What are Logical drives?

Logical drives are a specific type of partition that exists within extended partitions on a hard disk. Unlike primary partitions, which can be bootable, logical drives are used to allocate additional storage space without the limitations imposed by the primary partition table. When a hard drive is partitioned, it can typically support a limited number of primary partitions (usually up to four). To overcome this limitation, one of those primary partitions can be designated as an extended partition, which can then contain multiple logical drives.

Logical drives allow for better organization and management of stored data. They are commonly used for separating different types of files, applications, or operating systems within the same physical disk. For instance, a user could create one logical drive for documents, another for applications, and potentially another for backup purposes, all residing within a single extended partition.

This structure facilitates a more flexible and efficient way of utilizing disk space compared to having only primary partitions. Each logical drive can be treated and accessed as an independent unit by the operating system, even though they are physically part of the same extended partition.