How to partition a hard drive into sections: three easy ways. Partitioning a hard drive in Diskpart

The hard drive of a computer is a means of storing system and user data in particular. Sometimes, it is necessary to divide information into some larger sections to avoid confusion. It is recommended to install the system on one partition, and user files, programs, etc. save to others. When buying a new PC, most often, the hard disk is not divided into local disks (partitions), so you need to carry out this operation yourself. Consider how to properly partition a hard drive into sections. For example, let's use Windows 7, which is the most stable among current versions (Windows 8, 10).

Before you begin the process of partitioning a disk, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the following tips:

1. For the OS, allocate at least 50-60 GB of free space, otherwise you will not see the normal operation of the system. Of course, if you have a hard drive already 100-200 GB, then allocating so much space is too troublesome, but for systems starting with the "seven", you need enough memory.
2. It is also better to take care of the file saving path for the browser and the torrent client, it is better to set the file upload paths for them not on the system disk (by default), but on another more capacious partition. You should also be aware that desktop content will take up space on your system drive.
3. If you have a hard drive up to 1 TB - divide into 3 sections, if from 1 TB to 2 TB - divide into 4 sections, more than 4 TB - into 5 sections. This is explained by the fact that when downloading large files to a hard drive, optimal separation will allow it to be written correctly.
4. Do not use all available hard disk space. It is necessary to leave some space "in reserve" to restore damaged clusters.

If you follow these tips, you can set up hard disk partitioning once and not worry about it again until you decide to expand the memory on your computer.

How to Partition a Hard Drive in Windows 7?

To partition a hard disk, we will use the standard tool of the Windows operating system. It's called Disk Management. To open this utility, you need to do the following operation:

Now let's move on to how to partition a hard drive in Windows 7. The instruction is as follows:

How to Partition a Hard Drive in Windows 8, 10

Using Windows 7 as an example, we looked at the partitioning process. There will be nothing fundamentally new in the G8 and G10, so you can use this procedure for this system as well. The only exception, we will slightly correct the tips for the correct execution of the task:

1. For the system disk, leave (add) at least 70-80 GB of information. Starting with the "seven", the system writes information about the current state to the local disk so that you can use system restore if necessary. In addition, after many updates (including up to 8.1, 10), large files are generated that are protected by the system;
2. Divide the disk into several partitions, do not leave 2 partitions. So it will be more convenient for you to handle the files that are written to the hard drive, logically structuring them into sections.

How to partition a hard drive in Windows 7, 8, 10 using third-party programs

What to do if you do not trust the standard local disk tool? We suggest using a third-party application Partition Wizard. This application is free, does not require a lot of space and works stably. Of course, its functionality is far from Acronis Disk Director, but it will be just right for partitioning a hard drive.

So, first download it, and then install it in a convenient location on your computer. Once the program is installed, launch it and wait for it to load the necessary information about your system and hard drive.

An unallocated partition will be labeled "Unallocated". Right click on it and click "Create".

When you run this command, you will need to provide the following information in the next window:

• Section title;
• Partition type (for example, logical);
• drive letter;
• File system type;
• Volume.

Please note that in the case of the program that is built into the system - "Disk Management", these operations are performed in different windows, but here, for convenience, everything happens in one window. We, for example, created a new section "Test" with 400 GB on board. Once created, the file system looks like this:

This process can be repeated as many times as you like until you run out of free unallocated space. Please note that it is very important to leave quite a bit of free space so as not to harm the hard drive. To create another new partition, simply repeat the instructions. Don't forget to save your progress with the Apply button.

Often, many users need to split one local disk into two virtual ones. Most often this is done for the subsequent installation of the operating system or for the convenience of sorting. For example, only music will be stored in one section, and the second will serve for games and various programs. There are several ways to split your hard drive into 2 parts. This article is dedicated to this process.

General information

If you have only one local drive, it is logical that your Windows system files, installed programs, and personal information, such as photos and documents, will be stored on it. If something happens to the operating system and you cannot fix it, you will need to reinstall it. But during the installation of a new operating system, data can be irretrievably lost.

Of course, you can pre-copy everything to a USB flash drive or to cloud storage. But, firstly, there can be a lot of information. And secondly, the OS may break without warning, and you simply won’t have time to save anything.

The best option in this case is to install Windows on another hard drive. But if you have one - what to do in this case? Break it down into two sections. Each of them will work exactly like a regular HDD. The only difference is that they will be virtual.

On one part you can install Windows and various programs. They will still need to be reinstalled when changing the system. And the second can be used to store all the materials that will “move” to the new OS. These are all kinds of documents, installers for programs and images of games, photographs, videos, projects, and so on.

