Disk partitioning creates separate regions (also known as partitions) on a single hard disk drive. Each partition lets you store information that is separate from the other partitions of the same hard disk. People who want to install multiple operating systems on one disk drive would use partitioning, for example. 

MBR, which stands for “Master Boot Record,” is one method for storing information in partitions on a hard disk drive. It is a boot sector within the first partition on the hard disk drive. When you start your personal computer, this boot sector executes a boot loader to run the operating system that is installed. In addition, all the information regarding the logical partitions of the hard disk drive is installed too. 

Since the MBR is on the first partition of the hard disk drive, the data files of the operating system are not actually on it too. The boot loader of the first partition activates a much bigger boot loader of the second partition. The operating system is installed on the second partition, so the bigger boot loader causes the operating system to load. But this can only happen if the first boot loader is activated from the original partition. 

The other partition storage method is called a BSD, which stands for “Berkeley Software Distribution.” BSD creates a record of where the partitions are located on a hard disk drive. This record comes in the form of a disklabel. The big difference here is that you cannot activate or edit the partitions from the boot sector. Instead, you must use a Unix disklabel utility to edit them.

You must have a Unix operating system or a Unix-like operating system to use the BSD layout scheme. Otherwise, your operating system won’t be able to read the disk labels accurately. One popular Unix-like operating system for the BSD layout scheme is FreeBSD. It is an open-source operating system that can be download onto your personal computer for free. 

Personal computers have traditionally utilized the MBR partition layout scheme, especially PCs running the Windows operating system. However, it is possible to have both layout schemes on one computer because the BSD partitioning scheme is stored inside of the main MBR partition of the hard disk. The volume boot record of this main partition is where the BSD disklabel is located. 

Your hard disks cannot be more than 2 terabytes in size for MBR to work. Only 4 primary partitions are supported by the MBR system. But if you’re using the FreeBSD operating system, you can boot GPT partitions rather than MBR partitions. GPT is a total replacement of the outdated MBR partitioning system. GPT, which stands for GUID Partition Table, can work with as many as 128 different partitions of greater size limits.

MBR partitions are easily corruptible because specific information is stored in single locations. GPT generates several different copies of the stored information across several partitions. That way, if data gets corrupted in one of the partitions, you can easily recover it by going to another partition with the same data in it.