How to split the system into several disks. How to partition a hard drive

There are times when when buying a computer or laptop, there is only one system disk"C". I think everyone knows that having one partition is bad. After all, after reinstalling the operating system, all your files and documents will be permanently deleted. Therefore, it is necessary to have at least two sections C and D. The first one will contain operating system with everyone necessary programs, and on the second are personal files (music, video, photos, etc.). To do this you need to divide hard drive. So the question arises - How to partition a hard drive yourself in the Windows 7 operating system? At the same time, so that the files located on the hard drive are not damaged. Most easy way - split hard drive using your own Windows tools 7. And we will consider this method today.

How to partition a hard drive in Windows 7

Find the "Disk Management" item and click on it.

Below you can see that I have 3 hard drives, and one of them (Disk 0) is already split into two partitions.

Disks numbered 1 and 2 are not broken.

Using Disk 2 as an example, I will show you step by step how to partition a hard drive. It is not empty, it contains the operating system and various files. In your case, it will not be Disk 2, but Disk 0, since I have three hard drives installed in my computer.

So, we divide Disk 2 into two partitions - to do this, right-click on Disk 2 and select “Shrink Volume”.

There is a request for space for compression.

And in the window we see the available space for compression - 222361 MB.

Now we need to indicate how much we will compress the volume. If I didn’t touch anything here and click “Compress”, then the size of the volume with the OS would become small, that is, about 15 GB. This is naturally very small, so be careful.

It is clear that a lot depends on the overall size of your hard drive, but I would advise setting the size of the future partition C to at least 60 Gigabytes (I usually set it to 80-100 GB).

IN in this case, I will try to divide the hard drive into two equal partitions. I will set the size of the compressed space to 115,361 MB, this is exactly the partition that will be empty. And now we observe that the total size after compression has changed to the number 123,112 MB, that is, 120 GB, this is the system partition on which the operating system with programs is located.

In other words:
- The size of the compressed space is the size of the additional disk;
- The total size after compression is the size of system drive C. For example, you have a hard drive of 1000 MB in size, then you can allocate 100-150 GB to drive C, and the rest (850-900 GB) to the second drive.

After you have decided on the sections, click “Compress”. When the compression process is completed, there will be unallocated space. Now it needs to be converted to a simple volume. To do this, right-click on the unallocated space and select “Create simple volume.”

Then we assign any letter for the future partition (disk). I chose the letter F.

Partitioning a hard drive using Windows 7

Partitioning the C:\ drive in Win7

When purchasing a new computer or laptop with a pre-installed operating system Windows system 7, many users are faced with the problem of dividing their hard drive into several partitions.

Partitioning the hard drive into several partitions is important both from the point of view of ease of use of the system interface and the ability to save data after reinstalling or restoring the operating system.

Main partition C:\

As you know, when you reinstall the operating system, all data located on the C:\ drive is lost, while the data on the remaining partitions of the hard drive remains intact. All important files can be easily used after the system has been restored to functionality.

Partitioning a hard drive is also convenient because programs and applications are installed on the system partition C:\. If the C:\ drive is the only one, then when you add all kinds of files and folders to it, confusion arises between system files and regular folders added by the user. In this case, it’s easy to get confused in the files and inadvertently delete some important system file. Therefore, partitioning the hard drive is necessary.

In order to split a hard drive in Windows 7 into several partitions ( logical drives), many use specialized programs, like Partition Magic and the like. Using such programs, you can split a disk into several partitions. But Windows 7 provides the ability to split it using system utilities. In this case, the need for third party programs ah completely disappears.

To partition a hard drive in Windows 7, you need to go to the computer control panel.

You can do this in two ways:

It is clear that the first method is simpler.

In the “Disk Management” tab you can view all the information on our HDD and its partitions. In addition to the main partition C:\, there is a possibility of finding hidden section recovery.

Main partition C:\ and hidden recovery partition

The recovery partition is used to store information to restore the operating system in the event of a serious failure when the system does not boot. It is not indicated by a letter. It is worth noting that the amount of memory occupied by recovery files can reach several gigabytes (usually about 15GB). Also, in addition to it, there is a section on the disk System Reserved , volume 100 megabytes. These sections are official, since they are not used by the user in any way and serve for normal functioning operating systems.

So, let's turn our attention to the C:\ drive, which is to be divided into sections - additional logical drives.

In order to split it, right-click on the conventional image of the disk. In the drop-down menu, select “ Shrink Volume…”.

Item "Compress volume..."