Windows installation

The easiest way to divide a hard drive into two virtual partitions is to do it during the installation of a new operating system. There is only one minus of the method - the HDD will have to be formatted. That is, it should not contain any important data for you.

It's easier to break the disk into parts immediately upon purchase. An empty disk is formatted and divided into parts before installing the OS. This avoids a huge number of problems in the future.

You do not need any additional funds - just a regular installation DVD or a bootable USB flash drive. Such a flash drive can be created using various software, for example, the UltraIso utility.

It is worth remembering that if you want to resize virtual partitions or merge them into one again, this can easily be done in an already installed Windows.

Separation during installation

There is nothing difficult in this. Follow the instructions provided:

Thus, you managed to split the hard drive into two partitions on a new disk. The volume should be chosen based on your needs. If you want to store only Windows system files here and nothing else, you can get by with 50 gigabytes. If you are going to install browsers and other programs here, organize a paging file, store cached information, it is better to set larger volumes.

Preparing with separation using Windows

If you already have an installed OS, and you are not going to change it in the foreseeable future, you can use the standard Windows tool. This operating system has a special service with which you can create and modify virtual parts of the HDD. In order to split your media into two partitions, you need to do the following:

Create a new partition

By following the steps from the previous part of the guide, you will get free disk space. It is displayed in the already opened utility immediately below the list and is signed as “not distributed”:

Thus, you managed to split your hard drive into two fully functional partitions using standard Windows tools. You can open File Explorer using the My Computer shortcut and make sure there is a new volume with the letter you specified.

There are various software that allows you to do the same operations. The most popular is Acronis.

When you install a new operating system on your computer, you have the option of splitting one hard drive into multiple volumes, whether it be two volumes, three or more. If this is not done, then all files will be stored on one disk: both the system and your personal multimedia, installed programs. This is not always convenient, moreover, it is recommended to use a separate volume of approximately 100 MB for the system so that no more information is stored on it, except for the needs of the OS. In this article, you will learn how to partition your hard drive into several new ones and what you need to remember when doing so.

First you need to get into the Disk Management directory. To do this, hold down the key combination Win + R or Win + k on the Russian layout. A search window will open in front of you. In the "Open" line, write the command:

• diskmgmt.msc

And click "OK".

You will see all the disks that are currently on your computer. In the example below, there is only a local Disk C, which has all the space allocated. Repeat exactly as directed to create new volumes.

Click on the hard drive with the right mouse button.

In the list that appears, select the line "Compress volume".

Wait for some time while the computer calculates how much space is completely free and can be allocated to create a new volume. This may take from a few minutes to ten.

After the calculation, you will see such a window. The line "Available space for compression" will list the maximum number of megabytes that you can remove from this volume. Simply put, you will compress the existing space on Disk C and leave it to create a new volume.
Enter in the line “Size of compressible space” the amount of MB by which you reduce Disk C.

Now two bars of different colors will appear on the screen, blue is the amount of memory allocated for Drive C, and black is empty space for the rest of the drives.

Right-click on the partition with black empty space, select the line "Create a simple volume".

Wait until the Create Simple Volume Wizard appears on the screen. Click next.

The space of all unallocated memory will be indicated at the top, and at the bottom you need to specify how much of it you want to allocate for the new disk. You can take all the memory completely or leave some of it on other disks.

Assign a drive letter to your drive and click Next. You can choose almost any letter from the list that opens with the arrow.

The volume can now be formatted. It is recommended that you do this every time you create a new drive. Check the box "Format this volume as follows" and select the NTFS format. Check out quick format.

Why is it necessary to partition a hard drive in Windows? First of all, for the security of your personal data. When a hard disk has only one partition, then all the files that are on this disk: programs, documents, photos, files of the Windows OS itself - are stored in one place.

Now imagine that the system crashes. All your personal files (photos, documents) will most likely be lost. It is much more correct when system files and user files are stored separately from each other.

Physically, they will still remain on the same hard drive, but will be on different partitions. There may be several sections. One, as a rule, is assigned to the operating system and programs (system partition), the other (or others) - to the user's files.

One of the easiest and most affordable ways is to partition your hard drive when installing Windows. How to do this, we have analyzed in great detail and using a specific example in. What to do if the system is already installed and there are user files in it, how to partition the disk in such cases?

How to partition a disk with an installed Windows system without losing data

Today we will analyze how to divide a hard drive into two or more partitions with an already installed OS. It doesn't matter what edition of Windows you are using. This method will be relevant for any version, be it Windows 7 or Windows 10. In addition, if you already have two partitions, but you want to create a third one, both methods described below will also work.

