5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Partitioning a Hard Drive

When it comes to hard drives, they are very important because that is essentially the brain of the computer. While many might say the CPU is more like the brain, the fact of the matter is that your hard drive space predicates just how much your computer manages its resources and memory. so rather than thinking of it as any other part of the computer, it’s important to acknowledge just how critical it is to maintain and upkeep this part of your PC. However, one of the most popular methods of doing this is partitioning. Partitioning a hard drive, while a valid way to really improve the flexibility and mobility (in terms of what you can do with your computer) is not without its pros and cons. So it’s important to know all of them before engaging in a hard drive partitioning sequence.

List Of Pros Of Partitioning a Hard Drive

1. Organized
One of the best things about a partitioned hard drive is the fact that it’s neat and organized. Let’s say you have a hard drive with four or five drives. While it is nice to have this much space, the truth is, you’re going to have a lot of messy files laying about. This means that it’s almost impossible to get anything of merit accomplished, so rather than sitting tight and being passive, make it a point to partition the hard drive and get those files organized. With all of those drives compiled and set-up neatly, all of your files, folders, and any other important space-consuming pieces can find a brand new home amongst the newly partitioned hard drives.

2. Data Protection
One of the best things about a partitioned hard drive is the fact that you’ll be able to secure and protect your data. All too often, people commonly set-up a hard drive that doesn’t feature any partitioning. because of this, they would essentially have one giant hard drive disk with all of their information saved to it. As a result, this means any sort of compromised security breach would result in a catastrophic data loss. While some people can afford to lose their data, if you’re someone with lots of important documents and files, a devastating loss of that magnitude could cost you your career or even worse. So rather than taking that risk, by partitioning the hard drive, you can ensure that you have multiple ways of backing up files. Even if one of them get corrupted inadvertently, you’ll at least have the peace of mind of having an extra hard drive to back items up to.

3. Faster Processes
With a partitioned hard drive, it means that information is consolidated and spread about all of the computer’s prime movers. This ensures that you can speedily access files and execute programs, making your computer tremendously more powerful and quick than it used to be. Without a partitioned hard drive, more processes and sequences have to be accessed, meaning that it will just save you time and energy to partition it without any issues.

List Of Cons Of Partitioning a Hard Drive

1. Complicated Process
Partitioning a hard drive, while easy for some, can be very difficult for others. Because of this, it is advised to only consider partitioning as a last resort. There are many other ways you can organize your hard drive, but if you choose to do it in this fashion, you’ll have to be prepared for the consequences. There is no doubt that sometimes the risk of partitioning a hard drive may not be worth it, but without a doubt, even if you decide to go through with it, be prepared for a very drawn out and difficult process.

2. Fake Security Backup
Yes, while partitioning can increase the security of your hard drive, the truth is, you’re more or less giving yourself a false sense of security. This is because that while separating the hard drives is good, there is a lot more that has to come into play before you’re truly backing up your data. For one, if the entire hard disk (that include all of your drives) gets damaged, it means that you’re going to have to find an alternative way to backup your data. It’s almost like having a house. If you partition the hard drive, you’re only moving your valuables to a different room within the house. But if a fire were to burn your house down, even though you moved it to a different room, your valuables are still in big trouble. So rather than relying on a partitioned drive to keep things secure, be sure to have another way to move or store data.

The truth is partitioning your hard drive is not a perfect procedure, but regardless of what option you choose, you have to be prepared for what happens next.

Author Bio
Natalie Regoli is a child of God, devoted wife, and mother of two boys. She has a Master's Degree in Law from The University of Texas. Natalie has been published in several national journals and has been practicing law for 18 years.