Program for separation. Hard drive partitioning program: Windows tools and third-party utilities

Sometimes there comes a time when the user is not satisfied with the volume of logical partitions on the hard drive. Of course, the easiest way is to resize the hard drive during the installation of Windows, but it is not always possible to reinstall the operating system. A hard drive partitioning program will help with this. There are various software that allow you to change the structure of your hard drive without losing data or reinstalling the OS. Let's look at the most popular programs for partitioning a hard drive and the built-in Windows application "".

If you need to perform simple actions to change the disk structure, then the standard Windows tool will be quite sufficient. In Windows 7 and 8, a similar utility can be accessed by following these steps: right-click on “My Computer,” select “Manage,” and then “Disk Management.” Then a program window will open.

To make changes to the structure, you need to open the context menu by right-clicking. In the list that appears, you need to use the following functions:

1. Shrink volume. This operation shrinks an existing partition to create more memory for another partition.
2. Expand volume. Using this function, you can increase the performance of a disk partition. It is important that there is unallocated disk space on the hard drive.
3. Change drive letter. This function allows you to change the drive letter to any free one.

If you need to shrink or expand a volume, you need to select the appropriate operation in the menu and specify the new size in megabytes.

EaseUS Partition Master Home Edition

The EaseUS Partition Master Home Edition utility is a powerful software tool that is used to manage the hard drive in a personal computer. The utility has the following functionality:

1. Checking the hard drive for bad sectors.
2. Hide sections from My Computer.
3. Recovering and deleting data from partitions.
4. Changing partition letters.
5. Changing volume partitions.
6. Removing and creating partitions.

Such software is free for home use and is an excellent tool for managing a hard drive. The utility has no analogues among free software.

The only drawback of the program was the lack of Russian language. So let's look at the controls.

When starting the program, select “Partition Manager”. Then the utility window for dividing the hard disk will open.

Then the required partition on the hard drive is selected. All possible operations are presented in the Operations menu. Let's look at the most important of them:

1. Surfacetest. Checking the hard drive for bad sectors.
2. Deleteallpartitions. Deleting all used partitions.
3. Copydisk. Copying all information from one hard drive to another.
4. Wipepartition. Deletes all files from the specified hard drive partition.
5. formatpartition. Formatting a section.
6. Deletepartition. Deleting a section with all the information on it.
7. Hidepartition. Hiding partitions in the My Computer folder.
8. Changedriveletter. Changing the letter of logical partitions of hard drives.
9. Mergepartitions. The process of merging several sections into a single one. All available information is saved.
10. Copypartition. The process of copying one hard drive partition to another. All data is saved. The operation is effective for creating a backup or before installing the OS.
11. Resize/Movepartition. Resizing hard drive partitions. Move logical volumes within disk space.

Now you can begin the process of changing hard drive partitions. To do this, select the Resize/Movepartition item.

In the window that opens, select the desired volume size in the “PartitionSize” menu and click “OK.” Then in the working window of the utility, select “Apply”. After this, the process of resizing the partition will be shown.

If a resize is made on a non-system partition, the changes will take effect without a reboot. If the partition where Windows is installed changes, you need to reboot.

Paragon Partition Manager

This program will be quite effective for working with hard drive partitions. The utility is free and is an analogue of the previous program. Changes only in the interface.

The application is styled for Windows 8. The main points of the program:

1. DeletePartition. Removing partitions.
2. FormatPartition. Formatting sections.
3. ResizePartitions. Resize existing partitions.
4. CreateNewPartition. Creating a new section.

Let's look at the process of resizing a hard drive. You need to select the “ResizePartitions” item, then click on “Next” twice.

In the window that opens, you need to move the slider to the required location. As an alternative solution, enter the desired volume of the partition in the right or left field, then click “Next” again.

After that, check “Yes, apply the changes physically” and click “Next” again, then “Restart the computer”.

After you click this button, the computer will restart. You should save your documents and close all applications beforehand.

After the reboot, the software will begin resizing the volume. This process approximately takes about 15 minutes. When performing the procedure, it is not recommended to press the keyboard buttons and restart the computer. When the resizing task is completed, the computer will boot as normal.

In this article, we looked at three free programs that can be used to divide a hard drive. For this process, you should not purchase expensive software packages or search for them on torrents.

