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Partitioning hard drive

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  • 15-11-2010 6:19pm
    #1
    martin g
    Registered Users Posts: 128 ✭✭


    The hard drive i have automatically formated itself to one big partition, is there a way to make other partitions without losing any data?
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    #2
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,438 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    Yes, you can create a new partition if there is sufficient free space on the drive. Before that can happen, any existing files that occupy space on what will be the new partition have to be moved back into what will be the reduced primary partition.

    If you have the machine for a while it would be no harm to defrag the drive before you start, this will tidy up the existing files and speed up the process of partitioning the drive.

    This is what you need to do in Windows 7....

    Open Control Panel and double-click on Administrative Tools, then Computer Management. On the Computer Management menu you will see lower down the left column 'Disk Management', click once on this.

    In the lower part of the screen you will see the 'C:' drive, point at this and right-click, then select the 'Shrink Volume' option from the popup menu. The system will then examine the existing partition and calculate how much space you can steal from it, depending on how fragmented the drive is, this may take some time.

    It will then tell you the maximum amount of space that you will be allowed to take from the volume, you shouldn't take all of the space offered because if you do you may end up with a C: drive that is 99% full which will cause you performance problems.

    Having taken the space you will then end up with a smaller C: drive and you can now format the new partition.


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    #3
    martin g
    Registered Users Posts: 128 ✭✭martin g


    I have Windows Vista home premium, will it do the same job in that?


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    #4
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,438 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    martin g wrote: »
    I have Windows Vista home premium, will it do the same job in that?

    Yes, the menus might be different but you should be able to find the disk management menu via the Control Panel and Administrative Tools.

    If you can't find it, hold down the Windows button, the one with the Windows logo between Alt and Ctrl on the left of the spacebar, while holding this button press the R button, then paste this command in the command line and click OK...

    compmgmt.msc /s


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    #5
    martin g
    Registered Users Posts: 128 ✭✭martin g


    Cheers for that


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