Have you encountered situations when during the first installation of Windows or in an already running system it was necessary to perform disk partitioning? Windows 7 is used or systems of a rank higher, it does not matter. Most likely, many will answer this question in the affirmative, since they usually follow the recommendations of specialists who state that the best option is to install the system in one section and save user files in another. Indeed, this is often necessary so that in case of damage to the installed OS and / or its reinstallation, the user's documents or his personal data remain intact. But how to divide the hard drive into several sections, so that each of them can be used for its intended purpose and independently of each other?
Why do I need to partition the disk?
To begin, let's briefly dwell on why this may be required at all. One of the options is when a special section is assigned to the system so that if it is damaged, errors and crashes do not affect important user information, it is familiar to everyone. However, not everyone is aware that sharing a local disk with Windows 7 on board can also be used to install a second or even third operating system on your own computer (if only there was enough space). For example, it is often possible to meet custom PCs and laptops that run both Windows and one of the Linux modifications in parallel. And with the advent of the stationary version of the Android x86 OS, it has become possible to install it even on some laptop models, for which it is fully adapted. A plus? Undoubtedly!
Partitioning Windows 7: Options
So, what can be advised to the average user as the simplest tools that can perform all the necessary operations. It is believed that among all the methods designed to perform disk partitioning, in Windows 7 or in the modifications above, three main methods can be used:
- breakdown at the stage of installation of the system;
- creation of additional partitions in the installed OS;
- the use of highly targeted third-party programs.
Immediately note that the second method allows you to use the tools of the operating system itself, however, such tools are only in the "seven" and later versions. If you need to perform similar operations in the same "Vista" or in the "e-book", you will have to use only third-party programs, since in their main set such a tool is not available initially.
Partitioning during Windows 7 installation
So, the first solution is an option that can be used without problems directly during the installation of the system. This method works equally well in the case of a clean installation of Windows 7 on a new hard drive, and in the case of reinstalling it, if the recovery tools are powerless.
As usual, after starting from the bootable media, the preferred language and region is selected, after which, in the step, you can select the partition in two ways. If you are installing for the first time on a hard drive with no partitions at all, only unallocated space will be displayed in the window.
Press the button to create the partition, and then specify the desired volume for it (this is only necessary because the system automatically reserves all available space for itself). As a rule, for the system partition in the case of installation of the seventh modification, about 50-100 GB is allocated. You can leave the rest of the disk space under a logical drive or create several of them.
Note that you can create a maximum of four such partitions on MBR disks. Further, if necessary, format the created partitions or simply select the one you want to install Windows, after which its formatting will be performed automatically. You do not need to manually assign letters to each created section, as the system will do this without your participation.
If we are talking about reinstalling the system, all unnecessary partitions can be deleted first, freeing up space, and then proceed using the same method as used in the case of unallocated space.
Preliminary steps before partitioning a disk using system tools
Before performing the partitioning of a disk with Windows 7 on board in an already installed system, you should pay attention to a small nuance.
It is strongly recommended that before performing such operations, defragment the disk or partition from which it is supposed to "bite off" part of the space. You can do this by the standard tool by calling it through the disk properties on the service tab.
Using disk management tools in a running system
Now you can perform disk partitioning in Windows 7 using its own standard tools - the tools located in the disk management section (diskmgmt.msc). This technique, however, looks somewhat more complicated.
In disk management, select the disk or partition that you want to partition, through RMB, go to the volume compression point.
The volume available for compression proposed by the system can be left unchanged (the total size of the entire section will be divided approximately in half). After that, confirm the compression, and then on the unallocated space that appears through RMB, proceed to creating a simple volume, after which the standard “Wizard” is launched.
The proposed size can be left unchanged or you can set your own parameters, and then you should choose the letter that will be assigned to the section so that it is displayed correctly in the system. The letters “A” and “B” are not recommended. If you had only one “C” drive before partitioning, select the letter “D”. If there is already a partition under such a letter, select the next one in alphabetical order, but do not forget that if there is a logical drive and an optical drive in the system, the drive is automatically assigned the letter “E”, so you cannot touch it either.
Next, select the type of your preferred file system, specify the volume label (partition name) and format (you can use fast). Wait until the formatting is completed, after which a new logical partition will appear in the system.
AOMEI Partition Assistant and its analogues
If you are not satisfied with any of the proposed options, you can use some program to split disks in Windows 7 or in any other OS, including outdated modifications. As one of the easiest tools, you can recommend the Partition Assistant application from AOMEI. Similar programs from Acronis also look good. The actions in them are even simpler.
Select the section on the basis of which you will create a new one, through RMB or in the menu at the bottom left, go to the section for resizing the section, and then simply use the slider to move the desired volume. After confirmation, an unallocated space will appear on which the tool for creating a new partition is called through RMB. Next, indicate the desired size or leave it unchanged, select the letter and the file system, then simply click the "OK" button. The “Apply” button will appear in the top bar of the application’s main horse. After clicking it in the pending operations window, click the Go button and agree to the reboot. The partition will be performed when the system restarts.
How to get rid of unnecessary partitions?
Finally, let's see how to remove the hard drive partition. In Windows 7, you can use disk management for this, where through PCM on the partition you select to delete it.
You can also perform a similar procedure through the command line, where the diskpart toolkit is called first , and then the commands shown above are sequentially entered for the selected partition. If the partition cannot be deleted this way, you can enter the delete volume override line as the delete command .
In the above program from AOMEI, the actions look similar. You only need to select the deletion method (quick deletion or deletion of the partition and all data without the possibility of recovery), and then, as for the separation, confirm the execution of the pending operation.
Note: to delete absolutely all available partitions from flash drives and external USB drives, you can use the most common full formatting using Windows or low-level formatting programs like HDD LLFT.