From time to time, users want to redistribute free space on their hard drive. This happens in cases where, for example, one has already run out of space, while the other still has quite a lot of it. To divide free space without any problems, it is recommended to look at special editing software. In principle, you can try to do all the work using standard Windows tools, but it is better to use software that was developed specifically for these purposes. Although there are many different applications that you can download, we will describe only a few of them that have gained immense popularity.

One of the best is undoubtedly a hard drive partitioning program called Partition Magic. The software boasts many positive qualities and advantages, among which are a convenient and intuitive interface, as well as rich functionality. Its capabilities are very great, it can move information, change, merge, delete, as well as create new sections.

Among other things, the free Partition Magic program is designed to work with all known file systems, including NTFS, FAT and FAT32. You will be able to convert one system to another without losing data. In general, if you need a high-quality and useful one that will quickly cope with any tasks related to working with hard drives, then you should definitely study Partition Magic - you will really like the software.

The performance and ease of use of the system depend on the condition of the hard drive. Cluttered media reduces performance, slows down the system and is more susceptible to errors and failures. Adequate disk management and the use of custom partitions improve its performance, increase comfort and have a positive impact on the security of data and equipment. There are many tools and programs for working with a hard drive. Some of them differ only in graphical interface and price.

Selecting a program for working with hard disk partitions.

GParted is an advanced program for working with hard disk partitions that does not interfere with the operating system. After downloading, the program is offered as an ISO disk image, which must be burned to a CD/DVD. After recording, restart your computer and select to run from CD/DVD. The program allows you to create, delete and resize an existing partition. A big advantage of the program is the ability to change the size of the partition on which the system is installed. The program supports most known file types, including fat16, fat32, ntfs, ext2, ext3 and ext4. Before any operations on partitions, it is recommended to first defragment them and back up the most important files. Resizing partitions can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

How to use the program:

1. Back up your important files!
2. Download the GParted program and burn it to disk.
3. Insert the disc into the drive and restart your computer.
4. When the motherboard manufacturer splash screen appears, press the F8 key (sometimes it can be the F9, F10, F11, F12 key, depending on the manufacturer) and select boot from CD/DVD.
5. Once downloaded, select GParted Live from the list.
6. Click "Don't touch keymap".
7. Select a language (Russian – 24).
8. “Which mode do you prefer?” – 0 and confirm with ENTER.
9. A search will begin for all available hard drives and partitions that have already been created on them. This may take a few minutes.

1. If you need to repartition the disk, first delete any previously created partitions. To do this, delete them one by one (the “Delete” trash can icon). If you don't have any sections yet, skip this step.
2. In the list of partitions, click on the space with unallocated space. Then click on the white sheet icon (“New”).
3. In the window that opens, you need to set the parameters for the new partition: size, partition type (primary, extended or logical) and its file system, partition name. Then confirm adding the section with the “Add” button.
4. After creating the section, confirm the actions by selecting the green “tick” icon. The program will begin creating partitions. This may take a few minutes.
5. The next step is to close the main window and double click on the “Exit” icon.
6. Restart your computer.

After the reboot, the new disk partitions will be ready for use.

One of the most convenient programs for working with disks, EaseUS Partition Master, supports RAID devices. The application is equipped with a Wipe module, thanks to which the user can permanently erase files so that their recovery is impossible (especially useful before selling the hard drive). Each operation requires additional confirmation and comes first in the queue, so the risk of error is minimal. Let's see how to use this program to organize a disk that contains too many or too few partitions:

1. Download the program and run the installation.

IMPORTANT. During installation, do not download additional tools.

1. Once the application is installed, launch partition management to proceed to management.
2. Select the drive you want to format, right-click on it and select the “Erase data” option.
3. Set the number of times to repeat disk cleaning to 1, and click OK.

IMPORTANT. Formatting the drive means that all data will be deleted permanently.

1. The task will be added to the list of pending operations in the window on the left.
2. Next, select the “Create partition” option.
3. Then you need to set up a new partition, select its size, enter a name and select a letter. After entering all the data, click "OK".

You can create multiple partitions on a disk, but remember that if you create a partition on a USB drive, Windows will only be able to read the primary partition.

1. To complete all tasks in the Pending Operations list, simply click Apply Changes.

How to create a new partition:

1. Select the system partition.
2. The Actions panel displays the available functions.
3. If you are using a hard drive, we recommend defragmenting the partition first. Select "Defragment", then click "OK".
4. After defragmentation, select Resize/Move Partition.

