How to partition a disk. How to partition a hard drive Partitioning a disk on Windows

Typically, on most computers and laptops, the hard drive is divided into several partitions called “Local Disks”. Multiple local drives allow the owner to properly separate system files from games, programs, and so on. Thus, when restoring the system, only one local disk will be used, without the intervention of others, which greatly simplifies the work.

But, unfortunately, some owners have a hard drive with only one partition, which contains absolutely all the files. This should not be allowed, and therefore you will have to divide the hard drive into partitions yourself. In this article we will tell you how to partition your hard drive in Windows 7 without losing data.

Using these instructions, you can, without using third-party programs, divide a local disk, for example, into two equal parts and still save all the data. To do this we do the following:

We go into computer management by right-clicking on the “Computer” icon on the desktop or in the “Start” menu and selecting “Manage” from the menu that opens.

Disk management in windows 7

The window below will display all drives connected to the computer. You need to right-click on the local disk that you want to partition and click on “Compress Volume...”.

Selecting the disk from which a new one will be “chipped off”

After turning on the “launcher” to compress the volume, a notification will appear that the system is searching for free space. You won’t have to wait long, and within a minute a window will appear indicating the free space on the selected local disk and the maximum size for compression. In other words, you specify the size of the new local disk, which will be “bitten off” from the selected one.

Selecting a size for a new local disk

Specify the size of the future disk in megabytes and after entering, click on the “Compress” button.

After the compression has completed, you will see that a new unallocated space has appeared. This is the space that we "cut off" in the previous step. Now in its place we will create a new section.

Unallocated area for new partition

To do this, click on the unmarked area and select “Create a simple volume...”.

Creating a new partition on an unallocated area

The “Volume Creation Wizard” is activated, where you need to specify the maximum size, drive letter (for example, D), and check the boxes next to the lines NTFS, “Format this volume...”. Don't forget to put "Default" next to Cluster Size. (In fact, we click “Next” everywhere).

Once the simple volume creation is complete, you will have a new local disk.

The result of splitting one partition into 2 in Windows 7 without data loss

Now you know how to partition a hard drive in Windows 7 without losing data using standard Windows 7 tools without using third-party programs.

This article will talk about how to properly partition a computer’s hard drive into partitions, as well as how to fix an incorrectly partitioned disk without losing information. Methods for partitioning a hard drive for Windows XP and Windows 7 are somewhat different due to the peculiarities of the operation of these operating systems, so I will talk about them separately.

At first glance, it may seem that partitioning is not a particularly important process and does not require much attention. But an incorrectly partitioned disk can cause a lot of inconvenience in the future.

Pros of partitioning hard drives

Why do you need division into sections? Firstly, this will allow a clear distinction between the system and the user’s files. That is, Windows will live, for example, on the C: drive, and documents, movies and music on D:. Thanks to this, it will be possible to back up the entire system partition, and in case of failure, simply restore it all. If the backup process, along with the Windows operating system, also duplicates your files, which often include music and movies that occupy hundreds of gigabytes, then there will not be enough space. And so you will always have an image of the system partition at hand, ten to one and a half gigabytes in size. And your own documents can be copied to a spare drive at any time.

In addition, after a failure, checking a disk containing only the operating system will take much less time than checking all the files on the computer (sometimes the number of files reaches hundreds of thousands or even millions). For erased file recovery programs to work, you will also need a second partition to which the saved information will be copied.

This is what partitioning a hard drive into logical partitions looks like

A fly in the ointment or without some drawbacks

The main disadvantage is that only the disk space of the current partition can be used, even if other partitions are completely free. That is, if the disk is divided into three partitions, and each of them has, say, 50 gigabytes free, then it will not be possible to write a file of 120 gigabytes in size, although the total free space will be 150 gigabytes. In this case, you will have to transfer files from partition to partition until enough space is freed up on one of them. In relation to this example, if there was only one partition on the disk, then a file of 120 gigabytes could be written to it without any manipulation. Since disks usually do not become completely clogged, the more partitions there are, the greater the “wasted space” will be.

