Partitioning Hard Drive - Easy Way to Safeguard Your Data From a System Crash By Ahmed Mostafa

We know computers are reliable to safeguard our data and files, but one thing we don't think of is the computers can crash sometimes and cause us to lose all of our files including operating system, programs, document, pictures etc. What should we do to prevent data lose and save time?

Let's get better organized:

If you have a large hard drive and have tons of files, such as Music, videos, documents etc., it is better to create partitions on the hard drive. Having multiple partitions on a hard drive is like having many rooms in one big house. When you partition a hard drive, it separates space in hard drive and creates separate sections and assigns a drive letter to it. For example, you can partition your hard drive into 3 sections and assign drive letter C, D, & E (or any letter you choose [C to Z]). You should use letter C only for your system drive which contains your operating system.

Why partition:

Often time your computer can crash due to the operating system (OS) failure. This can happen if Windows system file is corrupted or missing. The only option you have is to repair the OS or reinstall it by formatting your hard drive. Since you can't boot your computer at this point, it will be harder for most people to recover data that was in the drive. Of course, you can spend a lot of money and pay someone to recover data for you, but why, if you have option not to. If you create partitions and save your files into a different partition than your system partition, you won't have to worry about losing or recovering your files in case Windows fails. For example, you can save your documents in drive "D" and save all of the music and videos into partition "E" and use "C" drive for OS and program files. If you format the "C" partition and reinstall your OS, your files in drive "D" and "E" will still be intact.

What are the options to partition?

Before you begin, backup all of your files from existing drive/ partition onto discs, flash drive or in an external hard drive. Partitioning your hard drive can lose all files in the drive if not done correctly. Creating partition is not very easy for novice users. It can be done while installing a fresh copy of operating system such as Windows XP/ Vista. It can also be done on existing system using a drive partitioning software. One of the most popular software choices for partitioning your hard drive is "Partition Magic." Partitioning hard drive can be difficult for many people if they don't have enough knowledge about partitioning. Therefore, if you are not comfortable doing it yourself, I suggest find a computer repair service locally and spend a little money to do it for you. It will be a one time investment.

Also, you can checkout this article from Microsoft Support website by following the link bellow. This article will show you how to create partition using Windows XP setup disk. This method erases all existing files on the drive. This option is for advance users only.