In the next window, use the pointer to drag the borders to the left - this will reduce the size of the system disk.

1. If you are performing SSD partitioning operations, check the "Optimize SSD" checkbox.
2. Click "OK" to confirm the operation.
3. In the Apply Changes window, click Yes. A message appears asking you to restart your computer. Click Yes. The disk will be partitioned and the computer will reboot.
4. Launch EaseUS again. Click on the free space and in the Actions panel, select Create Partitions.
5. If it is an SSD, then check the "Optimize SSD" checkbox. Click OK. The unallocated space will be formatted as a new disk.

Merging sections:

1. In EASEUS Partition Master, select the partition on drive C. In the Actions panel, select Merge Partitions.
2. Select the second section, it should be the adjacent section. Select the destination drive from the list. Files from the second partition will be placed in a separate folder. Click OK, then Yes. Sections will be merged.

The program also has a diagnostic module that allows you to search for damaged sectors and manage the structure of the hard drive. An important feature is the pre-splitting before approving changes, which gives the user full control over the planned actions. The rest of the programs in the review work on the same principles as those described above.

One of the best programs for working with a hard drive, supporting hard drives with a capacity of more than 2 TB. Each partition can be archived as a backup, allowing you to restore data after a possible failure. The user can also change the file system from FAT to NTFS, and after each change in the size of the NFTS partition, there is no need to reboot the system. The application is equipped with interesting modules, including a disk map, which shows a graphical view of the partitions on the disk, Disk Surface Test, which offers basic disk diagnostics, and the Partition Surfece Test, which analyzes a specific partition.

Free utility for Windows 7 and later Microsoft operating systems. Created on the Visual Operating System (ViOpSys) environment and runs from a boot CD/DVD when the system starts. Allows you to create new sections, divide, move and delete existing ones and copy their contents. In addition, the user has modules for defragmenting and formatting partitions. The program has low system requirements, so it can be used on older hardware (Pentium-class x86 processor, 32 MB of RAM or 16 MB in text mode).

A powerful and functional disk and partition management tool, equipped with diagnostic and repair modules for working in Windows 10 and earlier versions. In addition to the basic functions of creating, copying and deleting partitions, you can back up and restore data lost due to, for example, a hard drive failure. The application is equipped with a “tomofinder” that allows you to find and restore deleted data. The program supports the most popular file systems, such as FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, EXT2 and EXT3, as well as media with DE, SCSI, SATA interfaces. Allows you to manage virtual storage media and RAID. The built-in diagnostic module allows you to analyze the state of the disk, find and correct any errors (including restoring a damaged MBR).

A program designed to create copies of Windows system partitions. Allows you to quickly clone a partition to a new drive, so you can work on new media without having to go through the operating system installation process. When moving a partition, you can change its size or leave it at its original size. The program supports files in FAT and NTFS, IDE, SATA, SCSII, USB and FIREWIRE interfaces.

An application designed to manage USB storage devices (cards, pendrives, external drives), supporting FAT16, FAT 32 and NTFS file systems. Allows you to create, copy and delete partitions, format memory and create bootable media, for example, with an operating system or another program. The program is equipped with a diagnostic module that checks the performance of the hard drive and the size of the media.

Allows you to analyze disk resources, provides detailed data about files and displays them in graphical form. For example, their size and location. The user can determine what data will be displayed and in what form. The application generates reports from collected data in HTML, ASCII and XML formats.

Conclusion

Thus, we introduced you to the best programs for working with hard drive partitions. You just need to try them and decide which one suits you best. And if after reading this article you still have questions, feel free to ask them in the comments.

We talked about how to create a bootable AOMEI PE Builder Live CD. In this article, I decided to tell you how to partition a hard drive using Windows and the free AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition program.

Why share a hard drive at all? Many laptops and computers are sold with an unbroken hard drive, i.e. exists on disk only one sectionC: for the system and data and additional service sections for programs from laptop manufacturers.