For small hard drives, this “lost space” as a percentage will be a decent amount. Therefore, the answer to the question of whether division into sections is necessary is not entirely unambiguous. But I can absolutely clearly say that to work in a modern system, partitioning a disk with a capacity of less than 80-160 gigabytes, with rare exceptions, does not make any sense.

In what proportions to split? Windows XP vs Windows 7

If you still decided to partition the disk, then it is necessary to allocate a certain space in gigabytes for Windows, and not divide it proportionally “in half” or “one to two”. First you need to decide how much space the operating system requires.

Windows XP is enough for 30-40 gigabytes. This size is taken with a small margin when taking into account the large number of installed programs. Of course, you can put it on a 10 GB partition, but you may run out of space at the most unexpected moment. All other data should be copied only to the second partition.

Windows 7 itself requires a lot more disk space. In addition, hidden in its depths is the “magic” winsxs folder, which is growing by leaps and bounds. In this regard, it is recommended to allocate at least 70-80, and preferably 100 gigabytes for the “Seven”. For the last reason, it is better not to use SSD drives that have a small capacity (less than 64 gigabytes). We leave the remaining space on the hard drive for the second partition.

Windows Disk Manager. You have to work very carefully.

How to partition a disk

Dividing into sections is not difficult. To do this, you can use the “disk manager” built into Windows (Right-click on the “My Computer” shortcut and select Manage, then select Disk Management).

A list of disks installed on your computer will appear in the window that opens. Now you can create and delete partitions. Please note that you will not be allowed to work with the partition on which the system is installed. To do this, you will have to use specialized software, which is discussed in the next chapter. The system partition itself is partitioned when installing Windows.
In addition, perform all operations in the above-described disk manager with extreme caution, since any actions in it destroy the hard drive data, and it will not be easy to restore them later.

How to fix incorrect hard drive partitioning

The most common situation is when too little space was allocated for the first (system) partition. As a result, we have a completely clogged system partition with an empty second one. The simplest way is to reduce the second partition and, due to the resulting empty space, increase the system partition. However, the built-in tools in Windows will not allow you to do this.

Everything is very clear.

In such a situation, it is better to use auxiliary tools. For example, Disk Director Suite from Acronis. This package will allow you to create a boot disk with which you can repartition the partitions of your hard drive at your discretion. All data on the hard drive will not go anywhere. However, it is recommended to save important data in a safe place before any manipulation. In addition, the Acronis boot disk will help you convert the file system to another format, delete and create partitions, check disks for errors, and much more.

But it’s better to correctly plan the size and number of partitions right away than to spend a lot of time correcting errors at the most inopportune moment.

conclusions

My opinion, based on many years of experience, is this. There is no need to partition the disk. If it is inconvenient to store files on one partition, then instead of partitioning it is better to buy a second hard drive. On the one hand, this will allow you to separate the system and personal files, and on the other hand, it will divide the load on two devices. That is, system files will be opened from one hard drive, and user files from another, which will ultimately speed up the operation of the operating system and documents will open noticeably faster.

Partitioning will be required only when organizing a RAID array, when a huge single space is created from two or more hard drives. It will still have to be broken.

If you are determined to partition your disks, use the above recommendations for choosing their volume. Incorrect partitioning can then backfire. And remember the main truth - perform any manipulations only if you have a backup copy of important information. One wrong move and your entire life's work will be sent to electronic Valhalla.

UPD. With the advent of SSDs, the issue of division resolved itself. The system is installed on a solid-state drive, and data that does not require high speeds is installed on a traditional hard drive. In such a situation, as you understand, there is no need to divide the hard drive into partitions. At the same time, large amounts of RAM make it possible to completely disable swapping. Thus, the most optimal scheme is SSD + HDD, each of which has only one partition.

How to split a hard drive into two partitions without data loss, provided that there is one partition converted to the main volume with the letter (C:), the operating system is installed on it and nothing should happen to it, how do you like the problem?

• Note: If you have a new operating system installed, you can divide your hard drive into partitions using the operating system itself, without resorting to third-party programs, here is the article, if something doesn’t work, use the universal one and free program in Russian.
• If you are on Windows 7, read here. If you have a new laptop, then you need this article.

