partition of hard drive

[Guest]

I would like to partition my hard drive i am told if this is done my pc may
run more effeciently and possibly faster

 

[Ted Zieglar]

Your PC will not run faster or more efficiently if you partition your
hard disk.

You only need to partition your hard disk if you want to dual- or
multi-boot.

Otherwise, partitioning is done only for convenience. For example, my
hard disk has two partitions: one for software and the other for my user
files. I did this strictly for convenience in backing up.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I would like to partition my hard drive i am told if this is done my
pc may run more effeciently and possibly faster

The number of partitions you have has nothing to do with performance nor
efficiency. How you use the partitions you have (what you put on each of
them) *might* affect performance, but in general, you choose a partition
scheme for
organization and convenience, not performance.

My view is that most people's partitioning scheme should be based on their
backup scheme. If, for example, you backup by creating a clone or image on
the entire drive, then a single partition might be best. If, on the other
hand, you backup only your data, then the backup process is facilitated by
having all data in a separate partition. Except for those running multiple
operating systems, only seldom does it make sense to have more than two
partitions

 

[Guest]

Your PC will not run faster or more efficiently if you partition your
hard disk.

You only need to partition your hard disk if you want to dual- or
multi-boot.

Otherwise, partitioning is done only for convenience. For example, my
hard disk has two partitions: one for software and the other for my user
files. I did this strictly for convenience in backing up.

I'm about in install xp pro on a new computer and was thinking whether or
not I should set up a partition to install xp pro. My intention is to, in
the near future , install vista, and in case I have trouble finding wireless
drivers, as well as others I want to keep the 2 OS separate. Is this
workable to set 2 partitions, one for xp pro and the other for vista? I play
alot in photoshop CS and don't want to run the risk of having to copy all my
photo files prior in vista installation.

Thanks for any input.

photosrus

 

[DL]

It sounds like you have no backup of your data, which is a bad move,
whatever you decide to do.