There is a saying: “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” The same is the case with your hard drive in a computer, where your operating system (Windows XP, 7, 8, 10) and your data (documents, photos, music, movies and other data) stored on one partition Your disk. This is not good, because if there is an error on the C: partition (C: drive), all data on this partition is at risk, including your data. Secondly, when reinstalling Windows, if you have only one partition, you need to copy all your data from this partition to another place, which takes considerable time if the volume is large and there is not always an external hard drive or a large flash drive where this data can be copied. And thirdly, it is always convenient to have two or more partitions (disks) for separation systems and data. In this article, I will tell you and show you how to divide your hard drive into two partitions (drive C and drive D). There is no particular difficulty in this, but you need to be careful, as there is a risk of losing data, but there is always a risk of losing in our lives but if you read this article to the end, everything will become clear even to a child. But it will be better if you create a data backup in advance, as I described how to do this. So let's get started...

How to partition a hard drive using meansWindows

Friends, to partition a hard drive using Windows you need to go to “ Computer management" In Windows 8, to do this, right-click in the lower left corner of the screen and select “ Disk management»

In Windows 7, go to the menu “ Start" and right-click on “ Computer" and in the context menu select " Control", then select " Disk management»

The window “ Disk management" We see that the hard drive of our computer (laptop) is divided into partitions. In this case, into two partitions: reserved by the system (350 MB), on which Windows download files are located, and system partition C: (24 GB), on which the Windows system is installed.

Your disk may be divided into three or even four partitions (depending on the laptop model), this does not change the essence, since these partitions are most likely inaccessible to you and are used for utility programs of laptop manufacturers.

We are interested in section C: (marked in red in the photo), we must divide it (split) into two parts (section C: and section D:)

Don’t be surprised that in the photo I have a small hard drive (25 GB), since I am showing the whole process on a virtual machine where a hard drive of this size is installed, while for you all actions will take place on a physical computer or laptop. But this does not change the process of partitioning the hard drive. All pictures are clickable.

Right-click on section C: and select “ Compress volume...»

The system polls the hard disk volume to determine the space for compression

In the next window indicate the size compressible space in MB, that is, we indicate how much we will compress the partition so that we can then allocate this space for a new disk partition and press the button “ Compress" We mean that the size of the compressed space is indicated in MB (megabytes), so if you want, for example, to create a new partition of 250 GB (gigabytes), then multiply this figure by 1024 (in 1 GB - 1024 MB), we get 250 * 1024 = 256000 MB.

We also take into account that the system may not give us so much space, since it is already occupied by data.

And one more thing: standard Windows disk management tools can become stubborn and not give as much space as you “ask” for, although you have it free. This can be caused by a number of reasons, one of which is fragmentation of data on this partition. In this case, you need to use special disk management programs, one of which I describe further in this article. Let's read, don't get distracted :)

After compressing the partition, we see that now we have partition C: it has become smaller and additional unallocated space has appeared...

Now we need to create a partition from this unallocated space; to do this, right-click on it and select “ Create a simple volume...»

The Simple Volume Creation Wizard window appears, in which we click “ Next»

We indicate the size of our volume in MB and click “ Next»

Note:

We assign a letter to our new partition (disk). Click " Next»

Let's format our new section with the option " Quick formatting", click " Next»

We see that the wizard has completed creating the volume (partition) with the parameters that we set at the beginning.. Click the button “ Ready»

We see our two partitions in the disk management window: the reduced partition C: and the new partition E:

Voila! Let's go to " My computer"and we see our created additional disk

This is how you can partition a hard drive using Windows, but this method is not always suitable or does not always work properly, so we will look at another option for managing hard drives, this is the multifunctional and free program AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition. With it we will do the same thing and in addition I will show its other main functions.

How to partition a hard drive with a free program

To install the program AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition, go to the official website of the program: and click “ DownloadFreeware»

Click the button " Download Now»

The program will begin downloading to your computer. After downloading, run this file to install

Installing the program is simple, see the screenshots (pictures are clickable)…

To scroll through the pictures, click " Back" or " Forward»

After installation, run the program AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition

Main program window

We see that the C: partition (C: drive) is large and you can “unfasten” the second partition from it. Usually for drive C: a partition of 60-150 GB is enough, I usually leave 80 GB.

Now what are we going to do. We will shrink the C: drive (change the partition), and use the freed up space for a new partition (D: drive). What do we need for this? This program is both a bubble and attentiveness.

So, right-click on section C: and select “ Resize partition»

Enter a new partition size. To do this, “grab” the right circle of the section with the left mouse button and move it to the left... Or indicate the size of the section in numbers in the field “ Partition size»

About the same as in the photo below. I changed the size of partition C: to 80 GB. Click " OK»

Now in the main program window we see that our disk has unallocated space for a new partition(s). Let's use this 🙂 and create a new partition in this disk space. To do this, right-click on the unallocated space and select “ Creating a section»

We indicate the size of our new partition, the program by default offers all the free space, select the drive letter and click “ OK»

Note: If you want to create more than one partition, then indicate the desired partition less than the recommended maximum, and use the rest of the space for one more partition.

