partition strategy was to accommodate the inability to access large volumes, ntfs files system eliminated the need
in point of fact, there is a performance hit when you partition if computing with xp...this is because xp moves portions of files to the front of the disc as needed, and this process won't cross volumes
for convenience, partitions are fine for those people that need to keep organized, and those people that don't want to back up their files
they can possibly Saxe their data if the OS fails and the hard rive remains healthy, so if you don't back up your files you should partition
of you're looking for performance you probably should not, however there are a few strategies that will indeed speed performance if you hold a vigil
for instance if you put your temporary files on their own partition, you can defrag just that partition and speed the down time
however as far as other convenience, the perception is only psychological.
I can create a file and call it "music partition" and it will give me all the convenience of a separate partition for music
anyway, carry on