Picture an apple pie. Now imagine a pie when each slice was a different fruit flavor and you could create a new slice or change an existing slice at will. That, essentially, is how disk partitioning works — adding, resizing, and copying pieces of the pie.
But why should users care about the way the hard disk is configured? The answer is simple: flexibility, organization and speed. Most computer vendors ship their systems with a single partition. However, that is a very inefficient way to manage user data. From strictly a performance perspective, multiple disk partitions allow the user to better manage disk operations, resulting in faster backups of data, faster imaging of disk drive partitions, faster defragmenting of disk drive volumes, and faster access to user data.
From a tactical standpoint, slicing a disk drive into multiple partitions allows users to place program data — information that changes infrequently — on one partition and the user data — information that changes on a regular basis — on a separate partition. Multiple drive partitions also are useful to those who run multiple operating systems, such as Linux and Windows 2000 or XP. Rather than buying additional disk drives and increasing hardware expenses and system overhead, separate partitions on the same drive allows the user to test a new operating system without putting their existing data at risk.
Today, users ranging from gamers and home-based business users to corporate IT managers and power users find that the flexibility of adding, resizing, and copying disk partitions has become a must-have capability.
In the past, repartitioning a hard disk was neither easy nor fast. In fact, it was difficult, it put the user's data at risk and it required that the user have significant technical skills to complete the multitask process.
Partitioning The Hard Disk Increases Performance And Organization, Even For Today's Casual PC User
