Is a 1 TB partition too big? Advice on re-partitioning requested

[sevendo]

On my 64 bit desktop, I used to have two Western Digital 500 GB drives, each with one partition (C: and D: respectively). But recently those two drives both started failing their self-tests; so I am replacing them with two 1 TB drives.

So then I'll have two partitions, C: and D:, each of which is 1 TB in size.

Would you recommend splitting each drive into two or more partitions (so I would end up with at least four partitions total)? Or is a 500 GB partition for C: considered rather small with the advent of ever larger Microsoft bloatware?

I guess in general I don't know what the pros and cons are for having more or fewer partitions.

 

[edwar]

It is totally up to you whether you partition them to multiples or leave them as they are. There is nothing to gain or lose in partitioning to multiple drives or leaving them as 1TB partitions.

 

[Roderunner]

My Laptop & Desktop pc's have only 1 hdd each. (250gb & 160gb). I partitoned them to give C: drive 45gb. It makes for faster back-ups using Acronis. Each pc has it's own 2 usb hdd's.

 

[gregrocker]

What MS bloatware? The bloatware comes from a store bought PC from the sponsored crapware and useless duplicate utilities. MS has created in Win7 the leanest OS ever with absolutely no fat.

If you're working from Recovery disks then I'd instead Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7
or at least Clean Up Factory Bloatware.

The main reason to keep your OS partition small with a separate data partition is to keep the backup image lean so that if Win7 should ever become irreparable you can reimage the OS and Programs in minutes while the data will be current and waiting in it's own partition vault.

Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup
System Image Recovery
Library - Include a Folder - Windows 7 Forums is the best way to link User folders from the data partition.

 

[fireberd]

I don't partition, but thats my choice. I used to do it because the hardware and OS couldn't address large size drives, which is now a thing of the past.

However, one thing to consider, if you have a hard drive failure all is lost - all the partitions.

I use Acronis True Image to back up the hard drive, if the drive got corrupted (or failed and replaced with another drive) I can be back up in about an hour.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Would you recommend splitting each drive into two or more partitions (so I would end up with at least four partitions total)? .

Assuming both drives are internal and you have just 1 operating system, I would do this:

Drive A: 2 partitions, C and D. C for Windows and all applications, perhaps 100 GB. D for all data, covering the remainder of drive A, about 900 GB. Adjust C to a larger size if you have an abnormally large number of applications.

Drive B: 1 partition covering the entire drive. Used as a backup for all the data on D and to store images of C, if you want to image the OS as a backup.

Three partitions total, excluding the System Reserved that would be created on Drive A. You can avoid System Reserved partition if desired.