In fact, our task is to “pinch off” from a large partition (and in our case this is the only partition - the system drive C) some part, say 200 GB, and make a separate partition out of it.

This can be done in several ways, including using the Windows operating system itself, which has a special Disk Management tool (Disk Management). This method requires a minimum of effort and in most cases solves the problem without third-party software. Let's start with him.

Before proceeding with partitioning a hard drive with Windows installed, you need to take some precautions. If there are important files in the system, copy them to external media (flash drive, external hard drive) in advance.

How to divide a hard drive into two or more partitions? Method 1 - Windows system tools

Let's use the Disk Management tool. In Windows 10, just right-click on the icon My computer, select item Control - Disk Management.

In other versions of Windows, this tool can be found using a regular search or using a hotkey combination Win+R, and enter the diskmgmt.msc command.

Before us is the Disk Management window, which displays the user's disk, which in this case has a size of 465.76 GB (Disk 0). Almost all HDD space is allocated to one partition - Disk C. There is also a partition (500 MB), which is reserved by the operating system at the stage of its installation.

In our case, 465 GB (the entire hard drive) for one system disk is not an affordable luxury, so we will “pinch off” the maximum possible (as the system allows) number of GB from it and make a new partition out of this free space.

As a rule, about 100-150 GB are allocated for the system disk. It all depends on the specific user. 100 GB is enough if Windows and the most necessary software are installed on the system disk. If, in addition to the system and software, it is planned to install modern games, then the size of 100 GB will not be enough.

Before performing any operation with a specific hard disk partition, do not forget to select it. It is enough to click on it with the left mouse button and the section will be selected. Only then proceed to the operation.

Let's move on to practice. Select the partition from which you want to "pin off" the space. On the selected section, right-click and select the command Shrink Volume.

All sizes are in megabytes, be careful. In a specific example, the maximum amount of MB that the system "allows" to compress is 237.656 MB (232.09 GB). This means that after compression, we will get Disk C with a size of 232 GB and Disk D - 238782 MB (233 GB). Not the best option. If it does not suit you, and you need to “pinch off” more than the system offers, then you will have to use third-party software, but more on that later.

When all calculations are completed, and the sizes of future sections are set, click OK(or click Enter). We have a new unrecognized partition (200 GB). Do not rush to exit Disk Management. The procedure for dividing the disk into two partitions has not yet ended. Select a new partition (200 GB), and right-click, select the item Create a simple volume.

run Create Simple Volume Wizard. In principle, everything is simple, just follow the instructions of the master himself. Check out the screenshots. You are required to give the future partition a letter (in my case it is D) and the file system - NFTS.

Let's see what happened. We have one hard drive and divided it into two partitions: the system Disk C (265 GB) and the New Volume D (200 GB) for storing personal data. By the way, the new volume is now displayed in Windows Explorer as well.

Now you know how to partition a hard drive into two or more partitions using Windows. If this method suits you, and it coped with your task, then you can stop there. However, if you are looking for a better option, and, for example, you need to “pinch off” a larger size than the system itself offers, we use third-party software. True, first we need to return the original state of the hard drive.

Let's delete the created partition and return it to the system disk. We allocate New volume and right click the item Delete volume.

Read the warning and click OK. We get 200 GB, which are not distributed.

We carefully check all the numbers and click Further.

We have returned to the original state, when the system has one hard drive and it is almost completely reserved for one partition (system).

How to divide a hard drive into two or more partitions? Method 2 - Partition Master Free

It's time to switch to third-party software. Here the choice is great. There are paid and free options. I recommend staying at . Why? Time-tested, intuitive interface, free. Unlike the Disk Management tool that Windows offers, Partition Master allows you to shrink a disk partition for as long as it is physically possible.

The official website of the program is www.partition-tool.com. Go to the site, and select the section Products - Partition Master Free - in the top menu - Download.

Since the program is free, it will prompt you to install additional unwanted programs during its installation. Many free products work great and do their job perfectly, but since they are free, developers try to somehow make money on them. Be careful and uncheck the checkboxes with the offer of promotional products in time.

1. We start the installation of the downloaded program. Choose a language English and press OK.

2. In the next window, we agree that we will use this software only for our family, check the box and click OK.

3. In the next window (at our discretion), we leave only one checkmark - Create a desktop icon(create an icon on the desktop) and click NEXT.

Installing Partition Master Free in screenshots. Click

5. In the next window, enter your Name and Email. You can enter fictitious data.

6. After installation, click Finish.

The program should start. The interface is completely in English, but it is quite simple and with the help of this instruction it will not be difficult to partition a disk in Partition Master Free.

