• A program for working with an external hard drive. Hard drive repair software: Windows tools and third-party applications

    If the HDD makes strange sounds or there are problems with writing and reading information, you should use one of the programs to check the hard drive for errors. Depending on the task (checking the disk surface for damage, searching for bad sectors, correcting errors, etc.), different software may be useful.

    You can quickly check the disk for errors using standard system tools, but to restore the hard drive you will need special third-party programs. Having learned how to check the health of a hard drive using various utilities, a user of any level will be able to cope with problems that arise.

    CheckDisk System Service is the simplest hard drive diagnostic program that can't find complex errors or fix bad sectors, but is useful for fixing basic problems. It is available on all versions of Windows OS and can be used to check drives of any type. All users need to know how to check a hard drive for errors with this tool.

    The graphical interface version of the utility is most convenient for novice users. You can launch it through the disk management menu, which can be accessed in two ways:

    1. in Windows XP/Vista/7 - select “Manage” in the context menu of “My Computer”, then go to the desired menu;
    2. in Windows 8/10 - press the Win+X combination and select the appropriate item.

    In the window that opens, select the device that needs analysis, right-click on it and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu. By going to the “Service” tab, you need to run the hard drive diagnostic program.

    The system will check and automatically correct errors if the disk is not currently busy with read or write processes. Otherwise, the program will offer to test after restarting the PC. If necessary, in the scan results window you can see detailed information about the status of the HDD.

    The GUI version does not always help, since checking the status of the hard drive is sometimes required from safe mode or without starting the operating system at all. In such cases, the console comes to the rescue; you can launch it before the system starts using a boot disk.

    Once you open the recovery console, you need to run the chkdsk /f command, which will check all connected drives. In some cases, this will help fix the error. However, in most situations, if a HDD failure has made it impossible to start the system, a more in-depth check of the hard drive’s condition will be required.

    To use the console command from inside the system you need to:

    • launch the command line (via Win+X or by entering cmd in the “Run” window);
    • enter the chkdsk command indicating the letter of the partition being checked and additional flags;
    • Confirm the operation by pressing Y.

    Checking the HDD via the command line will be a little faster than when using the GUI version of the program; the results will be shown here in the console.

    The Linux system also has standard tools - hdparm and smartctl, launched from the console.

    Simple programs for quickly checking HDD

    If standard utilities are not suitable, hard drive diagnostics can be carried out using simple third-party programs. They allow you to get more information about the health status of the HDD, but in case of serious problems they will not be suitable, since they cannot be used to fix the damage.

    HDDScan is a free program that performs analysis in two modes:

    • according to S.M.A.R.T. indicators;
    • linear processing.


    The tool evaluates the read and write speed of various sectors, marking the “slow” cells. During the analysis, the program ensures that the tested hard drives do not overheat; at the end of processing, the user is presented with a full report.

    HDDScan good versatility. The utility allows you to check disks for errors regardless of the type of device: it can either check an external hard drive or analyze a RAID array, SSD drive or memory card.

    Crystal Disk Mark has only one function - it evaluates the read and write speed. Despite this, it is often used, since it is still possible to check the hard drive for serviceability using just two indicators.

    The test uses different algorithms, one of which is sequential recording mode. The program gradually fills all the space on the drive with blocks of a size specified by the user, after which it cleans the HDD. The same technique is used by hard drive manufacturers to check product quality. Its disadvantage is that it accelerates the wear of SSD drives.

    CrystalDiskInfo And DiskCheckup They are similar in their set of functions, differing only in the interface. They check the status of the hard drive using S.M.A.R.T. algorithms and compile a history of checks, which allows you to track the dynamics of changes. CrystalDiskInfo has more options for visualizing history. For example, you can create a graph, not just get a written report.

    Another feature of these programs is a convenient notification system. In-depth hard drive tests usually take a long time. If the user needs to step away from the computer, he can enable notifications of critical HDD errors via E-Mail.

    Programs from hard drive manufacturers

    Some HDD manufacturers have developed their own utilities for analyzing the status of the hard drive. They are intended for use with devices of the same name; diagnosing a hard drive from another company is possible with their help, but this must be done carefully. Unlike simpler programs, these utilities have versions in different languages, including Russian. Which program is better to analyze the HDD status?

    The proprietary program from Seagate exists in two versions: a standard version for running under Windows and a DOS version in ISO image format, from which you can make a bootable USB flash drive. It is recommended to use the second option, since the check in this case will be more accurate and efficient.

    SeaTools uses part of the S.M.A.R.T indicators. to test the hard drive without giving away details about each item. Three tests can be performed:

    1. short self-test of HDD;
    2. short rapid test;
    3. a long-term check in which all sectors are read sequentially.

