need to create a couple of data partitions

1. Yes. I have a GPT data HDD (4TB), two MBR data HDDs (2 TB each), and a MBR SSD boot drive in my desktop computer.
2. I connected my GPT HDD the same way I connected my others.

I don't know if you can mix GPT partitions with MBR partitions on a drive or not but I would play it safe and make them the same. However, that leads to a question I want to ask. Why do you want to make two data partitions on the same drive?

Hi and welcome to SevenForums,
I don't bother anymore with partitions I find using a simple folder structure easier to deal with
Partitions are a pain to figure out what size is appropriate
Folders don't matter they are never too small or too big

netia said:

Lady Fitzgerald said:

I connected my GPT HDD the same way I connected my others.

Could you elaborate on this, please.
I must be doing some mistake as my computer fails to boot after plain reconnection. ...

Mayhap I'm misunderstanding you. My SSD and my two 2TB HDDs are all three formatted as MBR and plugged into SATA ports on my MOBO. When I got my 4TB HDD, I formatted it GPT, then simply plugged it into another SATA port.

netia said:

...

Lady Fitzgerald said:

Why do you want to make two data partitions on the same drive?

I use to keep on separate partitions (just examples) :
- my software archive + computer knowledge base,
- multimedia,
- files downloaded from internet (till they are redistributed elsewhere) :)

Using partitions to organize or segregate data is inefficient since you are locked into one size for each partition. Using folders is far more flexible. For example, let's say you have a 500GB HDD that you make two 250GB partitions on. If you fill up one partition while the other one is only half full, to had any more data to the full partition you would have to shrink the half full partition before you could enlarge the full one. Besides being a royal pain in the...ah...neck, you run the risk of something going horribly wrong that would cause you to lose data.

However, if you used folders instead of partitions, each folder will occupy only the amount of space on the HDD needed by the data in each folder leaving the rest of the drive available for the folder to expand into. Using the same example, if you had 500GB in one folder and 250GB in the other folder, you would still have 250GB available on the HDD for either folder or even a new folder. If you wanted to add, say 100GB to the folder that has 500GB already in it, you wouldn't have to resize anything; just put the 100GB into the folder and it will go in without a problem.

Using partitions instead of folders usually is just making unnecessary work for yourself and may put your data at risk if you have to do any resizing. However, there are times when partitioning is acceptable or even necessary. For example, it's a good idea to put your System files (OS and programs) on their own partition and data on another partition. That makes backing up your System and data safer, easier, and faster.

A disk can only be GPT or MBR, it can`t be both :)

I`ve read, anything over 2 TB has to be formatted as GPT for Windows 7 to recognise the entire drive, someone correct me if I`m wrong.



https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2581408

Yea me either 4tb just insures if the drive fails you loose a lot of data.

I have a couple of 1 TB drives I hook back up to my system ocassionally to backup anything on my storage drives, don`t wanna loose any of this stuff

ThrashZone said:

Yea me either 4tb just insures if the drive fails you loose a lot of data.

Not if you have it properly backed up.

AddRAM said:

I have a couple of 1 TB drives I hook back up to my system ocassionally to backup anything on my storage drives, don`t wanna loose any of this stuff

Wise man! You "get it".