How to Partition a Hard Drive Mac Book Pro

Apple MacBook Pro laptops running the Mac OS X operating system must use the HFS+ file system to install and function correctly. When a MacBook Pro is shipped from the factory, it is already partitioned and contains a working installation of Mac OS X. You can partition the hard drive in a MacBook Pro with the Apple Disk Utility program if you wish to reinstall Mac OS X or to create additional partitions on the laptop computer.

Instructions

1. Insert the Mac OS X install disc into the disc drive, then restart the computer.

2. Press and hold the "C" key to boot the computer from the disc.

3. Click the "Next" arrow.

4. Click the "Utilities" menu and click "Disk Utility."

5. Select the MacBook Pro's internal hard drive in the left column of the window.

6. Click the "Partition" tab.

7. Choose the number of desired partitions under "Volume Scheme" to completely erase the hard drive. Alternatively, click the plus sign under "Volume Scheme" to add a new partition, then drag the divider to allocate the desired amount of space to each partition.

8. Click "Apply," then "Partition" to save the settings.

Tips & Warnings

• Choosing the number of partitions under "Volume Scheme" is a destructive process. Be sure to back up any important data before proceeding.

• Adding a partition to the existing partition layout is a nondestructive process.