Partitioning you hard-drive

This month in our Hot-Tips we're giving you a guide to partitioning your hard drive. It's not exactly exciting but it is a handy skill to know, especially if you have a large hard drive or if you run multiple operating systems from one machine.The other great benefit of partitioning your hard drive is that you can make one partition for your operating system (say, Windows) and the other for your data (documents, pictures, music, etc).  If you ever need to reinstall your operating system, you can do so quickly and safely as all of your data is safely on the other partition.

Our guest author is Craig Lake from Amnet's Customer Care Team who has provided an excellent guide for you. Craig has provided a step-by-step guide with images for each operating system.

Please note, that before you attempt to make any changes to your hard drives, we strongly recommend that you back up your data, just in case something does go wrong. Only people with a good level of computer skills should consider attempting this process.

Windows 7 & Vista

Please note that Vista and Windows 7 screenshots are very similar and as a result we have not provided separate images or instructions.

Start by clicking on the Start button then right-click on My Computer and then select Manage from the dropdown menu. See Figure 1.

Figure 1

On the left hand side of the opened menu, click Disk Management. See Figure 2.

Figure 2

Now find the disk you wish to partition from the list at the bottom of the page. See Figure 3.

Figure 3

Then right-click on the drive you wish to partition and click on 'Shrink Volume'. It will then ask you how what size you want the partition to be, in MB (Mega Bytes). Specify the amount of space you want on your new drive in MB (there are 1,000MB to every GB) and click the shrink button. See Figure 4.

Figure 4

Once this is done you will notice that your hard drive is 'Unallocated'. Right-click on the unallocated drive, then choose New Simple Volume and click Next three times on the box that appears.

On the screen that follows, you will notice an option called 'Volume Label', this is the name of your hard drive. Rename it, then click Next and Finish and you are now done! See Figure 5.

Figure 5

In My Computer you will now see your brand new drive, ready to use.

Windows XP

Start by clicking on the Start button then right-click on My Computer and then select Manage from the dropdown menu. See Figure 6.

Figure 6

On the left hand side of the opened menu, click Disk Management. See Figure 7.

Figure 7

Now find the disk you wish to partition from the list at the bottom of the page. See Figure 8.

Figure 8

IMPORTANT NOTE: With Microsoft XP you will not be able to partition a drive without erasing it first. We strongly recommend that you backup all your data beforehand as ALL data will be lost once you partition it. Once you have done so right-click on your drive and select Delete Partition.

Then click Yes, to delete your drive. See Figure 9.

Figure 9

Your drive should then appear as the drive does in Figure 10.

Figure 10

Once this is complete, right-click on the unallocated drive and select New Partition, this open a new window.

Click Next twice until you arrive at the screen in Figure 11.

Figure 11

You will now be able to choose the partition size of your hard drive. A quick tip, make sure you have already planned the size for each partition as a mistake will mean you will have to repeat this process. When you have entered the size, click Next twice until you arrive at the screen in Figure 12.

Figure 12

Here, select the same options previously selected; like the file system type and allocation unit size. However, when you are entering the 'Volume Label' details ensure you select a new name, this will be the name of your drive.

Once complete click Next and then Finish.

Now that that is finished, your new drive will be visible, as seen in Figure 13.

Figure 13

To repeat the process, right-click on the drive marked 'Unallocated' and select New Partition. Again you can run the wizard, exactly as we have described, repeating the same steps. The end result will look something like Figure 14.

Figure 14

A visit to My Computer will reveal your new drives ready to use. It's that easy.

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
Note: These images and instructions are uniform for Mac OS X 10.

To partition a drive on Mac OS X you will need to go to your applications folder then go to Utilities and click on Disk Utility.

Once there you will need to select the disk you wish to partition from the list and click Partition.
See Figure 15.

Figure 15

Now click on the add (+) button at the bottom left. You can drag the dividers between the volumes.
See Figure 16.

Figure 16

Alternatively, you can select a hard drive, and enter the size.

Now choose a name for your drive in the name field. Below the name field, select the format option.
Then select GUID Partition Table and click OK then Apply.

You are now able to use your new partition.

That's it for this months Hot-Tips, be sure to read next month issue as we discuss what software is out there to help you provide remote support to your family and friends.

Disclaimer: This newsletter is intended for general information only and Amnet is not able to support software packages. The user assumes all responsibility and risk for their use.