You can create partitions with special software (sometimes for a fee), which will give you access to a large range of features. You can also structure your hard drive into sections for work, free time, and family. Word files then end up in the partition for text files, images from your smartphone camera are sorted into the partition for photos, and video files are stored in the partition for videos.
The search for a specific file can happen more efficiently if you’ve, for example, set up partitions for certain file types. Additionally, backups can take on a clearer structure when well thought out partitioning is used. If, for example, the file system of a system partition is damaged (by a virus or bad sectors in the hard drive), there’s a good chance that the data on a separate partition can be saved. It’s beneficial to your system’s data security that partitions operate as autonomous units. One partition can then be used for the operating system (system partition) and another for larger sets of data (data partition). But in terms of data security, it’s better to use multiple partitions. This is not uncommon for new notebooks in factory condition. It’s possible to accommodate an operating system and all files with a single partition. With a so-called “extended partition”, you can exceed the limit of a storage device with Master Boot Record, which normally only allows four primary partitions.
#How to partition an external hard drive mac and pc install#
Partitions can also be used to install several operating systems for a multi-boot system. A so-called primary partition is the logical part of a hard drive which an operating system can be booted from. Partitions can take on various roles in a desktop system.
Modern hard drives can be partitioned one or more times. Each of these sections then contains related and consecutive data blocks. Whereas formatting a storage device involves equipping it with a file system like FAT 32 or NTFS, partitioning a hard drive involves dividing it into different sections. Partitioning a hard drive shouldn’t be confused with formatting a hard drive.
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