Making the right partitions and savings files right
Partitions are logical separations of the hard disk made a user to better organize his/her files and folders. The conventional partition technique has not changed for the vast majority of the users for decades. Making the right partitions can help in your file management in a significant way.
Let’s first look at the typical user system’s disk partitions. Then I will walk you through the issues that you may face due to it. In the end, I will suggest an alternative partition table.
- There are a number of advantages to this partition method.
You keep the Windows partition separate from your personal files. If there is a problem with the primary partition, your files are still safe. Even if you wish to format the Windows partition, you are still good. It will also benefit you if this partition alone is kept to an SSD. Your personal files can reside on slower magnetic drives if need be. - Backing up files becomes much easier. If you are low on disk space, you can skip backing up the Windows partition entirely.
- An external backup solution is extremely important. Use the Windows Backup feature to get this done.
- Keep the Downloads folder separate as well. You may want to clean this drive from time to time. You can also remove execute rights for all non admin users on this directory as well.
- Defragment the smaller and more compact Windows drive (unless it is an SSD) for continued performance.
With time, your Program Files directory will get bloated. But you are unlikely to run out of disk space as your personal files will be in another partition entirely. Run your disk clean-up utility to save some space from time to time.
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Tip for Gamers
In addition to installing games on a separate Partition (other than your primary one), it may also be useful if you regularly back up your save files. Some games offer an online savegame backup feature that can come to your rescue. But if there is none, sync that folder with Dropbox or any other online storage provider you like.