To apply all these actions, you need to click the " Apply»

The window “ Deferred operations", where the program shows what operations it will perform on our hard drive before reaching the final result. If you agree with the actions of the program, click " Go»

The program requires a reboot, agree and click “ Yes»

After rebooting, the program waits 10 seconds. We do not press anything during this time. If you want to cancel, press any key...

Let’s make sure again, go to “ My computer"and rejoice!

Well, did you like the free version of the program? AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition?. I liked it. In addition to the fact that the program can divide disks, I will list a number of its main functions:

• Migration of the operating system to SSD/HDD drives;
• Increase, change, move, merge sections;
• Copying a disk/partition;
• Creating, deleting, formatting partitions;
• Creating a bootable CD;
• MBR recovery;
• Convert from MBR to GPT disk and back without data loss;
• Partition recovery;
• Disk surface testing;
• Aligning partitions and speeding up disks, especially SSD disks;
• Converting the FAT/FAT32 file system to NTFS

The program supports all types of storage devices: HDD/SSD hard drives with MBR/GPT disk partition styles, RAID arrays, flash drives.

Here is my video on how to partition a hard drive using the free program AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition

Competition “Like - get a key”!

Friends, there is paid version programs, . In the paid version of the program, in addition to the standard functions described above, additional functions are available:

• Converting a partition from primary to logical and vice versa;
• Distributing free space from a partition to another partition;
• Creating and working with dynamic disk partitions;
• Convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk;
• Changing the partition type;
• Changing the hard drive serial number;
• Free technical support

Full list on the page:

It just so happens that I have 3 license keys for the program AOMEI Partition Assistant Pro Edition cost 32 $ (near 1800 r. for May 2015) and I want to arrange for you contest and draw these keys among your readers!

The conditions of the competition are simple:

1. You need to click just below on one of the social networking buttons

1. In the comments, provide a link to your social network profile.

Summing up:

June 6, 2015 I'll play these 3 keys among those who clicked on one of the social buttons. networks (shared information about the draw) and showed this profile in the comments.

I will assign a serial number to each participant. The selection of winners will be determined randomly using a random number generator on the service www.randstuff.ru/number/ .

No more than one “ Laika” on one social network. There will be three winners. Each person will receive one license key.

The winners of the competition will receive license keys for the program AOMEI Partition Assistant Pro Edition and will be able to fully use all the functions of this wonderful program. Well, have we started? Who's first? 🙂

Like

Like

Tweet

The hard drive in your computer and the drive icon in the My Computer window are different concepts. For example, a computer may have one hard drive installed, while there may be several of them in “My Computer”. The reason for this strange discrepancy is that the hard drive can be divided into so-called partitions. This is called logical disk layout.

I will talk about why such markup is needed, how to do it correctly (and whether it should be done at all), and also tell you about free programs for such a delicate procedure.

Why do you need to partition your hard drive?

There are several reasons to partition a hard drive:

1. Partitions on a hard drive are primarily needed for proper storage of information. For example, some users prefer the following division: operating system and programs on one disk (usually C), documents - on the second ( D), photo archive on the third ( E) and so on. In this case, there may well be only one hard drive.
2. If you have one hard drive, but want to have two or more operating systems, you will have to divide the hard drive into partitions, since Windows and other operating systems can only be installed on different partitions or hard drives.
3. Manufacturers of laptops (and some computers from famous manufacturers such as Acer) have their own reason for dividing hard drive partitions: on a section that is visible as a disk C, Windows installed, second ( D) is completely empty, and the third (which is not visible in the “My Computer” window) stores a compressed copy of the partition C. This hidden partition of the hard drive is called recovery partition. If something happened to the operating system (“Windows crashed” - as some users like to say), then when you turn on the laptop, just press a key combination (see which one - see the instructions for the laptop) and a special program will clean the disk C, then unpacks the contents of the hidden partition there. As a result, the user will receive a laptop with the programs that were originally on it at the time of purchase in the store. Disk D however, it will not be changed. The conclusion suggests itself: if you store all documents on a laptop with such a recovery system not on drive C, A only on D, you can restore damaged Windows with a new one at any time, without losing your important data. By the way, any advanced user can make such a recovery system for themselves, but I’ll tell you about it some other time.
4. The Windows 7 and Windows 8 operating systems, when installed on a blank, “unpartitioned” hard drive, create a hidden partition of 100-350 megabytes in size. This small partition stores a bootloader designed, oddly enough, to boot Windows. This partition will not exist or its contents will be damaged - and the computer will not start the operating system, displaying the message “Boot fail”, “Cannot find boot device”, “Boot error” or similar on the black screen, the meaning of which is the same - the boot disk with operating system. Actually, the bootloader can be stored on disk C:, and/or in hidden sectors of the hard drive (outside partitions), but the developers decided in Windows 7/8 to use a separate hidden partition in order to somehow protect the boot loader from damage by other programs, viruses or the user.
5. There are other reasons for partitioning a hard drive. For example, for the GNU/Linux operating systems to work correctly, several sections must be created, but this is the topic of a separate article; we will not consider them here.

