___ HD partitioning... C: - inner or outer? ___

[Blain]

If a HD is partitioned in half, where would the C: partition be... inner disk or outer?

 

[Ike0069]

That's an interesting question, but i have no idea.
Why do you want to know? Are you thinking there is a performance difference based on this?

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Well, I know on a CD, it writes from inside out. So I'm guessing that hard drives work on the same principle.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: tasburrfoot78362
Well, I know on a CD, it writes from inside out. So I'm guessing that hard drives work on the same principle.

My CDR's always start from the inside out. 😱
Burn a small file and see where it was positioned on the disk... 😉

 

[SnoMunke]

Just because you "partion" a HDD in half, doesn't mean it is physically "partioned" in half. The data will still be spread across the disc. I have heard the disc optimizer's can move you system files to either the outer or inner edge of the disc...but haven't had any experience with it....

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: SnoMunke
I have heard the disc optimizer's can move you system files to either the outer or inner edge of the disc...

That's exactly what got me thinking about where on a HD certain partitions are located.

"Just because you "partion" a HDD in half, doesn't mean it is physically "partioned" in half."
You mean different partitions are just a mixed up jumbled mess on the HD? 😱

 

[orangat]

The partitioning program might show you the track numbers to assign to partitions and track 0 starts from the outside edge of the disk.

Unless Windows has made some major changes recently I'm certain partitions are still one contiguous block. Disks use zone bit recording techniques/zcav techniques (hence the stepladder transfer rate in benchmarks) to vary the track density going from inner/outer tracks but it doesn't mean one partition is spread out all over the disk.

 

[Blain]

>> My drive graphics are WILD <<

Thanks to Scanner 2.6

 

[Accord99]

It would be on the outside as HDs start from outside in, for better performance.

 

[JimPhelpsMI]

Hi, If I remember correctly a HD's sector zero is at the outer edge, so I would guess that the first partition (C🙂 would be outer. Jim

 

[blakeatwork]

Originally posted by: Blain
>> My drive graphics are WILD <<

Thanks to Scanner 2.6

Nice... thanks for the link...

 

[Pariah]

Originally posted by: orangat
The partitioning program might show you the track numbers to assign to partitions and track 0 starts from the outside edge of the disk.

Unless Windows has made some major changes recently I'm certain partitions are still one contiguous block. Disks use zone bit recording techniques/zcav techniques (hence the stepladder transfer rate in benchmarks) to vary the track density going from inner/outer tracks but it doesn't mean one partition is spread out all over the disk.

Pretty close, hard drives do you zone bit recording, though they are straight CAV devices, their spinrate never fluctuates (a 10k RPM drive always spins at 10k RPM unless it isn't spinning at all). The zone bit recording is what creates the step ladder looking STR graphs. Track density does not vary on the disk, though I don't think that's what you meant. Cluster density within the tracks as you move towards the center of the track varies. In general, hard drives start from the outside first since that's where the highest STR is and writes inwards. It gets a bit more complicated with multiple read/write surfaces where a "zipper" like pattern is used to read and write data to the multiple surfaces. A drive will start on the outside and write inwards for a given amount of space within a single bit zone, then when it drops to the next surface it starts where it stopped on the last surface and writes outwards, then drops again and writes inwards and so fourth. This minimizes head switches and seek times.

Partitions are always contiguous blocks of clusters.

To answer the original question, the C partition should always be on the outside of the drive, since that's where every partitioning program I have ever seen defaults it to, you don't have to do anything to get it there.

 

[jalaram]

Originally posted by: Blain
>> My drive graphics are WILD <<

Thanks to Scanner 2.6

Beautiful. Thanks.

 

[Pariah]

Originally posted by: jalaram

Originally posted by: Blain
>> My drive graphics are WILD <<

Thanks to Scanner 2.6

Beautiful. Thanks.

That program is just generating a fancy graphic displaying how your disk space is being used, ie. the file/folder relationship. It's not displaying where the data is physically on the disc.