The main task that the local disk “D:” performs is to store the most important user information. The first section “C:” on the drive is bootable. It installs the operating system and programs. But the second one, “D:”, contains user files (documents, music, films, photographs, etc.). Such an organization allows you to safely reinstall the OS if necessary. The first logical volume is formatted, and a new Windows with programs is installed on it, while the second is not affected. User data is saved, and after the installation of the software you can immediately continue to work.
What it is?
First, let's figure out how the hardware local disk “D:” can be implemented. There are two ways to do this. In the first case, one physical drive is divided into 2 parts, which are called logical volumes. The second way is that two identical information storage devices are installed in the system . Each drive gets its name - the letter of the Latin alphabet. The first two of them, “A:” and “B:” are reserved for disk drives, which are now almost never used. But “C:” and the letters following it are used to indicate HDD, CD-ROM drives and various flash drives. The last character that can be assigned is “Z:”. Therefore, the computer can have only 24 such devices.
Why is it needed?
Previously, several sections were created to sort information. It could be a single drive, divided into parts, or several. Each of them was used for one strictly defined task. But now such a practice is slowly becoming a thing of the past. It makes no sense to create many partitions or install more than two drives in the home computer into the system. The first of them is “C:” - system. It installs the operating system and the programs that are associated with it. But to store user files, the local disk “D:” is used. The corresponding folders (music, films, for example) are created in its root directory and this allows you to sort the information properly. As noted earlier, such an organization allows you to reinstall it in case of problems with the OS. At the same time, important information for the user is saved.
Possible problems
This organization of the disk subsystem has several disadvantages. The first of them is that when a PC is infected with a virus, problems with access to information are possible. In this case, a situation arises when the local disk “D:” does not open. In this case, it is recommended to boot from a CD-ROM or flash drive and check it with antivirus (for example, a free boot utility from Kaspersky Lab). For greater certainty, you can use the file manager (FAR, for example). All hidden files and folders in the root directory are deleted. But a simple reinstallation of the OS in this case, as practice shows, does not solve the problem. The second possible failure is when the local drive “D:” is gone. This may be due to its hardware failure. In this case, you cannot do without special software (the same Acronis, for example). It is difficult for an ordinary user to cope with such a task, and without a service center in such a situation, well, you just can’t do it.
Conclusion
The local “D:” drive is an important component of all modern home PCs. It allows you to properly organize the structure of information storage. Its main purpose is to store user information. But the programs and the operating system should be located in the system partition. You need to remember this and save your data correctly.