How to Partition a Disk From a DOS Prompt

The DOS command DISKPART is available in NT-based operating systems such as Windows XP.

The DOS DISKPART command is available in NT-based operating systems such as Windows XP. With this command, you can initialize a new hard drive and prepare it to have data saved on it. The DISKPART command also has the ability to perform certain scripted operations if you need to partition a large number of hard drives automatically. Use DISKPART to partition a hard drive from a DOS prompt.

Instructions

1. Open a command prompt if you are at the Windows desktop by clicking the Windows logo and "R" keys simultaneously then typing "cmd" without quotation marks and pressing "Enter."

2. Type "diskpart" at the command prompt and press "Enter." The prompt now says "DISKPART>."

3. Type "list disk" and press "Enter." Diskpart lists all the hard drives that are detected in the computer. Make a note of both the number (e.g., "Disk 1") and size (e.g., "50000 MB") of the hard drive that you want to partition.

4. Type "select disk" followed by the number of the drive that you recorded in the previous step. For example, if the number of the drive is "1" you would type "select disk 1." Press "Enter." The program responds with "Disk (number) is now the selected disk."

5. Type "create partition primary size=50000" and press "Enter." Substitute the number after "size" for the size of the hard drive in megabytes recorded in Step 3. Alternatively, type "create partition primary" to use the full available size of the hard drive automatically.

6. Select a drive letter assignment that is not currently being used. If you do not know which letter to use, double-click the "Computer" or "My Computer" icon on the desktop to see the letter assignments that are currently in use.

7. Type "assign letter=" followed by the letter that you decided on in the previous step. For example, if you decided on the letter "E," type "assign letter=e" and press "Enter."

8. Close the command prompt. The new hard drive will be visible the next time you launch Windows Explorer.

References

• Microsoft Support Website: A Description of the Diskpart Command-line Utility