After the request is completed, a window will appear in which the compression parameters will be indicated. If the disk has not been partitioned before, then by default the utility will offer to split it approximately in half. If the HDD initially had a memory capacity of, for example, 1.8 Terabytes, then after division two sections are formed with a capacity of approximately 900 Gigabytes each.

The window that appears indicates the size of the C:\ volume before compression (in megabytes) and the size of the compressed space. The size of the compressed space is the amount of memory of the new partition that will be created. The total size after compression is the size of the C:\ volume after compression. It will be slightly larger than the newly created one. As already mentioned, the system will offer to split available memory approximately in half.

If you have the desire and confidence in your abilities, you can indicate your numbers and divide the disk according to your needs. In any case, it will be possible to carry out the reverse procedure - volume expansion and return everything to its previous state.

After familiarizing yourself with the separation parameters, click the “Compress” button. After a short process, another partition with the inscription “Unallocated” will appear on the HDD.

The item "Create a simple volume..."

Launch the “Creation Wizard” simple volume" Click “Next”. The “Specify volume size” window will appear – click “Next” again. In the next window, select the letter of the new volume in the “ Assign a drive letter" You can choose any letter you like.

Assigning a letter for the new partition

Confirm your choice and indicate in a new window file system. In paragraph “ Format this volume as follows:” specify the file system NTFS , leave the cluster size at default. Put a tick in the checkbox “ Quick formatting ” and click “Next”. A window will appear with all given parameters. If everything is correct, then click the “Done” button.

If you are not satisfied with the default parameters set by the system, then, of course, you can set your own. But in most cases this is not required.

A few seconds later a new one HDD partition will be formatted, it will be given a letter and in the field symbol The message “Good (Logical Disk)” will appear. Now the C:\ drive will be divided into two.

New HDD partition - New volume(E:)

If desired, you can change the name of the new section, and instead of “ New volume”, give another. You can do this in several ways:

1 .In the computer control panel in the disk management window, select the one whose name we want to change. Right-click and select " Properties". In the name field, enter a new name and confirm by clicking OK.

If you have installed in your system instead of HDD solid state drive(SSD), then the separation technique is similar.

So you are faced with the question of how to partition your hard drive. The reasons may be different, for example, you purchased new HDD to increase permanent memory existing computer or bought new laptop, but without preinstalled system, and you have to install it yourself Windows shell, or you simply do not have enough space on the system disk partition for newly installed programs.

Basic ways to divide hard drive space

Regardless of the reasons that prompted you, you want to partition your hard drive yourself, but have little idea how this is done in practice. This is where we will try to help you by telling you not only about the basic ways to properly partition a hard drive, but also pointing out certain nuances and difficulties that you may encounter during this difficult work.

Let's look at how to divide a hard drive of any type (HDD or SSD) in three ways, namely using:

• standard utilities running installed Windows on your computer;
• special programs for working with various information storage devices;
• Windows PE boot shell.

So, let's get started and try to follow the sequence of actions exactly, otherwise, this may lead to either repeating operations for a new drive, or losing important data when working with existing storage media.

Partitioning a disk using a standard Windows utility

This method of working with drives is not very complicated and, most importantly, does not require third-party programs. It is suitable for partitioning both the main "C" drive and for partitioning external HDD into sections. This utility for working with storage media is available in all versions from Windows XP to Windows 10.

So for direct work With hard drives needs to be opened standard utility Windows shell, and it can be called to the desktop in two ways:

In the window that opens " Disk management» should be reflected all connected in at the moment information storage devices, including flash memory, to your computer.

Move the mouse cursor over the desired section and right-click the context menu to of this disk. And here, depending on what we want to do, we decide on the team we need in the future.

Divide the disk into two

If this is one main drive “C”, then this is an easy way to divide the hard drive into two and with one hundred percent certainty not to lose system information. To do this, perform the following steps:

That's it, the main disk is divided into two partitions.

Partitioning the disk

But how to divide a hard drive into partitions, in the case of a new, just purchased drive, working with this standard utility, is also not difficult, but the algorithm of actions will be slightly changed. The sequence of actions will be as follows:

It's worth remembering here that disk system MBR allows you to create no more than 4 partitions on one hard drive.

Working with disks using special utility programs

The following universal software utilities for working with various information storage devices have found the greatest popularity among users, namely:

• Acronis Disk Suite;
• Paragon Partition Manager Professional;
• AOMEI Partition Assistant Technician Edition.

These utilities are specially adapted to perform almost all basic operations with HDD, SSD and other storage media. They have a fairly clear interface designed to work with both specialists and ordinary users.

