Partitioning The Hard Disk Increases Performance And Organization, Even For Today's Casual PC User

Part 4: Multibooting

One of the most popular applications for disk partitioning software is the ability to create a new partition for a second (or third, or fourth) operating system. Multibooting, which once was the domain of the test engineer or software developer is now finding its way into homes or offices of regular PC users.

Serious gamers, for example, might want to run the latest Windows operating system to partake in the current games, but also might have a favorite game that only runs on an older version of Windows. Windows 2000, for example, is notoriously game-unfriendly.

In some business applications users might have Windows 2000 or XP Professional running the accounting or database applications, but also have a DOS or Linux volume for a custom application.

Software developers, of course, might want to run several operating systems, including various versions of Windows and Linux on the same system, in order to test their software without investing excessive amounts of money on hardware infrastructure.

Of course, if you are running multiple versions of Windows or Linux you will need software called a boot manager to keep track of the different operating systems and let you select the operating system you desire. Many of the boot managers also have disk partitioning software included in the package — in some cases it's rudimentary software, in others it is as extensive as some stand-alone products. While it is not required to have a boot manager and partitioning software from the same vendor, it can be more convenient for the user to learn a single software interface than learning multiple products.

While partitioning software allows users to create more than one primary partition, only one primary partition can be active at any time. For those running multiple operating systems, it might be necessary to change the position of a partition in a partition table — usually the MBR — if you have installed an operating system, such as Windows NT, 2000 or XP, for which the letter or number order depends on the order of partitions in the table. If the user needs that capability today, only Acronis can meet their demands.