Nieuwsbrief

Repartitioning Strategy

I want to repartition my hard drive. Do I really need to back up my disk first?

You don't need to, but it is strongly recommended that you do. Backing up today is a lot easier and cheaper than it used to be. Besides, if you don't have a backup, you may have a real problem if something goes wrong in repartitioning.

Backup used to be mandatory before you started messing with your disk partitions. There were too many chances of error and potential problems. (For example you could render 8 gigabytes of a 12-gigabyte disk unusable by trying to turn it into a single, big Linux partition using the wrong version of Windows.)

Modern partitioning software like Acronis Disk Director Suite is much more reliable. You don't have to be a computer expert to use it and built-in wizards provide the knowledge and guidance to ensure results. That said, there are still outside circumstances, such as a power surge from a nearby thunderstorm, that can mess up repartitioning.

Backing up your system also used to be expensive. To do it effectively you needed a tape drive and a number of tapes. Since those tapes sold for $20 or more and a tape drive was more than $100, this cost a lot of money. And since the $20 tapes and accompanying software were slow, you could tie your system up for several hours doing a full backup. But disk-to-disk backups are a lot less expensive today, and disk imaging has become the backup strategy of choice for many corporate and individual users. Disk imaging is faster and more reliable than file-based backups.

With products like Acronis True Image, backing up is fast, simple, inexpensive, and painless. Most computers today come with at least a CD-R drive. If you don't have a CD-R drive, you can add one to your system for $30 or less. Even CD-R media, which can only be used once, are less than 50 cents each — much less if you buy in quantity. Better yet, as Acronis True Image can backup a live system, you can run your back up in the background while you're still using the system.

As a result, there's no reason to be hesitant about making a complete backup before you start

Modern disk management software, such as Acronis Disk Director Suite, is much more reliable and more importantly, much easier to use and less mistake prone than software from just a few years ago. The software can be run in either a manual or automated mode, so that the user is completely insulated from the technology.