Partitioning disks in Windows 8. How to properly partition a hard drive. Why is the disk divided into partitions?

Most computers have different types of disk drives, including internal and external drives. The primary storage device is usually an internal disk drive (hard disk drive).

Disk Management Basics

In the Windows 8 operating system, hard drives can be used as basic (basic) or dynamic (dynamic).

  Basic disks. This type of disc has been widely used in the past; they can be divided into several sections. Chapter (partition) is a logical part of a disk that acts as a separate physical disk. To use a disk partition, you must first format it with a specific file system and assign it a drive letter. The formatted partition is called base volume (basic volume) and appears as a local drive on the computer. In Windows 8, Windows 8.1, basic disks can have either basic (primary), and extended (extended) sections. The primary partition is used to install the operating system. The primary partition is accessed directly by its drive letter. The main partition cannot be split into additional partitions. The extended partition is accessed indirectly. In an extended partition, you need to additionally create one or more logical disks, which can be accessed, again, as separate physical disks.

  Dynamic disks. Dynamic disks allow you to perform basic computer maintenance tasks without having to reboot. Like basic disks, dynamic disks can be partitioned into logical parts. But the breakdown is performed not into sections, but into volumes (volume). The volume is very similar to the section. The most commonly used are simple ( simple) volumes. Simple Volume is a volume consisting of an entire physical disk; such a volume can be used to run the operating system and to store general data. You can also use other types of volumes, including volumes that span multiple physical disks into a single logical volume. Such volumes are called covering or composite (spanned volume). Like a partition or logical drive, before you can use a dynamic disk volume, you must format it and assign it a drive letter. The formatted volume is called dynamic volume (dynamic volume) and appears as a local drive on the computer. A dynamic volume that spans multiple physical disks appears as a single logical drive and is identified by a single drive letter.

The disk type can be converted from basic to dynamic and vice versa. When you convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk, the partitions are automatically converted to volumes on the corresponding disk and no data is lost. Converting a dynamic disk to a basic disk is not as painless. To make a dynamic disk a basic one, you need to delete all volumes on it. But this will also delete all the information contained on them, so if you need to save it, you should create a backup copy before converting.

In addition to different types of disks, there are also different types of disk partitions, which can be either type MBR (Master Boot Record - master boot record), or type GPT (GUID partition table - GUID partition table). Although both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 8, Windows 8.1 support both types of partitions, earlier versions of Windows do not support partitions like GPT.

Disks with partitions like MBR contain a partition table that describes the arrangement of partitions on the disk. In this type of partition, the first sector of the hard disk contains the entry MBR And binary file called main boot code (master boot code), which is used to boot the operating system. This sector is not used when partitioning the disk and is hidden to protect the system.

Disks with partitions like MBR can support volumes up to 4 TB and split into two types of partitions - basic And extended. Disk type MBR can contain up to four main sections or three main sections and one extended section. Primary partitions are parts of a disk that can be directly accessed to store files. For this purpose they are created on them.

Unlike basic partitions, extended partitions cannot be accessed directly. To access an extended partition, you first need to create one or more logical drives on it, which are then accessed. The ability to split extended partitions into logical drives allows you to split a physical drive into up to four logical sections.

Disks with partitions like GPT were originally developed for high-performance processor-based computers Itanium. Using Type Sections GPT recommended for disks with larger capacities 2 TB for processor-based computers x86 or x64. Key difference between drive types GPT And MBR lies in the way data is stored on them. On disks with partitions like GPT Critical partition data is stored in separate partitions, and redundant primary and spare partition tables are used to enhance structural integrity.

Although the basics of implementing partitions like GPT And MBR different, most disk operations involving them are performed the same way. This means that once you install and configure the disks, the partition type does not matter when working with them.

However, you need to keep the following in mind.
  Most drives are of the type MBR can have up to four primary partitions, or three primary partitions and one extended partition, containing one or more logical drives. Dynamic drive type MBR can contain an unlimited number of volumes.
Disc type GPT can be up to 18 exabytes (Ebyte) and contain up to 128 sections.

Data Units

What is the largest unit of data?

The values ​​are given in rounded figures for clarity. In fact, a kilobyte is not 1000 but 1024 bytes and so on.

