How to Delete Partition in Windows Manager

A partition is a dedicated area on a computer hard drive. Windows operating systems treat each partition as a separate logical drive. Generally, dividing a hard drive on partitions helps you organize the file system. Windows management tools allow you to delete partitions and then partition a hard drive differently. Deleting a partition also permits you to quickly erase data from the drive.

Instructions

1. Open an administrator-level user account in Windows XP/Vista/7.

2. Click the "Start" button in the lower left part of your screen.

3. If you use Windows Vista/7:
   Type "Computer Management" and press "Enter."

   If you use Windows XP:
   Click "Control Panel" and then Performance and Maintenance." Click "Administrative Tools" and "Computer Management."

4. Click on the "+" sign to expand the tab "Storage."

5. Click "Disk Management." Note that the Disk Management window contains the graphic representation of each hard drive partition.

6. Right-click on the partition you want to delete and select "Delete Volume" from the context menu. Then click "Yes" to confirm.

Tips & Warnings

• Back up all important data before the partition deletion since this procedure will eliminate all data on that drive.

References

• Vista4beginners.com: How to Manage Your Disks Using Only Windows Vista's Disk Management Tool
• "Windows Vista: The Missing Manual;" David Pogue; 2006