Maybe.
Many experts think that splitting a single hard drive into two partitions improves speed, makes backups easier, and is generally the best thing since sliced bread.
I don’t think it adds a lot of benefit.
Partitioning that disk
Splitting your hard drive into two partitions sounds like a good idea, but it probably won’t help as much as you think. Most programs still need C: no matter what, and reformatting means reinstalling everything anyway. One partition per drive is simpler and works just as well.
About that “huge amount of speed”
I doubt that the partitioning got you any significant speed boost. When you reformat a computer, there are so many things that get cleaned up and improve speed. For example, simply installing and running less software initially can make a huge difference.
I’m not convinced the partitioning had much impact at all.
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Related
What’s a Disk Partition?
Partitions allow a single physical disk drive to be treated as if it were multiple disks.#131019
Installing applications on a drive other than C:
Some programs allow you to specify where programs will be installed when you run setup. Some do not and can only be installed where they insist on being installed, typically the system drive, also known as C:.
For the ones that do allow you to specify an alternate drive, such as D:, many still install components on C: anyway. The installation destination you specify only controls some of the files.
Even those setups that copy all of their files to the location you specify still end up making changes to the system registry.
The C: drive – the system drive – is special. Important. And special.
Those applications on D: when you reformat C:
After reformatting and reinstalling Windows on C:, you’ll probably have to reinstall the applications you put on D: anyway.
When you reinstalled Windows, the information for each program in the system registry, as well as any other files they placed on C:, disappeared.
Installing applications to another drive buys you nothing when it comes time to reformat the system drive. The sole exceptions are what are called “portable” applications, which do not require running a setup program. (Most major applications are NOT portable, and those that have portable versions are pretty clear about their availability.)
If you had to run a setup program, you’ll probably need to reinstall the program when you reformat and reinstall Windows, regardless of where you installed the application.
One for all, all on one
My recommended approach remains using one partition per drive1.
Thus, I would not have partitioned your hard drive as you have. I’d have set up a single partition and reformatted and reinstalled to that.
If you’re just trying to organize your files, that’s what folders are meant for.
If you’re trying to make the next reformat/reinstall faster – well, by now, you can see that you haven’t really. The best way to do that is to wait until after you’ve installed the system and your major applications, and take a full system backup image. When the time comes to start over, use that image.
If you’re trying to make backups easier, you’ll want to back up your data and installed applications anyway, so even if you have two partitions, you’ll need to back up both. A single partition means you’ll back up everything in a single operation.
One exception
If you have a lot of data — not software, not programs, but data files such as videos, documents, mp3s, whatever — it can be useful to place them on a separate drive or partition. That way, when you reformat your system partition (or restore it from a system image), you can leave the other drive or partition untouched and preserve the data there.
You can use a second partition, if you like.
My recommendation in this situation? Go for that second internal hard drive. If you’ve got that much data, this is one approach that could make for a noticeable speed increase.
Do this
Unless you have a large amount of data that you might place on a second partition or hard drive, leave your single drive as a single partition, and back it up regularly.
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