Kilobyte (KB) 1,000 bytes,
2 KB: typewritten page,
100 KB: low resolution photo,

Megabyte (MB) 1,000,000 bytes,
1 MB: a small novel or one floppy disk,
2 MB: high resolution photo,
5 MB: collection of Shakespeare's works,
10 MB: one minute of high quality audio recording,
100 MB: a shelf of books 1 meter long,
500 MB: CD-ROM,

Gigabyte (GB) 1,000,000,000 bytes,
1 GB: truckload of books,
20 GB: recording of all Beethoven's works,
100 GB: library collection of academic journals,

Terabyte (TB) 1,000,000,000,000 bytes,
1 TB: text that can be printed on paper that took 50 thousand trees,
2 TB: large academic library,
10 TB: printed materials of the US Library of Congress,
400 TB: US National Climate Center database,

Petabyte (PByte) 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes,
2 PB: all US academic libraries,
20 PB: Capacity of hard drives released in 1995
200 PB: everything ever printed,

Exabyte (Ebyte) 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes,
2 Ebytes: total amount of data produced in 1999,
5 Ebytes: the number of words expressed by humanity throughout its existence.

On computers with processors x86 And x64 With BIOS drive type MBR can be used both for system installation and for data storage, and disks of the type GPT - data storage only. On 64-bit computers with the interface EFI can be used as GPT, so MBR disks, but it requires at least one disk GPT containing a section ESP, chapter MSR and either a primary partition or a simple volume containing the operating system to boot.

Operating system Windows 8, Windows 8.1 supports file systems FAT, FAT32, exFAT and NTFS. Type of file system used FAT and the maximum volume size is determined by the number of bits used in the file allocation table to address clusters of disk space. In the file system file allocation table FAT16, which is usually called simply FAT, used 16 bits. File system FAT16 you can format volumes of size 4 GB or less (In a file system, disk space for data is allocated not in bits or bytes, but in clusters. To access data on a disk, you need to know the address of the cluster. In FAT16 allocated for cluster number 16 digits. Therefore, the maximum number of clusters is 2 16 , and the maximum cluster size is 128 = 2 7 sectors, sector size - 512 bytes = 2 9 . In this case, the maximum size of partitions or disks in FAT16 is 2 16 × 2 7 × 2 9 = 2 32 bytes = 2 GB). There is also a 32-bit version of FAT called FAT32. This version of FAT file allocation table uses 32 bits. Using Windows formatting tools for this file system, you can format volumes up to 32 GB. Although Windows 8, Windows 8.1 can use FAT32 volumes larger than 32 GB formatted with third-party tools, volumes larger than 32 GB should use the file system NTFS.

A significant difference between earlier versions of Windows and Windows XP and later versions of Windows is that the latter's preferred formats for large internal and external drives are NTFS And exFAT. Extended File System FAT, or exFAT, is an improved version FAT. Technically, exFAT could be called FAT64(as some people call it). File Allocation Tables exFAT use 64 bits, which allows exFAT overcome the limit in 4 GB for file size and in 32 GB for file system volume volume FAT32. Format exFAT supports clusters up to size 128 KB for volumes up to 256 TB. This format is designed to be used with any compatible operating systems and devices, giving it an advantage over FAT.

Format exFAT allows you to have more than 1024 files in one folder, and also supports access control lists and transactions. In addition, the format exFAT uses a cluster allocation bitmap to quickly allocate space and adjacency bits for each file, improving overall performance. Improved contiguous disk layout improves performance for multimedia operations such as recording and playback.

Also used are tools such as Disk management, FSUtil And DiskPart.

Equipment Disk management in the console Computer management shown in the screenshot below

Disk partitions and volumes type MBR And GPT can be formatted for file system exFAT And NTFS. When you create partitions or volumes using the tool Disk management You are given the opportunity to format the disk and assign its letter or connection folder. Using a tool Disk management partitions and volumes of disks of type MBR can be formatted as exFAT, and under NTFS, but volumes and disk partitions like GPT can only be formatted NTFS. Format drive type GPT under FAT or FAT32 can be done using command line utilities format or diskpart.

The disk partition table type can be changed from MBR on GPT and vice versa. This feature is useful when you need to move drives between computers with BIOS And EFI, or when you receive new disks that do not match the required type. But the partition table type can only be converted on empty disks. This means the drive must be new or formatted. You can, of course, clean a disk by deleting its partitions or volumes.

