How to Partition a Raw Drive

Partition your hard drive to store information more efficiently.

Partitioning a hard drive allows for the creation of different sectors for information storage or operating system usage. A partition not only stores data but also helps in safety encryption. Partitioning a raw drive is a simple process and can be done in a few steps.

Instructions

1. Click on the "Start" button, then click on the "Run" button to access a window where you can access the Command Prompt screen. This is where you will be able to access the various drives in your computer and partition them.

2. Type in "cmd" in the text box. This will bring up the Command Prompt screen. You will be able to partition any number of drives here and this will allow you to use multiple operating systems. On some computers, you will be able to access the Command Prompt screen simply by clicking on the "Start" button and then locating the Command Prompt option.

3. Type "fdisk" in the Command Prompt text box. A new screen will appear where you will have three options. Type in "1" to select the "Primary DOS Partition" option. Then type in "2" to select the "Create Extended DOS Partition" option.

4. Type in "yes" or "no" when the prompt asks you if you want to use all the hard drive space to create a partition. If you select "no" then you will be able to create multiple partitions. If you select "yes" then you will create a primary partition only.

5. Enter the hard drive space that your new partition should contain. You can enter values in terms of megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB) or even in terms of percentages. Just make sure to enter the "%" character following the number.

6. Type in a designation for your partitioned drive. At this point, you can continue creating more partitions or you can type in "esc" to exit the Command Prompt.

References

• Radified: Fdisk Guide to Hard Drive Partitioning
• AOMEI Technology: Guidelines on How To Partition a Hard Drive
• Windows XP A to Z: Command Prompt Quick Edit Mode