Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Best practices on Hard disk Partition

S

subru77

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 27, 2008
21
0
Valencia CA
I am getting my first mac this week. Normally when I buy a new PC. I reinstall the operating system also creating multiple partition to store data/photos etc. This I have heard improves the performance and I agree to that.

Also leaving space for my Linux installations ... (I am buying VMware fusion with Mac)

Should I do the same with the Mac ?

Additionally, Is there any other things to do ? :eek::eek:

Sorry I am a newbie. Any help is appreciated !!
 
That's the first thing I do, whether it's in OS X, Windows, or Linux. Saves me time and effort when I need to do a clean install of OS X in the future. I just drag all my important files into the "Backup" partition and then reinstall OS X in the "Macintosh HD" partition.

Of course, I keep my "Backup" partition backed up on an external hard drive in case the hard drive crashes.
 
Thanks. What about partitioning the MBP itself ? Do you do that ?

Is it easy to reinstall Leopard ? Any suggested tutorial ?
 
subru77 said:
Thanks. What about partitioning the MBP itself ? Do you do that ?

Is it easy to reinstall Leopard ? Any suggested tutorial ?
Click to expand...

Yes, I've partitioned all my Macs. Including my 2 MBPs, 1 MB, and 1 iMac.

It's really easy. When you get your Mac, open it up and follow the directions to set up an account. Play around in OS X so that you get a feel for it. After that, put in the installation discs. From there it will guide you to the reinstallation process. Before you reinstall, go up in the menu bar and find Utilities>Disk Utility. You highlight the hard drive and then click on the partition tab. Follow the directions and then you'll have all the partitions you need. OS X Leopard made it easier to partition without destroying data. But when you make your first partition, you will have to destroy the "Macintosh HD" partition in order to make your partitions. So make sure not to save anything important before you make the partitions.

If you have trouble, just follow this guide or ask us. Hope this helps!
 
best advice, no partitions on your mac. stay away. they are totally not like pcs. keep the drives clean. get external hard drives for the extra data. you CAN partition in the Disk Utility, but i would not recommend it.
 
MarkMS said:
Yes, I've partitioned all my Macs. Including my 2 MBPs, 1 MB, and 1 iMac.

It's really easy. When you get your Mac, open it up and follow the directions to set up an account. Play around in OS X so that you get a feel for it. After that, put in the installation discs. From there it will guide you to the reinstallation process. Before you reinstall, go up in the menu bar and find Utilities>Disk Utility. You highlight the hard drive and then click on the partition tab. Follow the directions and then you'll have all the partitions you need. OS X Leopard made it easier to partition without destroying data. But when you make your first partition, you will have to destroy the "Macintosh HD" partition in order to make your partitions. So make sure not to save anything important before you make the partitions.

If you have trouble, just follow this guide or ask us. Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

sprice25 said:
best advice, no partitions on your mac. stay away. they are totally not like pcs. keep the drives clean. get external hard drives for the extra data. you CAN partition in the Disk Utility, but i would not recommend it.
Click to expand...

Which way should I go ??:confused:
 
subru77 said:
Which way should I go ??:confused:
Click to expand...

Whatever you prefer. I've never heard anything bad about having partitions on OS X or a Mac in general. I don't think there is any type of performance hit if you were to partition. Just make sure to leave enough space for the main OS X partition. You don't want it to run low on space. If it does, then you will begin to notice a slowdown. But that's usually when you have anything below 5GB left.

Also, think about this. If partitions are not recommended, why does Apple use them for Boot Camp?

Just my two cents.

sprice25 said:
best advice, no partitions on your mac. stay away. they are totally not like pcs. keep the drives clean. get external hard drives for the extra data. you CAN partition in the Disk Utility, but i would not recommend it.
Click to expand...

Is there any type of source that you can point me to that says partitioning OS X isn't a good idea? Just want to learn more.
 
Partitioning a MAC may have some advantages but certainly as well has disadvantages.

From a hardware point of view, it is not true that things run faster. In fact, often can thrash your drive running between partitions (depending on what you are doing and which apps are open.

I come from the PC side and for years preferred OS on "C drive" and either a D and E drive or just a D drive (apps and data respectively). What I found over time that just installing on one drive, one partition worked just as well.

Something to think about - If you had OSX on one partition and your apps on another, and then re-installed your operating system what happens to the apps? Since all the relationships (plists etc) are stored with the OS they have to be put back in which translates to re-installing your apps. What have you saved?

If you use Time Machine, then you still have to re-install your OS and update the apps/data with time machine (which will insert the plists etc) in place ideally.

A good approach might be to simply provide an external back up of your system in its entirety. If you want an additional partition, just store copies of your data there for quick access "copy and go' scenario.

Things you should also consider - caring for your drives and data ..meaning defrag, backups and making sure to keep your permissions set proper via tools from within OSX (doesnt have to be done often).
 
If you are getting a mac with leopard you should be able to partition the internal boot drive without reinstalling.
Just open Disk Utility (found in the Applications/Utilities folder) select the entire drive on the left and then the Partition tab on the right. At that point all you have to do is resize the partition by dragging the bottom right corner up, until you get the desired size. Then click the plus buttom below the diagram to add a new partition in the unallocated space you just created.

I often partition my drives, since I find it much easier when upgrading to install a new OS X version or when I have to reinstall the OS.
Of course a backup is always a must.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back