    As the scan progresses, the program automatically corrects any errors found.

    Owners of hard drives from WD should know how to check the performance of hard drives using proprietary software from this manufacturer. The range of its capabilities is similar to that of the program from Seagate, but is somewhat expanded and allows for deeper work with the affected device.

    There are two additional functions:

    1. deep disk formatting - the program writes zeros to all sectors, permanently destroying information;
    2. blocking access to bad sectors - the program marks bad blocks, preventing the writing of new information to them.

    Unlike SeaTools, this HDD diagnostic program can be freely used with devices from any manufacturer to check the hard drive for errors - no problems were identified with this.

    Deep testing software

    If you need not only checking the hard drive for errors, but also correcting bad sectors, you cannot do without sophisticated software that carries out the most in-depth analysis of the HDD state.

    Victoria HDD

    According to many users, Victoria HDD is the best software for detecting hard drive problems. The program gained this reputation due to its wide range of functions.

    Victoria exists in two versions:

    • with a graphical shell for use from inside Windows;
    • with a DOS shell to create a boot disk.

    It's better to use the second version. Diagnostics of the HDD outside the system allows you to achieve better results, so it is always recommended to follow the principle “if possible, test the disk from the boot disk.” As a last resort, you can use a LiveCD of another OS, for example, a Linux distribution like Ubuntu.

    Victoria HDD has a variety of functions:

    • quick and complete disk scan;
    • reassignment of bad sectors and their restoration;
    • checking the status of contacts in the IDE or SATA cable;
    • equipment performance analysis;
    • viewing S.M.A.R.T. indicators.

    When checking, you need to pay attention to the access time to sectors. It should not exceed 200-600 ms. You can also see the temperature of the disk during operation, but this is not so important.

    HDD Regenerator

    HDD Regenerator is a program for professional hard drive recovery. It not only marks bad sectors as unused, but also tries to revive them. For this, not the standard deep formatting method is used, but a proprietary algorithm based on transmitting signals of different levels to the sector. Despite its professional level, inexperienced users can also use this software, since testing a hard drive with its help is not difficult thanks to its convenient Russian-language interface.

    Program features:

    • ensuring data safety - it works only in read mode;
    • support for different file systems;
    • the ability to scan the disk surface;
    • real-time monitoring.

    The program is not suitable for everyone, since you can check your hard drive for functionality for free, but you will have to pay $90 for the sector recovery function.

    If you don't want to pay, you can use TestDisk, a free program that can restore the partition table, boot sectors and MFT. It also detects bad sectors, can recover deleted information and fix file system errors. The only drawback is the lack of a graphical interface; you have to work from the console.

    If, after checking the HDD and correcting all problems, the computer does not stop working incorrectly, it is worth checking the registry. Perhaps the failures are caused not by hardware failure, but by internal system errors.

    Problems with hard drives are very common, and many users do not know what to do in such situations. And each hard drive repair program is designed to perform certain actions depending on the type of failure. Next, it is suggested that you become familiar with some types of failures and software tools that allow you to eliminate them.

    Checking and repairing your hard drive: Windows programs and tools

    Before using such a tool, you need to find out the nature of the failure. Among the main types are the following:

    • violation of the file system structure;
    • damage to the hard drive surface;
    • software errors;
    • loss of information due to failures or formatting.

    Don't underestimate the tools available in Windows operating systems. The program for repairing a Windows 7 hard drive or any other system is called ScanDisk and in the simplest case is called from the section properties menu, where the scan button is used on the service tab.

    In this case, you need to specify automatic correction of bad sectors, and if desired, you can also use surface checking.

    However, using a similar applet (chkdsk), called from the command line (cmd), launched with administrator rights in the Run console, looks much preferable. For this tool you need to enter additional attributes. Among the most frequently used are the checks with space-separated combinations /f /r and /x /f /r. If system components are damaged, you can use the sfc /scannow command.

    The best applications for hard drive treatment and data recovery

    In order not to deal with the procedures described above, many users also use third-party utilities, among which the following can be highlighted:

    • HDD Regenerator.
    • Victoria.
    • R. Saver.
    • Acronis Recovery Expert.
    • Hetman Partition Recovery, etc.

    Let us immediately note that applications like Recuva, designed to recover deleted files or missing information from damaged HDDs, will not be considered only because of their absolute ineffectiveness.

    HDD Regenerator

    HDD Regenerator is a relatively recently developed program for diagnosing and repairing a hard drive, designed not to restore lost information, but to search for problems associated with physical damage to hard drives or software failures.