Such tasks are very easily solved with special disk management programs, for example: Acronis Disk Director, Paragon, I work with all of them. The fact is that when working with such programs, it is easy to damage the partition table of the hard drive, then the computer will not be able to determine the location of the main partition with the operating system among the new volumes created by you, what then? That's right, you simply won't be able to boot into Windows. Acronis, also working from a boot disk, sometimes confuses partition letters.

• Therefore, before working with Acronis Disk Director, you need to insure yourself as much as possible and create a backup of all partitions of your hard drive. Every user should be able to create a backup of the operating system and, if necessary, deploy it back.

These detailed articles will help you master indispensable operating system recovery tools. These tools will restore your Windows under any circumstances.

I do not want to intimidate you in any way, but simply warn you to be very careful when working with software for working with computers. hard disk partitions. I remember in the old days, when everything was just beginning, I always had several floppy disks in my pocket with the Partition Magic program in bourgeois language, yes, floppy disks, it worked from them, you insert it into the floppy and you always don’t know how it will end, but I will say Honestly, I only let you down a few times. And then I met Acronis and have not left since then, although now I carry a large suitcase with me and there are always several boot disks with this program. Well, it's time to get down to business, otherwise you'll run away from the site and won't partition your hard drive.

How to split a hard drive into two partitions

As I said, we have the Windows XP operating system, but everything that will be said below can also be applied to Windows 7. The operating system has one system partition-disk (C:) with a capacity of 111.8 GB, which we will use divide into two sections, as a result we will have another drive (D:), don’t worry about your files on drive (C:) nothing will happen. Here it is our drive (C:), all alone.

Let's launch our program

In the main window of the program, our hard drive is visible as one partition-disk (C), with a capacity of 111.8 GB. Let's go with you to Actions and tools, and then Resize volume

change the size of a volume of 111.8 GB, for example, to 55.8 GB, so we will have a logical volume (D)

We have some unallocated space and we will convert it later into a logical volume (D)

Apply pending operations

Friends, now you can create the second partition you need, right in the operating system, go to Computer->Manage->Disk Management, right-click on the unallocated space and select Create Partition from the menu. Or you can use our program again.

We run our program again, select unallocated space with the mouse and click Create Volume

Select the type of volume to be created: Basic

Specify unallocated space

Many users of personal computers and laptops are faced with the need for several parts. This can be useful for visually distributing the functions of individual parts: for example, one virtual disk will be occupied by the system and temporary files - cache, the second will host games and the necessary software, and the third will become a media content storage. This article provides a guide on how to divide your hard drive into parts using Windows 7 and third-party programs.

Allocating a separate virtual (or physical) hard drive for the operating system is very convenient. Firstly, you won't be able to accidentally fill up your system drive with files, which could slow down your computer. Secondly, if something happens to the Windows system and the partition has to be formatted during reinstallation, all your photos, movies, books, music and documents will not be affected, because they are not stored on the same disk with the system.

In addition, if you intend to store a large amount of information of different sizes, in order to optimize machine search, it is worth placing large and small files on different sections of your hard drive. This will significantly speed up the search for the file you need.

Windows Installation Splitting

If you have not installed the system yet, this method is the most correct. Your hard drive will be partitioned before installing Windows on it using special utilities stored in the installation image or on the disk. The guide presented here is intended for users who already know how to install an operating system:

• Boot from the installation disk or flash drive;
• Wait for the operating system installation to begin;
• Select the installation language and click “Install”;
• Read the terms of the license agreement, confirm your agreement with them and click “next”;
• Select full installation of Windows 7;

You have reached the point at which the process of dividing the hdd into parts begins. If the disk is already divided into several partitions, and you want to change their structure, the most correct solution would be to delete them first. It must be remembered that all data on the device will be irretrievably lost. If you purchased a new storage medium, you will have only one partition. It should also be removed.

Now you have the resources to mark up new partitions, it is called “unallocated space on disk 0”. Click the "create" button and select the size of the first partition. As a rule, it will be used as a system one and should be allocated 50-100 gigabytes, depending on your needs and the size of the physical hdd. Create the rest of the sections you need in the same way. However, keep in mind that an Hdd with an MBR record type cannot be divided into more than four parts.