The main window of the program displays Disk C, which you want to split. Its main information is also presented here: file system (NFTS), size - actual (465.27 GB) and used (17.10 GB). Pay attention to the graphic disk scale, which is located at the bottom of the window. You can work and execute commands using both options. With a graphical scale to make it a little easier and clearer.

Select the section (left click) that you want to split (from which you want to pinch off a place), and in the drop-down list of commands, select the item (Resize).

In the window that appears, grab and move the special slider. It is responsible for the size of the future partition being set. We indicate how many GB we need to pinch off. In this case, 322.242 MB (or 314.69 GB) is selected for the new partition.

Pay attention to the bottom of the window. While moving the slider, you see in real time how your C Drive will change after compression, and how much will be allocated for the new partition.

I set the size of the new partition to 314 GB, and the size of Drive C will become 150 GB. After that we press OK.

An unrecognized partition appeared (314 GB). Now we need to make a partition out of this unrecognized space.

We click on it with the mouse and select the command (Create section) in the drop-down menu.

In a new window, I am prompted to enter a partition label, give it a name (Partition Label). Let's say I call it Multimedia. Next, you need to specify the partition letter (Drive Letter). Don't forget the item Optimizefor SSD, but only if you have an SSD drive. If you are using a regular hard drive, then this item is not checked. File system (File Systems) - NFTS. click OK.

Let's see what happened. System Drive C under which we took about 150 GB and a partition for storing files (Multimedia). This is not the final result yet, but rather a sketch. For the program to perform all operations, you need to click on the button apply in the top menu.

A pop-up window will appear containing information about the operations that will now be performed. Click YES and the program will start executing them. The computer will restart and start in download mode. Wait for the end of the operation.

After the end of the process, a window will appear with information that the two operations were successfully completed. If you open the explorer, you can see the created new partition.

Now system files and user files will be stored separately. The assigned task has been completed. As you can see, both methods described are working and allow you to partition the disk without losing data. Which one to choose - everyone decides for himself. I hope this article was useful and helped you finally understand this issue.

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After purchasing a computer or during the installation of the operating system, users can partition the hard disk into several partitions or leave it unchanged.

Thanks to this, you can conveniently sort all the information and files without the risk of losing them in the event of a virus attack or operating system failure.

Next, we will look at how to divide a hard drive (HDD or SSD) into several partitions using built-in and third-party Windows tools.

Additionally, we will figure out how to do this on MAC OS X and Linux (using Ubuntu as an example).

Why partition a hard drive?

Read also:TOP 15 Windows disk defragmentation software: choose the best utility

After you managed to split the disk into two or more, then during the installation of Windows of any version you will be prompted to select the system partition on which the operating system will be installed.

By selecting the desired Windows will prompt you to select one of the available file system formats.:

• FAT is one of the first, and therefore obsolete. It is worth choosing only if you plan to work with earlier versions of Windows (95, 98, etc.). In this way, various application compatibility issues can be avoided. It has a lower file copying speed and does not allow you to work with files larger than 4 GB.
• NTFS is a modern file system format. There may be compatibility issues when working with Windows 9.x (if the format is selected for the system drive). Differs in faster work and reliability. Allows you to work with files of any size, without any restrictions.

If you wish, you can format each of the partitions with different file systems in order to evaluate the quality and speed of their work.

During the installation of Windows 7, 8, 10

Read also: TOP 3 Easy Ways to Clear RAM on a Computer or Laptop Running Windows 7/10

Easiest split the disk during the installation of the operating system. Then you do not have to copy the necessary files, free up space.

The method is suitable for partitioning a disk during installation of 7, 8 and 10 versions of Windows.

1 Insert a CD or bootable USB flash drive with an image of the operating system, restart the computer and wait for the Windows installation wizard to appear.

3 Buttons for creating and deleting partitions will become available. Before partitioning the hard drive, you need to get rid of the old volumes. Therefore, first click on the extra sections on the screen and click "Delete". If you see only one, then you do not need to delete anything. As soon as the extra partitions are erased, you can start splitting.

Deleting a partition will erase all information stored on it. Therefore, before doing this, make sure that you have copied all the necessary information from it.

4 If you did everything correctly, then on the screen in the list of available drives there will be one available line "Unallocated space" click on it and from below, in the toolbar, select "Create" and in the field that opens, enter the desired partition for the new volume in MB. After that click "Apply".

5 In the same way, create the desired number of new partitions.

After that, do not forget to specify the drive on which the operating system will be installed and click "Next".

As soon as the program completes its work, opening "My Computer" you will see the partitions created.

