Windows 7: Installed new HDD

Hi to you all.
I just installed a new 750 GB HDD with the intention of using it for my back-up's.
Not to put any O.S's on it. This is the message I get by going to device manager.
Can any one tell me what would be the next step or steps in order to get so far to be able to start doing my back-up's.
Any help would be appreciated.

Hello pare.

You have to right click here.

Hi Bare foot kid,
Thanks for helping me out.
Now it doesn't say not initialized. It says on line. I know you should partition a hdd if the intention is to
put an O.S. on it. But in this case what should I do with this unallocated space in order to use this hdd
for my back-up's. Should I partition it? Should I make a primary partition? This is new to me!

You won't be able to put anything on it unless you partition and format it.

For data, a logical partition is fine. You only need a primary partition for a partition from where you want to boot.

Hi SIW2 and WHS.
Thanks for your reply.
How much space do I need for my back-up's. Can I take for instance half of the HDD
for my back-up's and leave the rest unallocated? Maybe half of the HDD is too much?

If you are talking images with Macrium, figure that you need about 55% of the data you image for each image - e.g if you have a 300GB partition containing 100GBs of data, the image would be 55GBs. Only the amount of data counts, not the size of the partition.

I take an image nearly daily and always keep about a dozen - plus some real old ones on a seperate disk.

Hello again.



It would be ok to make 2 equal partitions and be sure to Label (name) then so it will be easy to recognize which is which; have a look at this tutorial at the link below and be sure to post back with any further questions you may have and to keep us informed.


How to Create a New Partition or Volume in Windows 7