Windows 64 Disk Management Tools
Windows 64-bit is available for the Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems. A computer can run faster with 64-bit chips which allow for better utilization of random access memory (RAM). The Windows graphical interface for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems is the same. The disk management console contains tools used to alter computer hard drives. The disk management tool is very similar across all three of the above-mentioned operating systems.
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Access
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In 64-bit Windows XP, Vista and 7, you can access the disk management console by going to the start menu and selecting "Control Panel." From the control panel, double-click on the "Performance and Maintenance" icon. Once there, double-click on the "Administrative Tools" icon. "Computer Management" will be one of the options that you can click in the left sidebar. Disk management can be more easily accessed by clicking on the "Start" tab and typing in diskmgmt.msc. Click on diskmgmt.msc and the disk management utility will open.
Information
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After you click on "Disk management," you will see: compact disc, DVD and hard drives. Click on each piece of hardware to see how large the size of the drive is, in what format the files are partitioned and whether the drive is healthy. You can adjust how the information appears by right-clicking on the "Disk Management" icon and selecting one of the choices from the "View" tab.
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Format
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Some computer users choose to reformat their hard drives if they have been corrupted or damaged. This will wipe the hard drive clean and install a new partition (file system). However, all of your computer programs and files on the drive will be deleted. To format a hard drive, right-click on the "Hard Drive" icon in the center of the disk management console screen. One option available will be labeled "Format." Click on this item to bring up a format window, which will allow you to rename the hard drive and select either an NTFS or FAT file system format. You can choose either a quick format or a full format. While the quick format takes less time, the full format feature scans for damaged hard drive sectors. Press "OK," after selecting your desired formatting option, to begin reformatting the drive.
Label
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You can rename hard drives with the Windows disk management console. You may choose to rename a hard drive volume any letter of the alphabet. Users change device names in order to better keep track of the directory paths of their hard drives.
Shrink
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The disk management console allows you to modify the size of your hard drives. Some users shrink their hard drives in order to make room for a new file partition. This may be helpful, if installing a different copy of Windows on the same machine, as two copies of Windows cannot be installed on the same file partition. You can also use the shrink function to partially format a drive.
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References
- Photo Credit hard drive interior image by Curtis Sorrentino from Fotolia.com
