How to Partition a Computer in Windows XP for Beginners
Partitioning a hard drive configures it into sections so that the operating system can find the stored information. Disk Management is a tool bundled with the Windows XP operating system. This tool is used to partition a hard drive in XP. The tool makes it easy for beginners to partition the hard drive, and it even has a wizard that guides the user through the process. Once the drive is partitioned, you can use it on your Windows XP machine as a backup disk or additional storage space for your programs.
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Instructions
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Click the Windows Start button and select "Run." In the text box, enter "compmgmt.msc" and press the "OK" button. This opens the Disk Management tool.
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Right-click the free space indicated by a long, black-colored label. From the pop-up menu, click the "New Partition" menu item. The opening screen is a welcome screen for the disk partitioning wizard. Click "Next" to start the process.
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Select "Primary Partition" and click the "Next" button. In the next screen, Windows prompts you with the default amount of available free space on the machine. You can keep this number and use all of the available space for the partition, or change it to a smaller number to only use some of it. The free space is represented in megabytes. Click the "Next" button.
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Check the box labeled "Format this partition with the following settings." Enter a volume label. The volume label is the letter assigned to the partition. For instance, your main hard drive partition is labeled "C." Click the "Next" button.
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Click the "Finish" button. This completes the process and the new partition is created. When the wizard closes, you now see the new partition in Disk Management.
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