Divide a Disk to Conquer Slow Performance
Bigger isn't always better. Today's gargantuan hard drives come from the factory formatted with a single partition and drive letter--the ubiquitous 'C:'. If you split your hard drive into several partitions, each with its own drive letter, you gain speed and free wasted disk space, making file management much easier.
Windows' partitioning tools work well with new or blank hard drives but are impractical for drives that already hold your apps and other data. If you can transfer the files off the drive and back onto it after the repartitioning, these utilities may be worth using. In Windows 9 x and Me, run fdisk, either from a DOS prompt or by clicking Start, Run and typing fdisk in the Open text box. In Windows XP and 2000, use the Disk Management tool instead: Right-click My Computer, select Manage, and click Disk Management. Misusing these tools can be disastrous, so consult Microsoft's Knowledge Base first for more on fdisk, and to learn about Disk Management.
PowerQuest's $70 PartitionMagic 8 lets you easily add, delete, and resize disk partitions without losing data. You can adjust cluster sizes and convert partitions from and to FAT32, the file system that Windows 98 and Me use, and the NT File System, which Windows 2000 uses (XP uses either system). Another good partitioner is V Communications' $30 Partition Commander. Download a trial version.
Faster, Safer Drives
Are drive partitions worth the hassle? For many users, yes. Here's why.
Storage space: Windows divides your hard drive into segments called clusters. When writing a file to the hard drive, Windows fills as many clusters as it needs to hold the file. The final cluster is only partially filled, so if your drive is formatted with, say, 16KB clusters and you save a 6KB e-mail file, there's 10KB of unused disk space in that cluster. Multiply that by the thousands of files on a hard drive, and you get a big chunk of wasted storage.
Large partitions under FAT32 require large cluster sizes (see FIGURE 1), but cutting your cluster size--from 32KB to 16KB, or even 8KB, for example--can free a substantial amount of disk space. Partitions with cluster sizes smaller than 8KB won't save much storage space, however.
Faster performance: Windows maintains a large file on the hard drive, called a swap file, that extends your PC's physical memory (aka RAM) when you run out. If you place the swap file in its own partition, it will never get fragmented, which will help Windows quickly find data in the file and swap it back to your PC's RAM. Make your swap file's partition at least twice as large as your RAM. Then change the location of your swap file in your Virtual Memory settings to the drive letter of your new partition. In Windows 9 x and Me, right-click My Computer and choose Properties. Click the Performance tab and select the Virtual Memory button. In Windows 2000, right-click My Computer, select Properties, choose the Advanced tab, click the Performance Options button, and select Change under 'Virtual memory'. In Windows XP, right-click My Computer, choose Properties, click the Advanced tab, and click the Settings button under Performance. Now click the Advanced tab and the Change button under 'Virtual memory'.
Safer data: Storing your data files in their own partition can shield them from problems elsewhere on your hard disk. If Windows becomes corrupted, simply reformat and reinstall the OS in its own partition with no fear of losing important data files stored in other partitions.
Mine for Geek's Gold
Do you lie awake at night trying to remember what kind of motherboard your PC uses, or what its BIOS version is? No? I'm glad to hear it, but someday you may need to know this information. And when you do, CPU-Z can help. This free utility digs up all sorts of arcane nuggets about your motherboard, BIOS, cache, RAM, AGP settings, and CPU. It puts the information at your fingertips without your having to open a manual or turn a screw. Go to our Downloads library to get your copy.
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