So, The main reasons for partitioning a hard drive are: for the convenience of storing information, for installing several operating systems, for operating a recovery system, for storing the Windows 7/8 boot loader.

A little theory: file systems, partition types

Information about partitions (i.e. logical drives) is stored in a "partition table". Each logical drive can have its own file system. You can read more about all this in the Wikipedia articles: Disk partition, Logical disk, File system. A novice user only needs to know the bare minimum:

1. If you divide your hard drive into logical drives (partitions), Disk capacity will not increase- there’s simply nowhere to find free space! You can make partitions of any size, but in total they cannot be larger than the capacity of the real hard drive. Less please. Then you will have unallocated free space, not visible in My Computer, from which you can get one or more new partitions. This is a question I often get from newbies, so I put it first.
2. There are primary (main) And extended (additional) sections. One hard drive cannot have more than four main partitions (see the links above for why this is so), so they came up with an extended partition - this is a primary partition that can include any number of partitions. As a result, thanks to the extended partition, the hard drive can have any number of partitions - tens, hundreds.
3. Each partition can have its own file system. At the moment, only NTFS can be used to install Windows Vista, 7 and 8, and the outdated Windows XP can be installed on disks with the FAT32 file system. However, I do not recommend doing this, as it imposes too many restrictions. Make all partitions in NTFS - everything will work as it should.
4. Any hard drive must be partitioned one way or another. In one or more logical drives - it's up to you. When purchased, the hard drive is usually already partitioned into one partition - this is what the manufacturer decided. If you are satisfied with this way of organizing information, leave it alone.
5. It is very undesirable to partition the disk in laptops - most of them have hidden recovery partitions that can be damaged (see point 3 of the previous chapter).
6. If you bought a 2 terabyte hard drive, but in “My Computer” it is “only” 1.86 terabytes (1860 gigabytes), then do not rush back to the store. It's all about how manufacturers and Windows calculate the volume. Read more about this in the Wikipedia article Hard Drive. The larger the size of the hard drive, the more clearly it is clear that there are fewer real gigabytes.
7. Sections can be delete, create, move(change their physical position on the disk), resize them, format them, convert them file systems on partitions from one to another. Moreover, many programs can do this while saving all the data. There are other operations, but novice users most often need the above.
8. If there is an error during the process of changing partitions (see point 7), information is almost always lost. Yes, it can be restored (or part of it) using special programs with the participation of specialists, but it is best to save all important information in advance on other drives (not logical drives, but real drives) or flash drives, so as not to pay money for data recovery.

Disk Management in Windows

Windows has a standard partition changer - " Disk management". Depending on the version of Windows, the capabilities of this program change slightly, but in general over the past years (if we talk about Windows Vista, 7, 8) there have been no major changes. Windows XP looks more modest in this regard - apart from formatting and changing the drive letter, there is little that can be done there.

As an example I’ll take “ Disk management» Windows 7. You can open this program in several ways:

1. The simplest one is to right-click on the line Computer in the menu Start- select an item Control- in a new window select Disk management.
2. Opening Control Panel - Administration - Computer management - Disk management.
3. Click Start - Execute(or the Win+R key combination) - enter in the window that opens diskmgmt.msc- press OK.