Split the disk into partitions using these universal utilities Let's look at an example program AOMEI Partition Assistant, which can be installed on your computer like standard application, or use it from portable mode.

And also for comparison, we will show the operation of the utility in two modes when dividing the main disk into two and partitioning new hard disk into several partitions.

We open the program and see a window with extensive information on all connected storage media and their sections.

Divide by two

Algorithm for separating the main hard drive"C" consists of a set of sequential commands:

After the reboot, having completed all the operations, the system will boot, but with the main disk divided into two parts.

Dividing a new disk

Typically, the new HDD will represent unallocated space and will only be visible in the program window.

First, be sure to clearly indicate the disk with which we will work by hovering the mouse cursor and obtaining the corresponding color gradation of the position. But if you make a mistake, you can lose everything important information on a randomly selected existing storage medium.

The algorithm for working with other universal programs for resizing various storage media is very similar to the example above. The only significant difference will be the program interface and menu layout.

Partitioning the main disk using the Windows PE boot shell

If you decide to install a new operating system or completely update the old one, and the existing partition sizes of the main HDD do not suit you or do not respond necessary requirements, then it is better and easier to reformat by logging into the computer from a special simplified shell.

If desired different versions can be downloaded from the Internet, and they are freely available there and are equipped with a set of all necessary portable programs for working not only with storage media, but also have a whole range of different useful utilities. For example, you can take the distribution kit from the site https://diakov.net/8305-adminpe-30.html, which does not require additional registration from the user.

Having loaded onto a USB or CD/DVD media, we boot the system using the key to call up the menu, in which there is a choice of boot device. Typically this is function key F11, after pressing which, we select our media.

After loading the portable desktop, a desktop will appear that almost completely replicates the familiar Windows shell, but with pre-installed software modules.

Opening universal program to work with various information storage devices and work according to the previously given example in background and without unnecessary reboots.

The main advantage of the shell is that software modules are in no way connected with hard drives, which allows you to perform all possible operations to reformat them using any possible way without any restrictions.

Conclusion

In this article we learned how to partition a disk on a PC or laptop. in different ways. Examples were considered: how to divide a hard drive into 2 parts, and how to create partitions on a hard drive. In similar ways you can break external hard disk. Just connect it to your computer and do the same steps.

Video on the topic

We are used to using conditional on our computer separation of hard disk into two partitions: C and D, respectively. The system is installed on the first, and the user data is stored on the second. This is done so that when next installation We could perform a clean installation of Windows and format the partition without losing user data. The article will discuss the question: how to partition a disk on Windows 10 and all the nuances associated with it.

Very often there is a need not just to divide physical disk to logical ones, and changing the size of existing parts - this will also be discussed below. It should be noted that it is possible to achieve a positive result using the system itself, but this will not be as easy as, for example, when using a third-party software. For completeness, we will describe both methods.

The first option that we will talk about today is an already working system in which there is a need to split the disk into 2 partitions. You can complete the task without using third-party software. Let's get started.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Disk Management.

You can launch the same tool in another way: simultaneously press two Win + R keys and enter the command diskmgmt.msc in the window that opens, and then click the “OK” button.

The upper part of the window displays a list of all disks and their partitions installed in the PC or laptop. Here you can see the file system type, size and status. In this case, physical disks are designated by numbers, and logical disks by the letters we are familiar with.

A partition map appears at the bottom of Disk Management. Thanks to rectangles, we can roughly estimate the ratio of partition sizes. In our case, we can see that the system partition is 500 MB in size, drive C is approximately 68 GB, and the user partition D takes up the rest of the space.

You cannot make any changes to drives that are missing letters. Most often this reserved by the system areas that contain system or boot files. If you edit such a section, the system may become damaged or even permanently fail.

1. We continue our instructions. In order to partition a disk, you first need to determine free space. To do this, we compress the disk that needs to be divided. In our case, this is user section D. Right-click on it and select “Compress”.

1. A small window will open in which we need to indicate how much the partition should be compressed. The space here is measured in megabytes, so we write 10,000 MB, which corresponds to 10 GB, and click “Compress”.

1. The volume is being compressed. There is no progress bar here - we do not see how much is left until the operation is completed. The fact that the process is underway is indicated only by a circle of waiting. On our computer the compression took about 3 minutes.

1. Now you can create new section. Share Windows 10 system disk regular means is not possible, so we will create additional section. How to increase the system volume will be discussed below. So, right-click on the unallocated space and select “Create simple volume”.

