Author Topic: hard drive partition (Read 8494 times)

mtkang · « **on:** November 24, 2010, 08:12 »

Hi all,

I just got a DIY computer, and run on Windows 7..

the hard drive is 500G so i would like to divide it into several drive.

I used the method that i found from internet, using the disk management, right click and choose 'shrink disk'. Total size before shrink is 476838MB, but size of available shrink space is 237344MB..

i find the shrink space size is only like half of the 500G...possible to make into partition like c: 100G, and D: 400G, i guess 100G is much enough just to install software, and use most for D: for storage.

Possible to guide me how to do it? or i should do it before installing windows? I am okay to reinstall windows since it is empty hard drive.

Thanks.

Colette · « **Reply #1 on:** November 24, 2010, 08:43 »

It is not necessary anymore to make partitions with Windows 7. Harddisk management is much better these days.

If you want to do it, use a partition manager like:
http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Utilities/Disk_Maintenance_and_Repair_Utilities/EASEUS_Partition_Master_Home_Edition.html (freeware)
or:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Hard-Disk-Utils/Partition-Magic.shtml(trialversion)

mtkang · « **Reply #2 on:** November 24, 2010, 08:50 »

may i know why it is not necessary to make partition for windows 7?

I will check out the freeware thanks.

Quote from: Colette on November 24, 2010, 08:43

It is not necessary anymore to make partitions with Windows 7. Harddisk management is much better these days.

If you want to do it, use a partition manager like:
http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Utilities/Disk_Maintenance_and_Repair_Utilities/EASEUS_Partition_Master_Home_Edition.html (freeware)
or:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Hard-Disk-Utils/Partition-Magic.shtml(trialversion)

Colette · « **Reply #3 on:** November 25, 2010, 13:05 »

Sorry, it’s my mistake not to ask you first for what reason you want to make partitions.
It is not necessary for the reason Windows 7 works with NTFS formatted harddisk. Better management today then with the earlier FAT16 and FAT32.
But perhaps you want to split into one partition with Windows 7 and one with only data to minimalize the risk of data loss with when Windows might crash one day and your backup is by accident not up to date (Murphy’s law, you know…

).
How to make partitions is difficult for me to explain in English (easier to do then to tell), but perhaps you can do with this link:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2674-partition-volume-create-new.html

Before trying again read this first:
(This is when you don’t have an installation CD, but only a hidden partition on the harddisk with Windows recovery software on it.)
It is possible that you are not allowed to narrow the partition with Windows 7 installed. This is for the reason of a hidden partition on the harddisk with recovery software instead of an installation CD/DVD.
The recovery software doesn’t work anymore after resizing the partition, so then you are not able anymore to bring your computer back to the factory settings and you lost your Windows 7 license.
After a crash you have to remove the new partition first otherwise you can’t recover the system.

FD · « **Reply #4 on:** November 25, 2010, 21:20 »

One of the reasons to have a (small) system partition and a (large) data partition on the same physical disk is system reformatting after a weird beast or root kit infection for instance. Your data won't be affected then. A data-only partition that is tightly defragmented is also much easier to backup or restore by non-Windows OS'es or live CD's like Linux. An image backup of your system partition only is also much faster and smaller than a full image backup that includes data.