Disk management looks like this:

Here you can see both physical disks (including DVD drives, flash drives and other devices for storing information) and logical ones, i.e. virtual - hidden partition of the Windows 7 boot loader, disks C And D. The number of disks on your computer may vary.

Basic actions are available by right-clicking on the desired section:

The list of actions is quite meager:

• Items Open, Conductor allow you to view the contents of disks
• Make the section active- indicate on which disk (partition) the bootloader is located. In Windows 7 and 8, this is a system-reserved partition. You cannot make another partition active - the operating system will stop loading.
• Change drive letter or drive path- you can change the drive letter displayed in the Computer window or display it as a folder. Yes, partitions can be displayed not only as disks, but also as folders on any disk.
• Format- you can read about this in the Wikipedia Formatting article. The item opens a window with which you can start high-level formatting.
• Extend volume- if there is space on the hard drive that is not marked as a partition, then you can expand the partition size using this free space.
• Shrink Volume- this item allows you to reduce the size of the partition. The result will be the formation of unallocated space, which can be used to expand the volume of another section (see the previous paragraph).
• Delete volume- delete the section. Don't click on an item without thoroughly considering the consequences. If you delete a partition, the information on it can only be saved with the help of special programs, and even then not always.
• Properties- a properties window will open with information about the selected disk (partition).

Of course, this is not a complete list of possibilities. Disk Management. You can create dynamic disks, for example. However, this is of no use to novice users; this article is intended specifically for them.

So, to create, delete, resize partitions via Disk management, you only need three menu items: Expand Volume, Shrink Volume, Delete Volume.

All operations take place in real time, i.e. after clicking the desired item and answering the question in the affirmative - do we want to do this - the actual action occurs.

Do not forget that there is a risk of failure, due to which we could lose either one or all of the partitions. This applies primarily to computers with a large number of unnecessary programs - each of them may be the culprit in deleting all data. Moreover, the scenario is when you need to change the partition from which Windows is started (usually the disk C), is the worst - most often users experience problems when they try to change the system partition.

To minimize the risk of failure, There are three methods:

1. Insert the hard drive into another computer and change partitions from it by running Disk management or any other program for changing partitions. Due to the fact that Windows will be launched from another drive, no programs will go onto the foreign drive, interfering with a critical operation.
2. Boot from a Live CD - the operating system and programs will be launched not from the hard drive, but from a CD or DVD, flash drive - again, nothing will interfere with changing partitions.
3. To change partitions, use a program that can work in Native mode. For example, disk check C always works in this mode - a black window with white text before loading the Desktop. In this mode, a minimum number of programs are launched and the risk of failure is minimal.

The third option is the simplest, because the user essentially does not need to do anything - just restart the computer and wait a few minutes. The following two review programs can do this.

A free hard drive partitioning program for home use.

Surface test- checking the disk surface (physical). Allows you to detect bad sectors (so-called “bads”, “bad blocks”).

View properties- display information about the disk.

Yes, knowledge of English is clearly required here, especially considering that almost every item opens a window with settings for the action being performed. After you have made the necessary manipulations, you need to apply the changes by pressing a button Apply(Apply):

Only then will the partition changes begin. This process may take some time - from a couple of minutes to several hours.

Depending on whether the system partition is affected or not, operations are carried out either immediately in the window, or you will need to restart the computer and start changing the partition in Native mode:

The program has so many functions that it is impossible to list them all. I recommend that you read the help for EaseUS Partition Master. It is in English, unfortunately, but you can use Google Translator. The translation is quite understandable.

Pros of EaseUS Partition Master Home Edition:

• Lots of functions.
• All actions are “virtual” until you click the Apply button. This means that you can cancel operations before this “point of no return” and try to do something else with the partitions. Or don’t do it at all if you change your mind.
• Works stably and predictably. For example, during testing, while changing partitions, I started copying files to the partition that was to be changed. Result - a window appeared stating that the partition could not be locked, all operations were interrupted, the data did not disappear anywhere.
• The program is free for home use.

Cons of EaseUS Partition Master Home Edition:

• The interface is in English only.
• There are perhaps even too many possibilities - this can confuse beginners.
• A serious failure during the operation will lead to serious consequences.
• For example, if you turn off the computer while changing a partition, the data on the partition will disappear. However, this is a minus of absolutely all programs for changing partitions.

Conclusion: the program is good. You can and should use it; there is no alternative among free programs.