1. In the volume creation wizard that appears, click “Next”.

1. Specify the size that the new partition will receive and click “Next”. We will use all the space.

1. The system will offer us a letter for the future volume - we agree and click “Next”.

1. In the next step, you need to select the partition file system (we will use NTFS) and specify the volume name (it will be displayed in Explorer). When required settings will be entered, click on “Next”.

This completes the volume setup. All we have to do is press the button labeled “Done”.

There is no need to squeeze the shrinkable disk to its limit. If you do not leave space on it, the section will not be able to fully function. It will not be possible to defragment, and the speed of the volume will drop critically, which will affect the performance of the entire system.

How to partition a disk during system installation

You can divide a physical disk into partitions by clean install Windows 10. But here you will have to lose all your data. This option is suitable for those who bought new computer or a laptop and wants to install an OS on it, or for those who have securely stored their files in another location. One way or another, let's proceed to the instructions for partitioning disks when installing the system.

1. The process itself Windows installations 10 is discussed in detail on our website. We are specifically interested in the moment of working with disks. Once the installation reaches the desired stage, you will see the following window.

1. Let's say we need to increase the size of the first partition and reduce the second. Our disks are called “2” and “3”, you may have other names. All of them are located on physical device"0". Let's start partitioning the disk. Initially, you need to delete both partitions. To do this, select each of them in turn and click “Delete”.

1. As a result, we should end up with unallocated space. Select it and click on the “Create” button.

1. Specify the size of the new one logical drive and click “Apply”. We installed 40,000 MB, which is equal to 40 GB. You have the right to choose the volume you need - the figure given is only an example. For normal Windows operation 10 must be allocated from 80 GB and above.

1. The system will warn us that for proper operation you need to create an additional partition. It will store drivers and other important components Windows. We agree and click “OK”.

1. As a result, we received one system partition with a size of 500 MB, a disk for the system with the size that we specified (we have 40 GB), and unallocated space. This is what we will use to create a section for user data. Select free space and click on “Create”.

1. Click the “Apply” button, thereby taking away all the remaining space for drive D.

1. All that remains is to format the disks. We'll show you how to do this in the first section, and you'll do the same with the rest. Select the volume and click on “Format”.

1. Windows will warn us that all data on the partition will be permanently deleted. Click “OK” to start the formatting process.

After a few seconds, the process will be completed and the drives will be formatted. Now you can proceed to installing the system. To do this, simply select the system drive (on which you planned to install the OS) and click the “Next” button.

We use third-party software

In addition to the standard system tools for disk partitioning, there are many third-party utilities that offer better functionality and ease of use. We have selected 3 leading programs and will describe in detail the sequence of actions with each of them.

Minitool Partition Wizard Free

This convenient application to work with sections of hard disk. Everything is supported here too standard operations: expansion, division, creation and deletion. There is a step-by-step wizard that will not let beginners get confused in the process.

You can download the utility. After the file is downloaded, proceed to the instructions for its use.

1. Installing the utility is quite simple - first you need to accept the license.

1. Select the directory in which our application will be installed and click “Next”.

1. The program is being installed. When it is completed, all we have to do is click the “Finish” button.

Once the utility is installed, you can proceed to use it. Launch the program and follow the instructions.

1. In the window that opens, click on the rectangle, which we have outlined with a red frame.

1. Right-click on the desired drive and select the item that we indicated in the screenshot with the number “2”.

1. Using the slider, change the size of the disk to the value by which it will be reduced. The rest will be cut off from the disk and will serve as a place to create a second partition.

1. Click on the result free space right-click our mouse and select “Create”.

1. Since we are going to create a new volume with the size of all the free space, we don’t change anything in the next window and just click “OK”.

1. Apply the changes using the button indicated in the screenshot.

1. Since we are working with drive D, a reboot is not needed. If the actions were carried out over system partition, Windows would reboot.

As a result, the changes were applied and our disk was divided into parts of the size that we specified during the setup process. You can also merge disks in the same way.

Acronic Disk Director

This is a professional tool that can be downloaded on the program’s official website. The application is paid, but there is also a demo version. Let's look at the process of working with Acronic Disk Director:

1. First, let's install the program. There is nothing complicated here. Once the file is downloaded, run it. Click on the entry indicated in the screenshot.

1. We accept license agreement, checking the box in the desired position, and click “Next”.

1. Select the directory in which the installation will be carried out.

1. We wait until all files are copied.

1. After the application starts, click on the name the desired disk right-click and select “Split Volume”.

1. Use the slider to change the size of the two new partitions, and click “OK” when finished.

1. Now you need to apply the changes. To do this, click the button that we have highlighted in the figure with a red frame.

