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What is a partition???

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  • 12-05-2008 10:30pm
    #1
    YourName
    Registered Users Posts: 728 ✭✭✭


    I am not sure where to place this thread but I thought here was the best place.

    I have a laptop and it seems to have 2 hard drives, and I think this means it is partitioned, why is this so??? should I change it??? I understand when using linux you should do this in case you loose all your information but how??? and how could you change it???

    The reason I am asking this is because I have recently received an expensive piece of hardware from a security company I have connections with, this piece of equipment is originally used for constantly storing CCTV footage but it is now used for a normal household computer, before I received it. So it has several hard drives that are all different sizes but all have a lot of space in them. So would this computer work better if you removed all these partitions and made one large hard drive??? is this possible??? what would happen and what would change???

    As you can see I don't understand partitions whatsoever, I also understand that everyone on this section of the forum are very well up on their knowledge of computers and the technical language, but if somebody could give me an explanation simplified then that would be brilliant. Thanks

    Andy
    ;):confused::D:cool::eek:


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    #2
    Conar
    Registered Users Posts: 1,617 ✭✭✭Conar


    mcgowaner wrote: »
    I am not sure where to place this thread but I thought here was the best place.

    Probably not the best place. Mods may want to move it.
    mcgowaner wrote: »
    I have a laptop and it seems to have 2 hard drives, and I think this means it is partitioned, why is this so??? should I change it??? I understand when using linux you should do this in case you loose all your information but how??? and how could you change it???

    Often laptops have a second partition which contains a copy of the OS required to reinstall if you ever need to.
    Are you saying that you have linux or is it Windows. If windows check if there's an i386 directory. This would mean its a restore partition.
    mcgowaner wrote: »
    The reason I am asking this is because I have recently received an expensive piece of hardware from a security company I have connections with, this piece of equipment is originally used for constantly storing CCTV footage but it is now used for a normal household computer, before I received it. So it has several hard drives that are all different sizes but all have a lot of space in them. So would this computer work better if you removed all these partitions and made one large hard drive??? is this possible??? what would happen and what would change???

    You can create dynamic disks which can span accross hard disk but if any one of them fail you will use everything.
    You can also set up hardware or software RAID. Hardware RAID if you have a controller on the computer for it, software if not.
    Software RAID works but takes processor time amongst other things so doesn't perform as well.
    mcgowaner wrote: »
    As you can see I don't understand partitions whatsoever, I also understand that everyone on this section of the forum are very well up on their knowledge of computers and the technical language, but if somebody could give me an explanation simplified then that would be brilliant.

    Not sure if the info helps but if you provided model numbers of your laptop and PC we would have a better idea of what yo're using and what its capable of.


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    #3
    Conar
    Registered Users Posts: 1,617 ✭✭✭Conar


    Didn't read through this fully but it seems to give a decent break down of what a partition is.
    http://www.theeldergeek.com/hard_drives_01.htm


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    #4
    YourName
    Registered Users Posts: 728 ✭✭✭YourName


    ok that has helped me with my understanding, but why are they present???? and of what benefit would it be to remove it from the security system that I now have??? They are both Windows.

    Thanks for wll this help,

    Andy
    :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:


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    #5
    Conar
    Registered Users Posts: 1,617 ✭✭✭Conar


    mcgowaner wrote: »
    ok that has helped me with my understanding, but why are they present???? and of what benefit would it be to remove it from the security system that I now have??? They are both Windows.

    Thanks for wll this help,

    Andy
    :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

    Well the only benefit of removing partitions is that you can have larger continuous space.
    If thats not an issue then you needn't remove them.
    Performance wise there is no difference.
    You can use Partition Magic to merge partitions if you want to.
    Send a screenshot of your Disk Manager screen and we'd have a better idea of what you have and what it can be rearranged into.


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