Paragon Partition Manager 11 Free

Free program for changing partitions from a company based in Russia. Unfortunately, the program is in English. What made the developers take such a step is unclear. Moreover, the paid version of the program is Russian.

The main window of the program is no different from the window of the hero of the previous review, except that the buttons have changed their order:

Deserves special mention Express Mode(Simplified mode). By clicking on this button, we will get a window with a list of the most frequent actions:

One could say that this is an ideal mode for beginners, if not for one “but”: everything here is in English. Moreover, I had a suspicion that the English here was somehow incorrect, as if it was not a person who was translating, but a machine.

Pros of Paragon Partition Manager 11 Free:

• Many windows are clear enough to understand the functions.
• Some operations are carried out immediately in the program window, some (if required) in Native mode. That is, the program does everything to reduce the chance of data loss.
• The program is free to use at home.

Cons of Paragon Partition Manager 11 Free:

• English-language, and due to the strange construction of phrases it is quite difficult to perceive.
• The simplified Express Mode works exactly the opposite: firstly, the descriptions of operations and the operations themselves have more technical subtleties than is required; secondly, this mode is very capricious and does not really work, producing meaningless errors.
• The program is too slow. For example, deleting a 38 GB hard drive partition took me about 5 minutes - quite long for such a simple operation.

Conclusion: The program works, but somehow it is unpredictable. I do not recommend using this program, fortunately there is an alternative in the form of EaseUS Partition Master Home.

Changing partitions during installation of Windows 7, 8, 10

This tool also deserves a mention.

Take any installation disk with Windows Vista, Windows 7, 8 or 10, start installing the disk, go to the partition selection and click Disk setup:

It seems that everything is simple: you need to click on a section in the list, then the action button. Unfortunately, there is little action here: deletion, formatting, partitioning and expansion.

You can, for example, delete a partition and, using the freed up space, increase the size of another partition or partitions (when selecting the desired partitions, you must press the Delete and Expand buttons in turn).

Alas, a very popular operation - reducing the size of partitions - is not here. You can delete the partition, then re-create a new one with a smaller partition, but, unfortunately, we will lose the data.

All operations take place in real time, i.e. after pressing the button the action occurs.

Result: editing partitions during Windows installation is an extremely primitive tool. It works, but performs only a limited list of actions, among which the only one that saves data is increasing (expanding) the size of the partition. If you need to install Windows and do not need to save data on partitions, then the tool will come in handy.

If you suddenly accidentally deleted a partition during Windows installation or through some program, do not despair - the partition recovery function is included in EaseUS Partition Master Home Edition.

In order to recover a deleted hard drive partition, don't touch the partitions, immediately boot into Windows (or insert the hard drive into another computer if you deleted the system partition and booting Windows is impossible), then run the above-mentioned program, click on the line with the word in the list Unallocated("Unallocated"), then click the button Partition recovery.

The rest, as they say, is a matter of technique - the action wizard will tell you where to click, where to check the boxes, and then restore your deleted disk.

Tip #2: Installing two or more Windows operating systems on one hard drive

All you need for this is several sections. If your hard drive already has a second partition that is visible in the " Computer" - make sure that there is at least 20 GB of free space (more is better), then during Windows installation simply specify this second (third, fourth, etc.) disk. Once installed, you will be able to select Windows using a menu that appears when you turn on your computer.

If you have one disk ( C), I suggest the simplest option: Through Disk management give it to the section first WITH team Compress, reducing it by at least 20 gigabytes (or better yet, more, because in addition to Windows you will also be installing programs):

Right click on drive C...

After pressing the button Compress disk size C decreases, unallocated (free) space appears in the partition map:

We indicate unallocated space. The installer will create the partition itself.

After installation, you will have two operating systems. You can create unallocated spaces or empty disks and indicate them for installation.

Thanks to reader Vladimir for raising this topic.

You may have noticed that in the screenshots of the Disk Management window, all partitions are marked with a blue stripe. You may have sections with green stripes. What is the difference between blue and green sections?

A green bar in Disk Management is a sign of an extended (additional) partition. As I wrote above, there may be “nested” sections inside, which from the user’s point of view are no different from the main (primary) ones. Nested partitions have one peculiarity - if you reduce their size, then due to the free space that appears, you will not be able to simply expand the main partition. You must first shrink the extended partition itself (which stores free space and the reduced partition) so that free space is created outside of any partitions, only then can you expand the disks.

Like

Like