How to Partition your Hard Drive in Windows VISTA

Need multiple hard drives in one computer but don't have the space? Just follow these easy steps to partition a single hard drive to act as two.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer
• Windows VISTA

1. Click the Start button located in the lower left hand corner.
2. Click on CONTROL PANEL.
3. Make sure you are not using the classic view, and then click SYSTEM AND MAINTENANCE.
4. CLICK on ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS.
5. Double click COMPUTER MANAGEMENT.
6. Under STORAGE, click on DISK MANAGEMENT.
7. Right click an empty section of your hard drive and then click NEW SIMPLE VOLUME.
8. An installation wizard will popup. Click NEXT.
9. The hard drive can now be split into two partitions. They can be any size that you like, within reason. Enter the size of the separate drive that you would like. A maximum default size will already be shown. Click NEXT.
10. Choose the letter that you would like to identify the new portion of the hard drive. Generally, the first part of the hard drive is known as C drive so it and any other already used characters cannot be used. Click NEXT when you are done with this step.
11. This step is optional. However, to use the new portion of your hard drive, it must be formatted. To format the new portion, click NEXT.
12. Click FINISH. That's it - you're done.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember, any data that is in the new portion will be lost when formatted.