    According to its creators, the work is based on the principle of reversing the magnetization of the HDD surface, which makes it possible to completely restore the performance of the hard drive. It works in DOS mode, which causes users some problems with use, however, in some cases it shows good results when no other tool helps.

    Victoria

    The Viktoria hard drive repair program from Belarusian developers, according to most professionals, is the best in its field and allows you to eliminate many software problems associated with the file system, bad sectors, etc.

    It can be launched in two versions: in DOS mode emulation and as a standard Windows application. However, as noted, it is better to use the first method, since checking in this mode is more effective, not to mention eliminating failures and errors (similar to the difference in launching a standard Windows tool).

    R.Saver

    The R.Saver hard drive repair program is designed to recover deleted or lost information. Its use is justified because the utility is able to find files, which may include important system components, even after formatting the disk or logical partition, completely reconstructing the file system.

    Scanning, however, takes quite a lot of time, but the application finds files that the user may not even be aware of. And in most cases, the use of this program is the best option even for removable USB HDDs, flash drives and memory cards of any standard.

    Acronis Recovery Expert

    This program for repairing a hard drive is mainly used when the structure of the file system is damaged and even allows you to create bootable media for those cases when starting the OS from the hard drive becomes impossible.

    At the same time, the application supports a huge number of file systems and large hard drives.

    Hetman Partition Recovery

    Although this utility is positioned as a means of recovering information if it is lost after formatting or in the event of software failures, it can nevertheless be used to find problems with the HDD.

    The main advantage of the application is that it can be launched either manually or using a special “Wizard”, which makes it possible to automate the processes of analysis (scanning) and data recovery.

    Results

    These are not all programs capable of servicing hard drives, but only a few of the most popular ones. But even a brief acquaintance with them allows any user to understand the principles of their functioning and areas of application. If we recommend a universal solution, at the first stage of repair you need to use system tools (if possible), HDD Regenerator or Viktoria, and for subsequent data recovery - R.Saver or other software products.

    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 the 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.

    Good day.

    Questions regarding the operation of the hard drive ( or as they say HDD) - always a lot (probably one of the most numerous directions). Quite often, in order to solve this or that issue, the hard drive needs to be formatted. And here, some questions are superimposed on others: “And how? And with what? This program does not see the disk, which one should I replace it with?” etc.

    In this article I will present the best (in my opinion) programs that help cope with this task.

    Important! Before formatting the HDD with one of the presented programs, save all important information from the hard drive to other media. During the formatting process, all data from the media will be deleted and it is sometimes extremely difficult to restore something (and sometimes even impossible!).

    "Tools" for working with hard drives

    Acronis Disk Director

    In my opinion, this is one of the best programs for working with a hard drive. Firstly, there is support for the Russian language (for many users this is fundamental), secondly, it supports all Windows operating systems: XP, 7, 8, 10, thirdly, the program has excellent compatibility and “sees” all disks (unlike from other utilities of this kind).

    Judge for yourself, you can do “anything” with hard disk partitions:

    • format (in fact, for this reason the program was included in the article);
    • change the file system without data loss (for example, from Fat 32 to Ntfs);
    • resize partition: very convenient if, when installing Windows, you, say, allocated too little space for the system disk, and now you need to increase it from 50 GB to 100 GB. You can format the disk again - but you will lose all the information, and with the help of this function you can change the size and save all the data;
    • combining hard disk partitions: for example, we divided the hard drive into 3 partitions, and then thought, why? It’s better to have two: one system one for Windows, and the other for files - they took it and combined it and didn’t lose anything;
    • disk defragmentation: useful if you have a Fat 32 file system (with Ntfs - there's not much point, at least you won't gain in performance);
    • change drive letter;
    • deleting partitions;
    • viewing files on disk: useful when you have a file on your disk that is not deleted;
    • ability to create bootable media: flash drives (the tool will simply save you if Windows refuses to boot).

    In general, it is probably unrealistic to describe all the functions in one article. The only drawback of the program is that it is paid, although there is time for a test...

    Paragon partition manager

    This program is quite well known, I think that experienced users have been familiar with it for a long time. Includes all the most necessary tools for working with media. By the way, the program supports not only real physical disks, but also virtual ones.

