It is a common knowledge to most people that most computers have just one primary hard disk drive in their personal computers and a single partition which is labeled as “C”. The truth however is that only a selected number of people know of the possibility of creating more than a single partition on a computer system and the several advantages of creating such partitions. For instance, if you have two hard disk partitions, one designated for the system OS and another designated for your personal data, in the event of a computer crash, most of your data will still be found intact. This articles contains everything there is to know about partitions, creating of partition backups and the different benefits of partitions.
Part 1. What is a Partition?
A partition is simply described as the sectioning or splitting of the computer’s primary hard disks into a number of different logical disks. During partitioning of a hard disk, the computer is specially programmed to deal with each partition as a distinct drive. These created partitions will help users in storing personal and system data on a number of different drives. This is considered as a safety protocol to safeguard data when a computer crashes.
You can easily locate the different partitions on your computer, by opening This PC under file explorer on Windows 10. In the devices and drives section, you will find a list of all the drives on your computer. By default, you will find at least one partition labeled “C”. This is the primary disk drive storage.
Part 2. Benefits of Partition Backup
By default, every computer system is programmed with a single primary disk drive. This primary disk drive is the primary storage location in which the system files and personal files are kept. It is also the location in which the Operating system is stored.
Creation of partition backups on a computer system allows for storage on different drive options. Asides the benefit of being able to store your files in different locations, there are also other benefits that come with the creation of partitions. Listed below are some of the benefits of creating partition backups on your computer system.
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Protection of personal data
In the event of a computer crash, your personal data is likely to be protected, when partitions are used. Nowadays, operating systems are designed to handle backup and recovery quite seriously. This means it is quite difficult to lose all your data. However, in the event of a critical system failure, which was either caused by a hardware failure or virus infection, a lot of personal data may be lost.
In creating at least two partitions, with one for the operating system and one to safeguard your personal data, you will be sure that whenever a situation occurs that forces you to lose your operating system or reinstall it, your data will remain intact and easily accessible.
Also, it is quite easier to create a backup for a partition with a smaller drive storage space, comprising of crucial files. It is also easier to transfer the crucial files stored in a partition.
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Multiple Operating Systems can be utilized
Despite the fact that a lot of people do not need to make use of different operating systems, there are a selected group of people who do. In order to install two different operating systems on your computer, it is essential to have at least two partitions. An operating system needs a special partition to itself.
Also, you will want to store the files meant for different operating systems on different partitions. This will ensure that they don’t mess with one another. This way your system will be able to easily access the important system files.
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Improved Performance
Hard disk drives run smoother on lesser chunks of data than large clustered data. Creating a partition backup will increase the performance of your computer system. For instance, creating a partition which is about 20% - 30% the size of the normal hard disk will lead to short stroking. Short stroking leads to lesser delays in computer processing.
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Ease of Data Organisation
Partitioning hard drive is a way to ensure that your computer treats single hard disks as separate logical disks. This makes is easier to organize data on these partitions, especially if the hard disk drive has a lot of storage space. For instance, you can decide on the partition to store your documents, music, videos, pictures and another for backup data.
Part 3. How to Backup Partition with AOMEI Backupper
The AOMEI Backupper standard is the free backup and restore software version which is compatible with Windows 10/8/8.1/7Vista/XP. It is an impressive third party software that will allow you create partition backup on your systems in just a few simple steps. It has a fascinating humanized design with a concise interface. It easily allows you to backup recently changed and newly added files by providing a differential and incremental backup feature. The software allows you to perform an offline restore using a bootable media or the AOMEI PXE Boot tool. With this software, you can easily back up and restore your hard disk partitions.
In addition, AOMEI Backupper standard enables users to perform partition backups in three forms namely; system backup to backup system related files, disk backup to backup entire disk partitions and file backup which involves backing up individual files.
In order to back up your preferred system partitions, you can effectively use the AOMEI Backupper standard edition. Listed below are the different steps which are involved in the system partition backup.
Step 1. Download AOMEI Backupper
Free download and install the AOMEI Backupper software. Upon installation, launch the software.
Step 2. Select Partition Backup
Navigate through the app and click on the Partition backup under the Backup tab.
Step 3. Select partition to be backed up
Click on “Step 1” to select the system partition (C: drive) and other desired partition drives which you want to backup. And on the pop-up window, select the target partition and then click on "Add" to proceed.
Step 4. Select backup destination
The program will then set a location as the destination in which the back image file will be stored. If you have another desired location to store the back image file, click “Step 2” to select another location. You will be able to select any folder that is available in the File Explorer.
Step 5. Select recovery mode
Click on the start Backup button to start the backup. After this, you can view the task in progress and perform other operations with your computer. If you want to see the files that have been backed up without having to restore it, you can make use of explore image to select the backup image. This will transform it into a virtual drive that can be accessed in the File Explorer.
Part 4. Tips on Partition Backup
It is a normal occurrence for computers to fail at certain times. This can occur due to a lot of reasons and these reasons are sometimes out of the control of the computer user. Whether the system failure is as a result of human error or as a result of a natural disaster or even system error, the error is prone to causing serious computer problems.
This helps to enforce the importance of backup. The precious chunks of personal data which are found on the computer primary hard disk drive can be devastating when lost. Not performing a system backup will cause such a devastation.
As effective as the creation of partition backup is, it is very important that it is done rightly. The only way to guarantee the best results from a partition backup is to pay attention to the little details that can cause a problem for your backup storage. The following are the tips that should be followed by users during partition backup.
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Properly partition your hard disk
The success of the entire partition backup is dependent on how well the partitions are created. It would be very difficult to backup any partition which is damaged or incorrectly made. If you will be creating an effective partition backup system, ensure that your partitions are created properly.
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Choose the best third-party software
In performing your backup operation, you will be advised not to leave any room for error. This includes using a third party software that is effective and easy to use. Using the best third party software will ensure that the entire backup goes on without any hitches.
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Set up a backup schedule
It is quite easy to lose information if the backup procedure is not consistent. The best results from partition backup are gotten if the backup is done at frequent intervals. If you will be unable to manually back up your partition disk drive, you should endeavor to set up a schedule for your backup. By doing this, your backup file will contain only the latest files on your system.
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Restore your backup on time
In the event of a data loss, you should make sure that you restore all your lost data on time. By doing this, you will be able to minimize the amount of data lost from your computer system.
Partition backup is quite effective and proves to be very useful to computer users. Its benefits will ensure that users are able to optimize the use of their computer system. It should be a welcome addition to the computer system of any user.
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Allows you to take automatic, full, incremental and differential backups of system, disk, partition and files.
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Supports system restore, disk restore, dissimilar hardware restore, partition restore and selective file restore.
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Supports disk clone, partition/volume clone, flexible clone, system clone and command line clone.
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Supports Windows 10, Windows 8.1/8, Windows 7, Vista, and XP (all editions, 32/64-bit)
Amy Dennis
staff Editor
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