How to Partition an Acer Notebook

Partitions work like separate hard drives

Partitioning your Acer notebook is an easy way to add security. Data stored on another partition is entirely separate from data on the first, so if one partition is infected by a virus, it will not affect data in the other partition. Multiple partitions can also be used to run two operating systems on the same computer, so there are compatibility advantages as well. Windows Vista and Windows 7 come with a disk management utility that allows you to shrink existing partitions in order to make room for new partitions.

Things You'll Need

• Windows Vista or Windows 7

Instructions

1. Press the "Windows" key and the "R" key simultaneously. This will bring up a new window, labeled "Run," with a box to type in.

2. Type "diskmgmt.msc" into the "Run" window, and press "Enter" to bring up the Windows disk management utility.

3. Right-click your current hard drive (this is usually the "C" drive). Select "shrink volume." You will be prompted to select how much you want to shrink it. The amount that you shrink this volume will be how much space you will have for the second partition. When you've decided how much to shrink this partition, click "Shrink."

4. Right-click the unallocated space, and select "New Partition." This will bring up the New Partition Wizard to help guide you through the process.

5. Set the new space as a "Primary Partition" when the Wizard prompts you to, and set the size of the new partition.

6. Select a letter that the new partition will be designated as (such as "D"), and then format the partition using the NTFS system when it prompts you to select a file system. Click "Finish" to complete the new partition process.

Tips & Warnings

• Earlier versions of Windows also have a disk management utility, but they are unable to shrink existing partitions, so you must have existing unallocated space in order to use these to create new partitions, or you can use partitioning software such as "Partition Magic" to manage the partitions on your hard drive.

• You can set the new partition's size as large as the unallocated space, or smaller to create multiple new partitions. To create more partitions, repeat steps 4 through 6.

• When you first format your drive, you will be given a choice between using the FAT32 or NTFS file system. NTFS is the default file system for Windows XP and newer. The FAT32 system is more subject to disk errors, and does not support file compression.

References

• Microsoft Support: How to Use Disk Management
• How-To Geek: Resize a Partition in Windows 7 or Vista
• The Elder Geek: FAT32 vs. NTFS

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• The Free Country: Free Partitioning Software (Partition Editors, Managers, and Recovery Tools)