Windows 8, Windows 8.1 provides support for hardware-encrypted disk drives (called encrypted hard drives). Encrypted hard drives have built-in processors that encrypt and decrypt data instead of the operating system, reducing the load on its resources. If Windows 8 has hardware encryption, Windows 8.1 uses the ability to BitLocker.

Windows 8, Windows 8.1 operating system supports hard disk drives like standard (Standard Format), and expanded format ( Advanced Format). The physical sector size of standard format hard drives is 512 bytes 512b drives (512b disks). The physical sector size of extended format hard drives is 4096 bytes; such disks are also called 512e drives (512e disks). Technology 512e represents an important change of direction in the hard drive field, enabling the creation of multi-terabyte drives.

Smallest unit of access 512b drives is 512 bytes, A 512e drives - 4096 bytes. You can determine the number of bytes in a physical sector by running the following utility command in the command line console, opened with administrator rights FSUtil:

Fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo Drive_letter

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

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

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

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

How to partition a hard drive in Windows 7?

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

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

How to partition a hard drive in Windows 8, 10

Using Windows 7 as an example, we looked at the partitioning process. There will be nothing fundamentally new in the “eight” and “ten”, so you can use this procedure for this system as well. The only exception is that we will slightly adjust the tips to complete the task correctly:

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

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

What to do if you don’t trust the standard tool for working with local disks? We suggest using a third-party application Partition Wizard. This application is free, does not require much space and is stable. Of course, its functionality is far from Acronis Disk Director, but it will be just right for partitioning a hard drive.

So, first download it, and then install it in a convenient place on your computer. When the program is installed, run it and wait until it loads the necessary information about your system and hard drive.

An unallocated partition will be designated as "Unallocated". Right-click on it and click "Create".

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

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

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

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

As you can see, the process of dividing a disk into partitions is not complicated, but very simple if you approach the issue with instructions from our website.

If the question of creating partitions on your hard drive has ever arisen in your life under Windows 7, then you almost already know how to partition a hard drive in Windows 8. The process is almost exactly the same.

Both systems have a standard function, and the difference between seven and eight is only at the beginning of the process.

Procedure for partitioning a disk in Windows 8

Press the Windows key combination + R. The “Run” window will appear.

Here we write the command “ diskmgmt.msc" without quotes and press Enter,

Select the disk on which we will create a new partition and right-click on it.

Then, from the drop-down menu, select “Compress”, as a result we will get free space on the disk and press the right button on it too. We need the “Create a simple volume” item, and in the next menu we will select the size of the new partition, and in the next menu the drive letter.

And in the next window we indicate the file system type.

After the end of the action, our goal is achieved, there is a new section. All that remains is to format it for work.

How to partition a disk in Windows 8, watch our video:

A hard disk drive (hard drive) and logical drives, which are visible in the “My Computer” tab, should be distinguished. These are different concepts. To understand what's what, let's give a little explanation. A personal computer is usually equipped with one hard disk drive. If we look into the “My Computer” folder, we will see several disks there, each of which has its own letter designation. This is possible for a simple reason: the physical drive is divided into logical drives. More correctly, they should be called sections. And such division is logical marking.

Why is the disk divided into partitions?

Before you learn how to partition a hard drive in the Windows 8 operating system (OS), let's understand why you need to partition your hard drive.

A hard drive, hard magnetic drive or HDD, in computer slang “hard drive” is an electronic device for storing information with random access to data. Its operation is based on the principle of recording on magnetic disks. HDD is the main drive for storing data in almost all personal computers and laptops.