    Main features:

    • Using disks larger than 2 TB in Windows XP (with this software you can use larger capacity disks in the old OS);
    • Ability to control boot of multiple operating systems Windows (very important when you want to install another Windows OS in addition to your first one. For example, to test a new OS before finally switching to it);
    • Easy and intuitive work with sections: You can easily split or merge the required partition without losing data. In this sense, the program works without any complaints at all ( By the way, it is possible to convert a basic MBR to a GPT disk. Regarding this task, there have been a lot of questions lately. );
    • Support for a large number of file systems- this means that you can view and work with partitions of almost any hard drive;
    • Working with virtual disks: easily connects a disk to itself and allows you to work with it as with a real disk;
    • Huge number of backup functions and restoration (also very important), etc.

    EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition

    An excellent free (by the way, there is also a paid version - it has several additional functions) tool for working with hard drives. Supported OS Windows: 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits), there is support for the Russian language.

    The number of functions is simply amazing, I will list some of them:

    • support for different types of media: HDD, SSD, USB flash drives, memory cards, etc.;
    • changing hard disk partitions: formatting, resizing, merging, deleting, etc.;
    • support for MBR and GPT disks, support for RAID arrays;
    • support for disks up to 8 TB;
    • the ability to migrate from HDD to SSD (however, not all versions of the program support);
    • the ability to create bootable media, etc.

    In general, a good alternative to the paid products presented above. Even the features of the free version are enough for most users.

    Aomei Partition Assistant

    Another worthy alternative to paid products. The standard version (and it is free) has a bunch of functions for working with hard drives, supports Windows 7, 8, 10, and has the Russian language (although it is not installed by default). By the way, according to the developers, they use special algorithms to work with “problem” disks - so there is a chance that your “invisible” disk in any software will suddenly be seen by Aomei Partition Assistant...

    Key Features:

    • One of the lowest system requirements (among software of this type): processor with a clock frequency of 500 MHz, 400 MB of hard disk space;
    • Supports traditional HDD hard drives, as well as newfangled solid-state SSDs and SSHDs;
    • Full support for RAID arrays;
    • Full support for working with HDD partitions: merging, splitting, formatting, changing the file system, etc.;
    • Support for MBR and GPT disks up to 16 TB in size;
    • Supports up to 128 disks in the system;
    • Support for flash drives, memory cards, etc.;
    • Support for virtual disks (for example, from programs such as VMware, Virtual Box, etc.);
    • Full support for all the most popular file systems: NTFS, FAT32/FAT16/FAT12, exFAT/ReFS, Ext2/Ext3/Ext4.

    MiniTool Partition Wizard

    MiniTool Partition Wizard is free software for working with hard drives. By the way, it’s not at all bad, which only indicates that over 16 million users use this utility in the world!

    Peculiarities:

    • Full support for the following OS: Windows 10, Windows 8.1/7/Vista/XP 32-bit and 64-bit;
    • Ability to resize partitions, create new partitions, format them, clone, etc.;
    • Convert between MBR and GPT disks (without data loss);
    • Supports conversion from one file system to another: we are talking about FAT/FAT32 and NTFS (without data loss);
    • Backup and recovery of information on disk;
    • Optimizing Windows for optimal performance and migration to an SSD drive (relevant for those who are replacing their old HDD with a newfangled and fast SSD), etc.;

    HDD Low Level Format Tool

    This utility does not do much of what the programs listed above can do. In general, it can only do one thing - format the media (disk or flash drive). But it was impossible not to include it in this review...

    The fact is that the utility performs low-level formatting of the disk. In some cases, restoring the functionality of a hard drive without this operation is almost impossible! Therefore, if no program sees your disk, try HDD Low Level Format Tool. It also helps to delete ALL information from the disk without the possibility of recovery (for example, you do not want someone to be able to restore your files on a sold computer).

    In general, I have a separate article about this utility on my blog (which describes all these “subtleties”):

    PS

    About 10 years ago, by the way, one program was very popular - Partition Magic (it allowed you to format the HDD, split the disk into partitions, etc.). In principle, you can still use it today - only the developers have stopped supporting it and it is not suitable for Windows XP, Vista and higher. On the one hand, it’s a pity when they stop supporting such convenient software...

    That's all, good choice!

    While working with a personal computer, it may be necessary to change, add or delete hard disk partitions. If during the initial installation of Windows 7 the creation of partitions takes place interactively and is intuitive, then making changes to the created partitions requires a certain skill. Due to the lack of any experience in these matters, the user may incorrectly perform the necessary actions, which will subsequently lead to complete loss of data or even failure of the hard drive. The Disk Management utility will help facilitate the process of creating and changing disk partitions.

    Disk Management utility and its functions

    The Disk Management utility is a tool for performing various operations with hard drives and their partitions.

    With its help you can:

    • create, delete, merge volumes on a disk;
    • compress volumes;
    • format volumes;
    • assign letters for volumes;
    • add volumes without rebooting;
    • manage local and remote disks on the network.

