Creating another partition other than the only C:\ partition

5 Parts:

Add Another Partition To Your Hard Disk

Other Options

Tips Tricks & Warnings

Questions and Answers

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Although when you purchase a new Laptop it comes with a Hard Disk partitioned as one partition called "C:\", it's very helpful to create another one or two, or more partitions. This way, you can save your Data on those other partitions. Thus when we need to format the main partition for various reasons, our data is intact (most of the time, unless physical damage occurs).

Follow the directions below to add another partition to your Hard Disk, aside from the primary partition - C:\.

1. 1
   Partition programs. You can Google these, or you can try this Free Partition Tool, which, as stated, is free.

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2. 2
   Run the downloaded file, and install it. Then run the program. From the main program window select "Partition Manager".

   

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3. 3
   On the main Partition Manager window, select your Primary partition. You can create a new partition using the free space.

   

   To create the new partition, you must slide the slider to resize Partition C:\ and free up some un-allocated space.

   

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4. 4
   This un-allocated space can be used to create an extra partition (or more than one partition if you like)

   

   . Depending on your space amount, and your need, you can create more than one partition. After clicking on "Create Partition", the window of partition properties where you can set the following: Partition Name, New Drive Letter (those are others than actually available), File System (FAT, FAT32, NTFS...etc.), Cluster Size (best to leave it as default).

   

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5. 5
   Bottom part of the window (above picture), determines the size of the partition you are creating, if you leave an unallocated space, you can use that space to create another partition, other than the one you are creating now.

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6. 6
   When you have setup your desired settings, click on "OK". This will get you to the main window where you can see the intended changes you made. They won't be applied, until you click on the "Apply" button on the top in the tool bar.

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1. 1
   You can also use "Merge" which will merge two partitions into one partition. #"Delete" will delete the existing partition and all its content (So be careful and absolutely sure when using this option).

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As you can see, we have created a new partition, and left an unallocated space to create another partition.

Other Ways to Add a Partition Without Using Third Party Software

This is how you can add a partition on Windows Vista and Windows 7 computers. See the steps below:

1. 1
   Boot up your computer and go to the "Start" button or the "Windows" logo.

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2. 2
   Left click "Control Panel" on the list of options.

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3. 3
   Click "System and Maintenance" to get to the next page of the menu.

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4. 4
   Now, click on "Computer Management". If you're being prompted to log in, then log in.

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5. 5
   A window will pop up for "Disk Management". If so, look for a free space box, right click it and select "New Sample Volume".

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6. 6
   Make sure you understand what is in the warning/notice and hit "Next".

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7. 7
   Select the size of the volume you want for your new partition. Please note that this is in megabytes (MB) and not in gigabytes (GB). 1000 MB is equivalent to 1 GB. You may need to select a drive letter from A to Z. You can choose any letter, as long as it's not been occupied by other drives.

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8. 8
   In "File Format System," select your preferred system, such as NTFS or FAT32.

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9. 9
   Allocate a small cluster size in bytes.

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10. 10
    Click "Next" to review the configuration you made and tap on "Finish".

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11. 11
    After the configuration, it will now come up with a message that says "Partition Configured". You may also check on My Computer to see if the partition has been made.

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Adding a Partition on Windows 8

There are two ways to add a partition on a Windows 8 computer. Like with Windows 7 and Vista, you can use Disk Management, as described above. Or you can use a software application called AOMEI Partition Assistant. You can get it from this LINK HERE. This program can also be applied to Windows 7. Instructions for using this program are as follows:

1. 1
   Download the AOMEI Partition Assistant from the link above.

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2. 2
   After you have downloaded the installer, just install the program to start the process.

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3. 3
   Launch the AOMEI Partition Assistant and look for "Unallocated," then right click it, and click on "Create Partition".

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4. 4
   Select the configuration you want, such as File System, Cluster size and the storage capacity.

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5. 5
   Hit the apply button to start the process and wait for a couple of seconds or a minute to complete.

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Adding a Partition on a Windows XP

There are two ways to add a partition on Windows XP. As with the other Windows systems, you can go to Disk Management, as described above. Or you can use command prompt. Here is how to use command prompt:

1. 1
   On your computer, click the green "Start" button and hit run.

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2. 2
   Type in the run box "CMD" and then hit "Enter" or click the "OK" button.

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3. 3
   First, type in the command as "diskpart".

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4. 4
   Type in the second command as "list disk".

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5. 5
   Type the third command as "select disk n".

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6. 6
   This is the last step, where you set the side and ID. Now, without using the quotations, type in "create partition primary [size=n] [ID=byte | GUID] [noerr]" and then press "Enter" to complete.

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7. 7
   Go to "Computer" or "My Computer" to check the partition.

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• This process is highly critical, and you should make sure you have charged your Laptop battery completely, or that you have a USB attached to your PC. Most of the time, the program can recover from a loss of power, yet sometimes it does not. So it's better be safe than sorry.
• You can do several changes during one process, such as create two new partitions, change the size of an existing partition, or merge two partitions. When you are finished any of these, press the "Apply" button on top tool bar.
• Depending on the changes you made, sometimes a reboot is needed.
• When you merge partitions, the first partition you select will be merged with the second one, and the content of the second will be moved into a folder in the first partition.
• You can only merge two adjacent partitions.
• You cannot merge a NTFS partition into a FAT partition.

How do I see the partition on my home screen after creating it?

I have created a partition but I can't see it on explorer. I have tried: I have tried making the new partition primary. I think it was caused by: I don't know

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If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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