During the installation of Windows XP

Read also: Windows Boot Errors (XP/7/8/10): Understanding the Most Common

Despite the fact that Microsoft has officially stopped supporting XP and releasing updates for it, many people continue to use this version of the operating system.

Partitioning a disk during XP installation is slightly different from the way for seven or ten.

1 Before partitioning a hard disk on Windows XP, you will have to delete existing partitions. To do this, select an unnecessary volume using the arrows on the keyboard, and then press the "D" button. Confirm the action by pressing the "Enter" key.

2 After that, a line will appear "Unallocated area". From this disk space we will create the necessary partitions. To do this, press "C" on the keyboard, and then "Enter".

3 A new window will appear where you can enter the desired disk size in MB (the maximum and minimum available are indicated by the line above). Confirm the action by pressing the "Enter" key.

In a similar way, create the required number of partitions, then continue and complete the installation of the operating system.

Partition disk via command line

Since you can divide Windows 7 into 2 disks using system tools, it is most logical to use them without resorting to third-party software.

Although it also has its advantages (about them in another section of the article).

To start it "Disk Management"(it is through this program that we will do everything) right-click on the "My Computer" icon, and then select "Manage" in the context menu.

If for some reason this does not work, then use another method. open "Control Panel"- "Administration"(easy to find via the search form).

Find and open in the list "Computer Management". Then select from the menu on the left "Memory Devices" - "Disk Management".

After opening the utility, you will see a list of available volumes, their location, type and file system used. You need to divide only those where the letter is indicated (C, D, E, etc.).

Volume "Reserved by the system" it will not be possible to break it into parts, tk. it is hidden and is needed solely to store the files needed to boot the operating system.

Using the utility, you can:

• split HDD or SSD into two or more partitions;
• delete an unnecessary volume and give its memory to another;
• change (reduce, increase) the size of existing volumes;
• rename sections, etc.

To immediately launch the program for editing drives, open the Run utility (shortcut keys "Windows + R") and enter "diskmgmt.msc" (without quotes) and then click on the "OK" or "Enter" button.

Divide the disk into two

Before proceeding with the division of the volume (in our case, this is drive C), it is necessary to compress it. To do this, select it in the list, and then right-click on it and select Shrink Volume.

The program will start analyzing the space available for compression, after which it will prompt you to manually enter the size in MB that will be allocated for the new volume.

Enter this information as carefully as possible. If you enter incorrect information the first time, it will be much more difficult to repeat this operation in order to correct it.

If you are dividing the system disk (on which Windows is installed), then try to leave at least 60 GB on it. For comfortable operation of the computer, there should always be free space on it (10-20% of the total capacity).

Once you decide on the size, click on the "Compress" button and wait for the operation to complete. After that, “Unallocated space” will appear opposite the selected one, just what we just selected.

Create a new volume

• Having decided on the size, click "Next", after which the utility will prompt you to select a letter for the new drive (only those available for selection will be in the drop-down list). Here you can also mount the volume as an empty NTFS folder.
• Next, you will be asked to format the future drive using one of the file systems available for selection. We recommend choosing NTFS, and leave the rest as default. Despite the terrible threat that all information will be deleted from the partition, feel free to agree and start formatting (after all, we are creating a new partition with nothing on it).

After that, the Create Simple Volume Wizard will complete its work and display brief information regarding the new disk.

Now, after opening "My Computer", you will see the partition you just created, which can be used to install programs, store files.

Using third party software

Read also:The computer does not see the hard drive - what to do?

In some versions of Windows, the system utility for creating new volumes may work a little differently.

Therefore, you have to use third-party software that supports working with HDD and SSD.

In addition, unofficial programs have a more understandable and “friendly” interface, making it easier for unprepared users to work with sections.

Today we will look at how to partition a Windows 10 disk using the completely free and Russified AOMEI Partition Assistant program.

You can find and download it from the official website of the developer.

• Run the program. In the window that opens, you will see a list of disks, partitions, volumes available for work and their brief description (including removable hard drives).
• Right-click on the disk you plan to partition and select from the context menu "Partition Split".
• A new window will open, where in the "New size" field you will need to specify the capacity of the future drive (should not exceed the volume from the "Original size" field). Enter the information and click "OK" to proceed to the next step.

After that, the program may display an inscription that the disk was successfully partitioned. But it is not so. In order for all the changes made to take effect, you must additionally click on the button "Apply". The utility will warn you that in order to save the data, you will need to restart your computer, after which the operation will be successfully completed.

This method is much faster and easier than using system tools. the program automatically reserves the required space and compresses the volume.

The default file system is NTFS, so if you want to format a future disk in FAT 32, then at the stage Section division you need to click on the button Advanced settings then specify the desired parameters.