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Now i'm sure this has been mentioned before but i can see to find it anywhere so i've got to ask.
About to install a new copy of OEM vista onto my new PC and am wondering how to go about partioning the disk. It's 320gb and i'm not to sure on it. I know that the outside allows you to read more data but i have no idea of how to make sure that vista is installed on that part.
If anyone wants to inform me please do!
The theory is that as the outer areas of the disk have a higher angular velocity, data is read off the disk faster than in the centre. The theory also says that the outer areas of the disk are used first, so that by creating a small primary partition when the disk is new and installing the OS system on it, the OS will load faster.
Although many claim that it works, I personally have some doubts because there is no gurantee that the disk actually does write to the outside in all cases, and there is no gurantee that all the sectors will be ontiguous anyway. The sectors are logically addressed, the physical addresses of the disk sectors are hidden behind the disks' internal operating system. Look here for the details http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-hardwa...on-theory.html - you have nothing to lse by trying it.
In general though it is probably a good idea to have a sepate partition for the OS and data (and I would add a third for applications so that user data is entirely separate) so that the OS partition can be reformatted and the OS re-installed/upgraded while minimising the risk to your data. Backing up smaller partitions is also easier/quicker.