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How to Create Two Partitions

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By M.D.W.
eHow Contributing Writer
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Create Two Partitions
Create Two Partitions

A hard drive partition is a section of the hard drive that is assigned a letter, and is treated as a separate hard disk. Every computer has at least one partition, "C:". Creating two partitions on your hard drive will allow you to safely store the system files of your Windows operating system on one partition, safely separating them from your other software and data files. You can also use two partitions to store large programs, such as video and photo editing software separate from programs that require less space. To create two partitions on your hard drive, you can use the Disk Management tool available in Windows.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions
  1. Step 1

    Load the "Run" prompt. Click the "Start" button, then select "Run" from the right side of the Start menu. When the Run window appears, type the command "compmgmt.msc" into the text box (leaving out the quotations), then click "OK." This will load the Disk Management window.

  2. Step 2

    Run the "New Partition Wizard." Click "Disk Management" under the "Storage" heading at the bottom of the window. The right side of the window will load a graphic of your hard drive, and list its properties. If the window does not show a graphic of your hard drive, click "View" in the menu bar at the top of the window, then select "Top" or "Bottom" and click "Graphical View." Next, right-click on an unused portion of the drive, then select "New Partition." Click "Next" to start the New Partition Wizard.

  3. Step 3

    Select options for the second partition. In the New Partition Wizard, select the type of partition you want to create. You can choose to create a "Primary partition," "Extended partition," or "Logical drive." Click "Next," then select the size (in megabytes) that you want the second partition to be. Click "Next." Enter the letter you want to designate the second partition with, or select the option to have the computer automatically assign a letter.

  4. Step 4

    Select a formatting option and file system. After assigning a drive letter to the new partition, click "Next" to begin choosing formatting options. You can choose to format the partition---deleting all data---or you can skip formatting. Click "Next" to skip formatting. Otherwise, select a name for the volume label and select the file system to be used on the partition.

  5. Step 5

    Click "Finish" to complete the process. After selecting a formatting option, click "Next" to finish creating the second partition. If you chose to format the new partition, click "Next" to start the formatting process. This process may take several minutes. Once formatting is complete, your hard drive will have two partitions.

Tips & Warnings
  • Before creating a second partition on your hard drive, you should back up all of your data. You can create a maximum of four primary partitions.

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