Bigger Hard disk is "better" for average user ???

Computing being worked or used today has now become more or less a standard issue. Almost every "entry level" desktop / laptop now ships with 512MB/1GB RAM, 80 GB HDD, 1.7Ghz processor & the like. Gone are the days that we used to pride ourselves on Latest Pentium processors, a few GB HDD and 15" monitor screen. One thing is noticeable that the quantity of storage in HDD and pendrives etc. are in much higher capacity with much lower cost than it was previously.

The question arises "how much storage space" my system or the current requirement needs. For us, the "more the merrier" answer would be the instant one. Let's now look at the closer aspect of this.

We all are humans and the very basic attitude we are pampering it with each storage capacity breakthrough is allowing us to get spoiled a little longer. We all love movies, mp3's, vacations with family/friends etc and like to have a permanent record of that. Now we all have our CD/DVD writers, Ipods and tape drives but since we got that tempting 250 GB lunch box HDD we like to put all this "memorabilia" stuff in it instead of even distribution. Who care to fiddle around several CD/DVD disks when you need that photo in a snap....hassle... etc.

That lazy bone of ours has some unfortunate disadvantages. For instance, a fully stacked up 100GB HDD partition has typically around 60 GB "memorabilia" stuff for the average user with 40 GB remaining space for Office files, XP Operating System and the remaining for the gaming enthuiasts, image editing softwares and other application software. But technically speaking, for the computer, 60% of the HDD consists of "Junk material" which unfortunately, is your "memorabilia". Now imagine, wouldn't be it nice to distribute evenly all your "stuff" somewhere else to release 60GB of mammoth space for making space for heavy duty apps like Oracle, .NET or Developer suites etc with still plenty of room for future expansion if required.

Distributing your collection is also sensible in certain ways also. If one CD/DVD breaks or damages down, you don't have to lose more than 1 CD/DVD data. However, in this case it would be advisable for you to make at least 2 copies for your critical data. For music lovers, there is even more attractive offer. Why not use Ipods to hold (and listen simultaneously) your huge music collection (up to 40 GB)? Play your favourite songs on the go also , giving you the added bonus of portability too. Perhaps the most complete music experience ever. Movie buffs can use tape drives or DVDs (dual layer to hold 6-7 movies) for their collection. Online storage services however offer the best deal. The data is guaranteed to stay there as long as you want it. You need broadband connection for a smoother experience for this.

On a serious note too, managing a bigger HDD carries it own set of problems. There are increased chances of bad sectors occurrences, frequent fragmentations even after minor use, also it takes your antivirus and scandisk utilities forever to scan as they have to encounter huge amount of data stored. For instance, if 100GB primary partition has NTFS file system with only 14 GB of free space, then defragmentation in windows cannot continue as it demands at least 15% of free space for defragmenting to take place. Hence it is always beneficial to keep at least 15% free space in working primary partition using NTFS file system.

Bigger HDD also face greater and much feared risked of file duplication. Concept is simple; With mammoth file space available of data, often the owner forgets that the said material is already present in some other location of his drive, creating duplicate copies of same data on many areas of drive. It is an added responsibility for the owner to maintain a directory list to examine and compare the content of such data. The decision then depends on the owner whether to keep the copy or discard it (if not very important). Here the directory listing and synchronizing softwares provide the much needed assistance. When I ran a check for duplicate entries on my 80GB HDD, I was appalled to find 10GB of duplicate data of which only 2 GB was necessary to maintain. A nice utility called My briefcase also does the much needed job of synchronizing and updating task for frequently used files also.

The bottom-line is, it is not advisable to keep all your eggs in a single basket. Several baskets with different egg categories eliminates search/sort trouble and data loss chances. Not necessarily "the more, the merrier" principle overrides all the other factors. Skillful and logical thinking can offer us the best of both the worlds in data storage area.