How to Create an NTFS Partition

A partition is a contiguous region of a hard disk. For instance, with a 500-GB hard drive. the computer allows you to use that space as one 500-GB chunk, two 250-GB chunks, or as many "slices" (i.e. partitions) as you wish, provided they do not exceed a total of 500 GB.
Microsoft Windows XP uses partitions to store files and other system data, denoting them with terminology such as "C:", "F:", or "C Drive." Before a partition can be used to store files, you must configure ("format") it to use a specific file system that governs how files are stored and organized. The default file system used by Windows 2000 and XP is the "NT File System," or NTFS.

Things You'll Need

• PC with a CD/DVD ROM drive and hard drive
• Any Windows XP install CD

Instructions

1. Insert the Windows XP CD into your CD/DVD drive and restart your computer. When powering on, your PC should read from the CD/DVD drive, and you will see a message indicating that it is loading Windows Setup. If your machine starts up as it normally does (with the Windows logo, etc.), then yours is a rare case in which the BIOS is not configured to boot from the CD as its first option. To fix this, consult the BIOS setup documentation for your PC, then repeat step 1.

2. Wait for the "Welcome to Windows Setup" screen to arrive, then press "Enter."

3. Press "F8" to accept the Windows Licensing Agreement.

4. Press "Esc" if you already have Windows installed on this PC and are asked if you want to repair that installation. You then will see a list of all partitioned and free space segments for each hard disk, along with details such as partition size (in megabytes), file system type and an asterisk that identifies it as a system partition or not.

5. Use the arrow keys to find any segment marked "Unpartitioned Space" whose size is large enough to accommodate the partition you wish to create. If there is not enough unpartitioned space in which to fit your new partition, then you will have to delete existing partitions to reclaim the space. To do so, select these partitions with the arrow keys and press "D," then "L" to confirm.

6. Highlight the unpartitioned space you wish to use, and press "C."

7. Press "Enter" if you wish to use the all the unpartitioned space for your new partition. If you want to use only a portion of the space available, then typing the size you wish in the box and press "Enter."

8. Press "F3" twice to exit Windows Setup. You've created your partition, but it has not been formatted for NTFS yet.

9. Remove the Windows XP install CD from your CD/DVD drive and restart your computer.

10. Select "Control Panel >> Administrative Tools >> Computer Management" when your Windows XP desktop appears.

11. Select "Disk Management" under the "Storage" category in the left-hand tab.

12. Find the partition you just created among the list of disks and partitions. Look for one that has no file system and is of exactly the size you just created.

13. Right-click on the correct partition and select "Format" from the resulting menu.

14. Enter the name you wish to call this partition in the "Volume Label" option. Ensure that "NTFS" is selected under "File System" (it should be by default) and that "Quick Format" is not checked. Do not alter any other options.

15. Click "Enter." The formatting process will take a few minutes or more, depending on how large the partition is. The system will alert you when the format is complete, and Windows will assign a drive letter to your new NTFS partition. You can change this drive letter at any time using the same Disk Management application.

16. Close Disk Manager.

Tips & Warnings

• Always do a full, thorough format to detect and isolate physical errors on the hard disk.

• Proceed with care: Deleting a partition removes all of its data.