Hard disk, hard magnetic drive or HDD, “hard drive” - an electronic device for storing information with random access to data

The most common reasons:

1. Experts recommend that users store different types of data separately. For example, on the first logical drive (usually designated by the English letter “C”), place the boot files of the operating system and programs. The second section contains documents. In the third place various kinds of archives, or photographs, or videos. You can create as many partitions of different sizes as you like.
2. It happens that a user would like to have several operating systems on his personal computer. This is possible, but you must install each operating system on its own separate partition. In this case, you will also have to perform logical markup.
3. Some laptop manufacturers divide the hard drive into two sections. One usually contains the operating system, the second is hidden from the user. It is not visible in the My Computer folder and is small in size. This section contains a copy of the OS. If a failure occurs and the system cannot be started, then when you press a certain key combination, Windows is restored. Which keys to press are usually indicated in the technical documentation for the laptop.
4. When installing Windows 8 on a new computer, the operating system itself creates an additional partition where the OS boot loader is placed. This partition is approximately 100 megabytes in size. This provides additional protection against damage to Windows 8 by malware, viruses, and users.
5. Some operating systems put forward certain requirements for logical disks, for example, Linux OS. In this case, a logical partition of the hard drive is also necessary.

How to markup?

You can partition the disk using special programs or standard tools of the Windows 8 operating system. Let's consider the second method in detail, and the capabilities of third-party software are outlined in another article on the site; to find it, use the search at the top of the page.

Just a note. Sometimes the system does not allow logical partitioning of a hard disk drive. To successfully partition a physical drive, you must remove protection, which may be installed by default. To do this you should:

1. Go to the “Control Panel”;
2. Select “System and Security”;
3. Then click on “System”;
4. Go to the “System Protection” tab;
5. Go to “Configure” and “Disable protection”.

After successful marking, do not forget to enable protection.

Step by step instructions:

1. Launch the Disk Management utility.

There are several ways to access the Disk Management utility in Windows 8. The simplest of them: hover the mouse over the “My Computer” icon and right-click, select “Manage”. On the left side of the window, click on “Disk Management”.

Second method: press the key combination “Win+R” and in the window that opens, type the command diskmgmt.msc and click OK.

2.In the right part of the Disk Management window, right-click on the disk in which you want to create a new partition and select Shrink Volume. In a new window you can find out how much space you can allocate to the new partition.

3.In the “Size of compressed space” field, enter the number of megabytes allocated for the new partition; if you want to take all the free space, then click on the “Compress” button. The compression process may take several minutes.

4.Then the unallocated space on your hard drive will appear in the panel. Right-click on it and select “Create simple volume”. A special wizard assistant will launch.

5.The launched wizard will help you complete the process of creating a new partition. The custom layout options are suitable for most users, so follow the assistant's instructions and click Next.

6.After the last step, you will have 2 partitions on the selected disk. The latter can be divided into two more. As a result, the logical disk will already have 3 partitions. Each of them will have its own letter designation and will be visible in the “My Computer” folder.

Video: how to partition a hard drive in Windows 8

By following step-by-step instructions, you can easily create several partitions on your hard drive. Performing a logical layout of the hard drive will allow you to create a personal data structure that will ensure quick search and storage of the necessary information.

Disk space management is a useful function with which you can create new volumes or delete them, increase the volume or, conversely, reduce it. But not many people know that Windows 8 has a standard disk management utility, and even fewer know how to use it. Let's look at what you can do using the standard Disk Management program.

There are several ways to access disk space management tools in Windows 8, as in most other versions of this OS. Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Method 1: Run Window

Using a keyboard shortcut Win+R open dialog box "Run". Here you need to enter the command diskmgmt.msc and click "OK".

Method 2: "Control Panel"

You can also open the volume management tool using Control panels.

Method 3: Menu “Win ​​+ X”

Use a keyboard shortcut Win + X and in the menu that opens, select the line "Disk Management".

Utility features

Volume compression

Creating a Volume

Changing the partition letter

Formatting a Volume

Removing a volume

Deleting a volume is very simple: right-click on the disk and select "Delete volume".

Section expansion

• Total volume size—full disk space;
• Maximum available space - how much the disk can be expanded;
• Select the size of the allocated space - enter the value by which we will increase the disk.

Convert disk to MBR and GPT

What is the difference between MBR disks and GPT? In the first case, you can create only 4 partitions of up to 2.2 TB in size, and in the second - up to 128 partitions of unlimited size.

Attention!
After conversion you will lose all information. Therefore, we recommend creating backup copies.

RMB click on the disk (not the partition) and select "Convert to MBR"(or in GPT), and then wait for the process to complete.

Thus, we looked at the basic operations that can be performed while working with the utility "Disk Management". We hope you learned something new and interesting. And if you have any questions, write in the comments and we will definitely answer you.