just get over it.

And I still would like to know how an external hard drive will
communicate with the boot drive.

Because you would theoretically configure them (which may involve
partitioning and formatting them) for this specific purpose.


If I purchased an external hard drive

because my original system did not have adequate storage, what the H!@l
does my boot drive care? If the program I need the extra storage for
needs a larger refrigerator to store my seven-course meal in, what does
it matter if this larger refrigerator is placed next to the one I took
the ingredients for the meal from?

And how would the one refrigerator know what the heck is in the other?
You would have to tell it, you plonker. By the same token, the one hard
drive has to tell the other drive what it contains. Go to my first
comment above about languages.


Am I wrong in assuming (this is a

Gateway 2000 sales rep's metaphor) the refrigerator will be doing the
cooking? Will my computer's "hands" (the processor) and my kitchen
"countertop" (the memory) be dealing with all the data that needs a
gazillion GB in order to store?

I think in your mind, whatever you wish to mull over is "correct."
These items all need to be compatible.

Finally, what is a "logical" partition? Wouldn't all partitions have
to be logical in some sense?

Something that the operating system is able to "visualise" - your
refrigerator isn't really "there" until it becomes "logical" - i.e. you
can see it.

Stick a fork in your eye - it will make you feel better.


OD

 

[Roger Blake]

I reread www.pcguide.com's sections on Volumes, Partitions, Labels,
etc. I would like some specific examples of what kinds of files, or
programs, would need or benefit from having a drive partitioned. To

On a system I worked on recently, a program error wound up creating
massive system log files. Since the drive was partitioned into several
filesystems, /var simply filled up and there was no system crash or
other problem.

I've also had experiences over the years where having multiple partitions
prevented data loss due to disk errors. (If you just lose /tmp
or even /var it's probably not a major problem, but if everything is
on the root filesystem you have a much bigger risk of major losses.)

In addition you have to option of using different types of filesystems
and different mount options depending on how the filesystem is going
to be used. (For example, you might want to use ReiserFS on a partition
where there will be lots of small files, such as a mail spool in Maildir
format, but might prefer to stick with ext2 or ext3 for the others, and
you may want to set certain options like noexec or nosuid on certain
partitions.)

 

[Virgil Moron]

Because you would theoretically configure them (which may involve
partitioning and formatting them) for this specific purpose.

Why "theoretically," my sweet Pepe Le Peeu? I obviously HAVE to
configure them, or else I should have spent my 99 shmolions on some
natural viagra site. It would be good of you (if you're not too busy
dealing with all the olfactory attention you must get each day) to tell
a virtual moron HOW to configure them so that they know each other
exists.

And how would the one refrigerator know what the heck is in the other?
You would have to tell it, you plonker. By the same token, the one hard
drive has to tell the other drive what it contains.

See? You said it yourself.

Something that the operating system is able to "visualise" - your
refrigerator isn't really "there" until it becomes "logical" - i.e. you
can see it.

Well, seriously--thank you. I got what I was after, understanding the
connotation as it relates to HDs.

Stick a fork in your eye - it will make you feel better.

Ah, now that's just plain cold.

 

[Virgil Moron]

using multiple partitions allows you to organize, backup to a different
partition (imaging)

THIS is a concrete example. I DO understand why you would want
theoretical divisions for this purpose.

No there is no logic in that I guess, still that's how they're called

Thank you. I wanted to hear someone say this, because this is what I
intuitively thought. I'm grateful to you even if you are a Romulan.

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

That's pathetic ...


Sure. Why not stuff them all into one folder too?

Why even bother with a folder?

To actually use a disk you will always partition it.

Nope.
That's what most people do (knowingly or unknowingly) but that is not the
same as "you 'will' always partition".

You need at least one partition,

Only if you partition, so nope.

ergo the disk will be partitioned.

Not if you format it without partitioning.

[snip]

 

[Thomas Wendell]

SNIP

Not if you format it without partitioning.

[snip]

How do you format it without partitioning it, pray tell??


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Reply to group
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[Folkert Rienstra]

All right. I usually post here under another email address, but I

SNIP

Not if you format it without partitioning.

[snip]

How do you format it without partitioning it, pray tell??

In Windows, define as removable, then format.
Known by Windows as "Large Floppy Format".

 

[Doug Ellice]

"Folkert Rienstra" <[email protected]> kirjoitti viestissä

Not if you format it without partitioning.

p]


How do you format it without partitioning it, pray tell??

Like most people, the poster is using the word "partition" to mean "make
an additional partition". He does not know that every formatted Windows
or DOS drive must have at least ONE partition to work....

Doug

 

[Eric Gisin]

Like most people, the poster is using the word "partition" to mean "make
an additional partition". He does not know that every formatted Windows
or DOS drive must have at least ONE partition to work....

Nope, floppies and some other removables don't use partitions.

I formatted a hard drive without partitions once, and WinNT recogized it.