How To Partition Your Hard Drive

How To Partition Your Hard Drive

By hard drive, we are referring to computer storage space, often labeled C:, D:, E: etc….

This article aims at teaching you how to separate this storage space into many partitions and store your data/files in appropriate locations within the physical drive.

Your hard drive, by default, has at least one partition. You can create new partitions by compressing what you already have into a lesser space and using the extra space for new partitions.

WHY DO I NEED A NEW PARTITION?

• You need a new partition when you want to run more than one operating system on your PC.
• You need a new partition when you want to backup your data and save it from “possible” eventual crash of the operating system, example, Windows.
• You need a new partition when you want to keep an exclusive data away from a third party and possibly encrypt it.
• You need a new partition when you want to keep softwares/programs quite away from other files.

To start partitioning, the first thing to do is to back up your data, if they weren’t backed up, that is.

Space is needed on the hard drive for the new partition. If the needed space is occupied already, you may consider moving the files to external storage space and return them to the new partition later.

You are ready to set off. If your operating system is Windows 7 or 8, then you got some reasonably useful partitioning tools that will most likely serve your needs.

• For Windows 7, click on Start.
• For Windows 8, go to charms.
• Either way, type “partitions” in the available box.

Proceed by selecting Create and format hard disk partitions. There will be a pop up, showing the Disk Management program.

Right-click on it and select Shrink Volume. This action will lead you to shrinking the existing partition.

When you have done this, wait for a while. It take some time to go this process and that depends on the speed of the RAM.

As soon as the process is complete, a dialog box will pop on, asking how much you want the partition to shrink.

The maximum of what will be  available is the default number. If for instance, you have 100GB space available, you will be able to shrink it by anything less than 100GB.

You are to enter the required new volume as shown in the picture below:

Sometimes, Disk Management issue may not allow you take as much space as you would like to.

For example, you may have free 23.4GB space and want to shrink by 22GB but Disk Manager may hamper that and offer you only a space of 15GB.

This is rarely the case but if it occurs, start the process afresh.

When you have successfully partitioned your disk, set the right size by clicking on the shrink button and following the directives.

When you are done resizing, right-click on the physical drive’s unallocated space and select “Simple New Volume”.

Next, follow the subsequent wizard to finalize the partitioning process.

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