[csb]

I have read a lot here about 1. cloning your hard drive to and external disk, 2. just loading the operating system on it 3. or just using it to back up.
What are the advantages to each?
Can the external hdd be partitioned half for back up and half with a clone or operating system (and if so how can this be done)
This is the first external hdd and I'm not familiar working with them I know my hdd on the computer is getting to the point where i needed this external. Just looking to make the best use of it.
Sorry if this has been asked before but as i look over old post i really couldn't find what i was looking for.
Thanks in advance for all your help and advice

[turbulentfurball]

I'll answer 2, since it's the easiest

Booting from an external HD over firewire can be advantageous if you have a Mac Mini or a notebook, since external HDs are generally of the 3.5" variety and therefore faster (7200 RPM), with the added bonus that such HDs are cheaper per GiB and therefore provide a cheaper upgrade route than replacing the internal drive. (However, the external enclosure will obviously add to the cost.)

[Ryan]

I would move large files that require lots of reads/writes to the drive over to your new Firewire drive first. This means video for most users. When I import video from my DV camcorder, the first thing I do is move the project folder to my external drive.

Yes, you can partition an external drive.

I use mine for video and as a backup. About once a week I copy the entire contents of my home folder to the FW drive. Since the external drive is 120gb, and my PowerBook's drive is only 40, this system works pretty well. So far, I've never needed to use the backup, but the peace of mind it offers is great, especially for notebook users. If you lose your computer, or it's stolen, all your data is still intact. Of course, it isn't secure anymore and you still are out a computer, but at least all your photos, songs, videos, documents, etc. are still at home.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Ryan Yes, you can partition an external drive.

The important question, though, is do you really want to?

Seriously. Give that a lot of thought before you start. Currently, you cannot resize or recombine partitions without buying additional software. Once you set your partitions, you should essentially think of them as if they're written in stone. Once you start filling them up, might there come time when you realize you incorrectly estimated how much each partition should have? This has been a problem for many users, myself included. That's why I mention it.

[FFL]

The one advantage I could see to partitioning an external is if it's significantly larger than your internal - in which case I'd create a partion called "Clone" that is the same size as the internal drive.

That way, the remaining part of the drive stays useful for additional storage, and you can still clone your internal as a backup (I recommend SuperDuper).