Separation using standard Windows 7 tools

Before the advent of the “seven”, such actions were possible exclusively with the help of third-party software. This version introduced system utilities for dividing hard drives into parts. Using standard Windows 7 tools, you can divide a disk into several parts, change the size of these parts, delete or combine several into one. The procedure is presented in the manual.

First you need to perform defragmentation. There's no point in going into detail about this process, but roughly speaking, it will organize and sort all the files on your drive.

• Go to “My Computer”, right-click on your hdd icon, and select “Properties”.
• Open the “Tools” tab and click on the “defragmentation” button. Wait a while for the process to complete.

Now you can proceed directly to the division:

1. Go to the Start menu, right-click on Computer and select Manage. Similarly, you can right-click on the “My Computer” icon on your desktop.
2. In the computer management menu, select "Disk Management".
3. Right-click your hard drive and in the drop-down menu, go to the “Shrink Volume” option. Wait a while while the system calculates the space available for compression.
4. Specify the size of the compressed space - this is the disk space that you will take from the system partition. 50-100 gigabytes is quite enough for the system, the rest can be safely compressed.
5. After compression, unallocated space has formed on the disk, you need to select it, right-click and go to “Create a simple volume”.
6. In the wizard that opens, you can configure the size of the future partition (all available space if you only need one, or part of it if you intend to create more later). Click Next.
7. Here you can select a name or letter for the future section. Indicate any one you like and click “Next”.
8. Select "Format Volume" and select the NTFS file system. Click Next.
9. Wait a while and complete the wizard using the “Finish” button.
10. If you need to create another partition, repeat steps 5-9.

Now your hdd is divided into several partitions. You can go to My Computer and see these sections in File Explorer.

Partitioning using Acronis Disk Director

This is a powerful utility often used by system administrators. Its functionality significantly exceeds standard Windows tools. To work with the program, you need to download and install it. This guide shows the sequence of actions for the Suite version:

1. When you first start the program, you will be prompted to select an operating mode. Specify manual mode.
2. In the menu at the top, select the “Masters” category, and in it the “Create section” item.
3. Specify the hard drive you want to partition and click “Next”.
4. Here you need to indicate from which existing parts the space for the new one will be borrowed. It is not recommended to touch the partition signed “Acronis Hidden” - this may damage your operating system. Click “Next” and wait while the system calculates the available space to borrow.
5. Use the slider to configure the desired size of your future partition and click “Next”.
6. Select "Logical" disk type and click "Next".
7. Here you need to specify the file system. You need NTFS. Click Next.
8. In this step you can select a letter for your partition. Select the one you like and click “Next”.
9. Click "Finish" and wait for the process to complete.

Now your disk is divided into 2 partitions and you can use them as you wish.

You bought a new computer and discovered that the hard drive is not divided into volumes. Next, we will look at how to create logical drives yourself, how to divide the hard drive into partitions when installing Windows, which are then displayed in the Computer Explorer window.

If the list of disks only contains the item Unallocated space, this means there is not a single partition on the hard drive. To partition your hard drive, click the corresponding button in the field that appears Size enter the volume capacity in megabytes and select Apply.

How to partition a hard drive. The process of creating a new partition

In order to partition a hard drive, a system partition is first created, therefore, a dialog box will open on the screen in which the system will ask you to create a partition. And so, we need to create two sections in unallocated space:

1. Select the disk and press Disk setup.

3. Here you are not asked to create a partition on this disk. The figure below shows that by default the entire volume of our hard drive is displayed. And we need to make two disks: Local disk "C" and Local disk "D"

4. In order to create Disk C, enter in the Size window: as much as you need. In my case it will be 50 GB or 51200 MB - click Apply. After Windows will offer to create an additional partition in which it will store system files, click OK.

5. The following figure shows that windows has created a hidden partition to store system files. This section will not be displayed on your computer in any way. And section 2 (Main) is the section that we just created. Next you need to create another partition for Local Disk "D" .

6. Highlight Unallocated disk space 0 and follow the link Create.

7. Windows will offer the remaining free space to create a partition, which is what we need. Click Apply to create Local Disk "D"

8. Now we have divided the hard drive into two parts, now we can continue