As a result, our changes will be applied and the section will be cut into two parts in accordance with the parameters we have specified. If you are working with a system volume, a reboot will be required.

Aomei Partition Assistant

A simple program for working with hard drive partitions. A number of functions are supported, such as: deleting disks, formatting them, shrinking and enlarging, moving, hiding and creating. This is not a complete list of the application's capabilities.

Aomei Partition Assistant is very easy to use. All the procedures that you will carry out with its help are like a step-by-step wizard, and we will also describe the process in detail using the example of disk partitioning in Windows 10. You can download the program from the official website.

Instructions for working with Aomei Partition Assistant:

1. After installation distribution has been downloaded (the program is free), run it and first of all select the language in which the interface will be displayed. Russian is present and this makes working with the application much easier.

1. Select the path for installation (the “Browse” key) and press the button marked “2” in the screenshot.

1. We are waiting for the installation of the program to complete. It took us about 1 minute.

1. Now you can proceed to use. Click the button marked in the picture.

1. In the program window, select the disk that you want to partition, right-click on it, and then “Resize partition.”

1. Using the slider or entering a value, set new size, then click on “OK”.

1. Right-click on the unallocated space that appears and select context menu"Create a section" item.

1. We confirm the size, letter of the future disk and its file system. When finished, click “OK”.

1. For the changes to take effect, click the “Apply” button.

The operation will take place in the so-called PreOS mode. Simply put, at the moment when Windows 10 has not yet fully loaded, our program will begin its work of partitioning the disk.

All that remains is to confirm the procedure - click “Yes”.

After the computer has rebooted, we see a new partition in the disk editor with the size we specified. The system drive C has become smaller. The procedure was completed correctly.

Instead of an afterword

In the article we looked at the question: how to partition a Windows 10 disk. We did this in several ways, using the operating system itself and third party utilities. If after reading the material you still have questions, read or ask them in the comments, and we, in turn, will try to give an intelligible answer as quickly as possible.

Dear friends, today I want to tell you how break hard windows disk 7 into sections without formatting it. Everyone clicked on the computer icon and saw that there were hard drives"C" and "D", I won't dwell on removable media. The standard situation is when on drive “C” we have, and on drive “D”, those who take care of their documents, we store photos, videos, films, music files and of course we install it there various programs and games. Those who installed the operating system on their computer themselves, during installation saw that you were asked to format the hard drive and setting hard disk, that is .

It would seem then that there is nothing complicated, formatted “C”, you want to split it into sections, but you want to install the whole system. But this is “C”, but what about “D”? You can’t create a partition without formatting, but I’m not going to format it either, I have data collected on it for almost a whole year.

Why did he give up this section anyway? I started looking on the Internet for information on how I could split the “D” drive without losing data. There are a lot of articles - format and break them up. Or split without formatting using this, this, and this program. In general, everything is as usual.

I won’t burden you with unnecessary information, but will describe it in detail, with pictures. how to partition windows 7 hard drive into sections without formatting it.

Go to the “Start” menu and enter “Computer Management” in the search bar. Select the “Computer Management” tab. A window will open in which you need to click on “Disk Management”.

In the window that opens, right-click on the disk you want to partition. In the window that pops up, click on the line “Compress volume”.

Scanning of free space will begin.

A window with settings will open, that is, you will see how much maximum space you can take from the disk (most likely “D”; you won’t be compressing the volume on drive “C”, where the operating system is located) for the disk you are creating. Feel free to exhibit maximum value(without going beyond the limits suggested to you), if compression is not possible, then reduce the volume for compressing the partition. Do not be afraid - on the partitioned disk, in addition to your files, after these actions there will also be a lot of free space. Click the “Compress” button.

You will see that there is free space. Right-click on it in the “Create Simple Volume” window that opens. The “Create Simple Volume Wizard” will open. Click “Next”.

Here set the maximum value suggested to you that you have chosen. Click "Next".

Here you will be asked to assign a drive letter. Select the partition letter and click Next.

After selecting a letter, you need to format the created partition. The “Master...” will do all this himself. All that remains is to click “Finish”.

Reboot the computer. All! You have a new partition (new volume). . If you do not like the name of the partition you created - “New Volume”, then right-click on it and click “Rename”. Just remove the “New Volume” label. The computer will then call it “ Local disk» adding the letter you assigned.

Well, that's all, now you know how to partition windows 7 hard drive easy and simple. Good luck everyone!!!