A specialized program for dividing hard drives is called the partition editor. The Windows operating system has a built-in tool that allows you to perform all the basic manipulations, but it is not too convenient. The article will discuss both the use of internal Windows utilities and third-party products.
Drive management
Disk Management is a standard tool included with Windows. Starting with Windows Vista, this utility has changed very little. But in earlier versions of the OS, using it, it is impossible to divide the hard disk. XP, for example, will only allow you to format the partition or change the letter.
The easiest way to run the utility is to right-click on the "Computer" shortcut , in the context menu, click on the "Management" line. An administration window will open where you need to select "Disk Management".
Here I will present all the drives installed in the computer (HDD, floppy drive, laser drive, flash drives). If there are several partitions on the drive, they will be presented in the form of a diagram.
To find out what basic actions this program can perform for dividing hard disks, you should right-click on the section.
- Open - launches explorer to view files.
- Make active - indicate on which section the system will look for the bootloader. If you apply this parameter to an invalid drive, the operating system will stop starting.
- Change letter - it is logically clear that the command will change the letter that is displayed in the explorer window.
- Format - changes the type of file system and / or cluster size. After this operation, all data will be deleted.
- Expand volume - if there is space on the HDD that is marked as unused, you can increase the size of the partition.
- Compress volume - reduces the size of the partition, but creates unallocated space that can be used to expand the volume.
- Delete volume - when you click on this item, the partition will cease to exist. The data on the volume after such an operation is very difficult to recover.
Accordingly, in order to create several volumes, the program for dividing hard drives must first compress one partition, and then create a new one.
The execution of any operation begins immediately after the user confirms his choice.
3rd party software
EaseUS Partition Master can be downloaded for free on your home computer. Its functions include not only resizing partitions and creating new ones, but also many additional ones. The disadvantages include the lack of Russian localization.
In the main window of the program there will be a list of disks and their labels on top and a diagram of their location below. After clicking on any volume, a context menu will open with all possible actions.
- Resize / Move - resize the volume.
- Copy partition - create a partition mirror on another physical disk.
- Merge partitions - merge several volumes into one.
- Change label - label (label near the drive letter).
- Defragment - defragmentation is performed by a standard program built into the operating system.
- Check partition - check the volume for errors. As with defragmentation, standard Windows tools are used.
- Hide partition - hide the volume; the operating system will not mount it and display it in Explorer.
- Delete partition - this item will delete the partition.
- Format partition - change the file system or cluster size. All data will be deleted.
- Wipe partition - full cleaning of information without formatting.
As with the built-in tool in Windows to create a new volume, the program for dividing hard drives must first reduce the existing one, and then create a new one in the unallocated area. Be careful, you can edit as much as you like, but until you click the "Apply" button, no changes will be applied.
Non-system partitions change directly in the operating system, but if the changes affect the C: drive, you will have to reboot.
Key Benefits of EaseUS
- The program for the division of the hard disk has a lot of useful functions.
- The operations will not be applied until the "Apply" button is clicked, which means that you can cancel the erroneous actions.
- It works stably and tries to protect user data as much as possible. For example, if you copy data on the one you are going to change, the program will not start its work, warning the user that you must first complete all processes that use the disk.
- The program is free for home use.
Disadvantages of EaseUS
- The lack of Russian localization.
- A large number of possibilities can confuse a beginner.
- A serious hardware or software failure will cause all data to be lost after dividing the hard disk. (This scenario is not possible if the equipment is working properly).
Paragon Partition Manager
This app is also free. As in the previous one, there is no Russian language in it. The main window is identical to EaseUS. The presented program is equipped with all standard tools: resizing partitions, creating new ones, copying volumes with the entire file structure to another HDD, checking for errors, formatting, merging volumes.
Paragon Product Benefits
- The clear view of the windows, which makes it easy for even a beginner to understand the program.
- High level of security. Starting dividing the hard drive, Windows 8 will notify the user if there is a risk of data loss, then again ask whether to perform the operation.
- Completely free for home use.
Disadvantages of Paragon Partition Manager
- Fully English interface.
- Express Mode, which is made to simplify the work, but hides a lot of useful features.
- Slow speed. For example, it takes about ten minutes to delete a partition that is 40 GB in size.
Acronis disk director
Acronis software must be the most popular among disk editors. It allows you to perform all popular operations: create partitions, resize, copy to another HDD, merge and split volumes. After all the changes are completed, they are queued and will not be applied until the user agrees.
Acronis Disk Director differs from other partition editors by its built-in volume recovery tool. If, during operation, the hard drive partitioning program deletes or corrupts the partition table due to a failure, the Recovery Expert tool can be launched, which will find and recover deleted volumes.
The version downloaded for free has no time limits for its use. However, some functionality is truncated in it. For example, you cannot convert MBR to GPT, clone a primary partition, make a volume primary if it is logical. To remove the restrictions, you have to pay $ 50.
Installing the program is quick and easy, it will not cause any difficulties even for a beginner. The main window interface resembles EaseUS and is as informative as possible.
In the list that displays all drives and their volumes, except for the standard scheme, the free space on each, type of file system, unallocated space is shown. The only drawback of the program is that it cannot work with non-system partitions on the fly. To perform hard drive partitioning, Windows 7 must be restarted.