    Opening Disk Management

    There are several ways to launch the program.

    Via the Start menu

    1. Click on the “Start” menu and right-click on “Computer”. Select "Management".

      Right-click on “Computer” and select “Manage”

    2. In the “Computer Management” window that opens, click on “Disk Management”.

      Select "Disk Management"

    3. The Disk Management window will open.

      Disk Management window

    Via command line


    Via "Control Panel"

    1. Click on the “Start” menu and select “Control Panel”.

      Click “Control Panel”

    2. In the search bar, enter “administration” and click on the “Administration” section that appears.

      Click on the “Administration” section

    3. Select “Computer Management” from the list.

      Select "Computer Management"

    4. In the “Computer Management” window that opens, click on “Disk Management”.

      Click on “Disk Management”

    Why doesn't Disk Management open?

    There are situations when the Disk Management console does not open or opens but the console window is blank and the warning “Could not connect to the Logical Disk Manager service” appears.

    The reasons that caused this problem to appear may be different. To eliminate their influence on the disk management process, you must perform the following steps:

    1. Conduct an anti-virus scan. It is recommended to launch an antivirus program from an optical disk or from a protected flash drive. After checking, open the “Quarantine” of the antivirus. If the dmdskmgr.dll library is in Quarantine, then return it to its place.
    2. Run the command Rundll32 setupapi, InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%\inf\dmreg.inf through the Start menu and the Run window.
    3. Go to “Control Panel” - “Administration” - “Services” and make sure that “Logical Disk Manager” and “Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service” are running. If they are stopped, then enable them.
    4. Enter the basic input/output system (BIOS) menu. To do this, when turning on the computer, press Del, F2 or Esc (the choice of key depends on the computer manufacturer). If the launch panel does not contain information about the connected HDD, then check the connecting cables at the points of connection to the drive.

    How to create a logical drive

    The very first hard drives, first created by IBM in 1973, contained 30 cylinders, each of which was divided into 30 tracks. By analogy with automatic rifles using the .30–30 Winchester cartridge, such discs were called “Winchesters”. Over time, in colloquial speech the word “Winchester” was transformed into “screw”.

    Most hard drives are sold already prepared for installing Windows, i.e. the main partition has already been created on them. The remaining operations are carried out during the system installation process. Installation is carried out from a bootable optical disk or USB device. At one of the installation stages, a window will appear asking you to select a space to install the system.

    If the hard drive was not prepared for immediate installation of the system before going on sale, then all operations will have to be done by the user. To do this, you will need a bootable optical disc or USB drive.

    Before installation, configure the BIOS (basic input/output system) to boot from a DVD or USB drive:


    When forming a partition on a hard drive, all free space is used, and additional partitions are created after installing Windows 7.

    If possible, it is better to use Windows PE boot, which has Acronis Disk Director or Partition Magic built-in. These utilities are designed to manage hard drive partitions.

    Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) is used to prepare your computer for Windows installation. It is a built-in component of other system installation and recovery tools and is not intended to be used as a primary operating system.

    If you don't have a bootable disk like Windows PE, you can:


    The created logical drives must be formatted using the format.com utility. Now you can proceed to installing Windows 7.

    Hard drive logical drive management

    You can manage hard drive partitions through the context menu of each of them. They provide a set of commands necessary for work.

    Compressing a Partition

    The command to compress a logical drive is specified in the context menu.


    Creating a section

    A new partition is created in a free area of ​​the hard drive that is not yet part of a formatted volume. At the bottom of the Disk Management console, this space is highlighted in bright green, and in the legend line it is indicated as “Free”.

    1. Once the partition has been compressed, right-click on the unallocated space and select “Create simple volume” from the context menu.

      Right-click on the unallocated space and select “Create simple volume” from the context menu

    2. The “Create Simple Volume Wizard” will launch.

      After launching the “Create a Simple Volume Wizard”, click “Next”

    3. Specify the size of the new volume.

      Specify the size of the new volume

    4. Assign a letter (letter) to the disk.

      Assign a letter to the disk

    5. We decide on the file system, cluster size and volume label.
    6. We format the partition.

      We format the partition

    7. In the last window, click on the “Finish” button and create a new logical drive.

      Click on the “Finish” button


    After reformatting, the volume is ready for use.

    Changing the section letter

    Merging sections

    When there is a need to reduce the number of logical drives, two are merged into one joint logical drive. Before merging, the necessary information from the logical drive being removed is copied to another drive or removable media.

    To merge one drive with another:

    1. Select the volume that we want to attach and call the context menu. Click on “Delete Volume”.

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