ya know...this is one of my favorite discussions.
IMHO
IF YOU HAVE ONLY ONE HARDRIVE, AND YOU ARE NOT DUAL BOOTING
there has been ablolutely no reason anyone can demonstrate to me to partion, if you are using ntfs.
if you are on XP, and using ntfs, Microsoft insists performance is enhanced if you do not partition.
so much so, they urge all manufacturers that are reinstalling XP, to do so without partitions...this is the reason by the way, manufacturers do not install with partitions anymore...all told in
this white paper.
I agree.
side by side comparisons demonstrate noticeable computing speed improvements without partitions, as for copying and moving files, etc..for instance, when copying a file from one partition to another, the OS will have to hard write, when performing the same maneuver without partitions, from one file to another, the OS Simply adjusts the pointer, and the move is instantaneous...
here's an interesting tip for those of you that prefer the speed associated with a single partition, yet appreciate the organization of a partitioned drive.
when you set up your umbrella folders, with sub folders and sub files, you can name the umbrella folder something like "c drive", etc, and therefore, you will be creating "virtual partitions", which of course are not physical partitions, but will give you exactly the same functionality, convenience, and organization.
.in point of fact, with everyday computing, a single drive is a clear out-performer for most users.
also, each Volume;. will also be required to carry extra headroom for defrag, mft, metadata, mft zone and so on so, no, you loose functional harddrive space when you partition.
also, in XP, there is file optimization, whereof the OS moves your files to the most efficient place on the disc, according to use,
this cannot happen across volumes, so optimization is useless when you partition in XP.
boot time is also improved without partitions in XP for the same reason
no one should ever use their harddrive as their backup, as hardrives fail all the time...using your partition as a backup will prove counterproductive.
...partitions were concieved out of neccessity because of the inability of fat to handle large volumes...they are obsolete with ntfs and XP, and make computing slower in xp systems with ntfs .
now, of course those who are dual booting are stuck with partitioning, and of course those with more then one harddrive, well you are best off in general