Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD

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    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD

    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD

    Use the Free Partition Wizard Bootable CD
    Published by
    Designer Media Ltd


    Use the Bootable Partition Wizard CD to Make Changes to the Windows Partition Structure

    This outlines several uses for the Partition Wizard Bootable Disk (PWBD) some of which Windows is not able to do natively, to include converting an Extended partition / Logical drive to a Primary partition, to wipe secure erase a single partition and how to Shrink/Resize the left side of a Windows partition.
       Information

    Partition Wizard is a very reliable tool for your tool kit and it's a free download for home / personal use, first download the PWBD ISO file to the desktop, be sure to get the PWBD and not the installed version; scroll down to see the download link for the Bootable CD ISO file at this link below.

    Partition Wizard Free Bootable CD

    Then you will need to burn the ISO to a CD, it was designed for use and works best from a CD rather than a DVD; it doesn't take any input at all from the user for Partition Wizard CD to setup, just relax and let it load all on its own.
       Warning

    As with anything that makes changes to the Windows structure there is always the chance for an error to occur, it would be advisable to make reliable backups to the external media of your choice of any important data, i.e. pictures, music or documents, that you would not want to lose before you make any changes to your system.

    Let's get started!
    To boot the disk, in the BIOS set the PC boot order to boot first from the CD/DVD drive, insert the PWBD and restart the PC, it'll take a few minutes for it to setup with no input from the user needed.
    Once the program has started you can remove the CD from the drive if you like.




    Option One

    Convert Extended / Logical to Primary


    There are many reasons one may want to convert an Extended partition / Logical drive to a Primary partition, though I'm just going to show how here without going into why; this first snip below shows the partition structure I'm starting with.

    Have a look at Method Two in this tutorial for a totally different type option.

    Partition / Extended : Logical Drives
    click an image to enlarge
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-1.1.jpg
    1) In the PW program right click the Extended / Logical to be converted and click Modify then click Set as Primary.
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-1.2.jpg
    2) At the top left in the action bar click Apply then click Yes for the "Apply Changes" conformation dialog box; the whole process only takes seconds.
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-1.3.jpg
    3) Then OK for the "Successful" dialog box and this is what you will have.

    That's all, you're finished; remove the CD from the drive, at the upper left corner click General then Exit to close the Partition Wizard program and restart Windows.
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-1.5.jpg
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-1.6.jpg



    Option Two

    Wipe a Partition


       Warning

    This method will completely overwrite any Partition or entire Hard Disk Drive / Solid State Drive that it's pointed at, it's known as a secure erase and after it finishes any and all data will not be recoverable at all, even by the best data recovery software so copy out or backup anything you don't want to lose before you start this procedure.

    To be sure you have the correct partition for the wipe, type diskmgmt.msc into the Windows start menu start search box to view Windows disk management.

    To boot the disk, in the BIOS set the PC boot order to boot first from the CD/DVD drive, insert the PWBD and restart the PC, it'll take a few minutes for it to setup with no input from the user needed.
    Once the program has started you can remove the CD from the drive if you like.

    1) In Partition Wizard right click the partition you want to wipe secure erase and click Wipe Partition.
    click an image to enlarge
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-2.1.jpg
    2) Select the type wipe you want in the dialog box that opens and click OK.
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-2.2.jpg
    3) At the top left in the action bar click Apply; then for the "Apply Changes" dialog box click Yes to start the wipe.
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-2.3.jpg
    4) You will get a Pending box during the wipe; to do this 30GB took less than 20 minutes, on average they take about 1 hour per 300GB to complete; when it finishes click OK for the "Successful" dialog box.

    That's all, you're finished; remove the CD from the drive, at the upper left corner click General then Exit to close the Partition Wizard program and restart Windows.
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-2.5.jpg



    Option Three

    Shrink the Left Side of a Windows Partition


    The issue here is that Windows disk management will only shrink a partition from the right side, it will not natively shrink the left side of a partition and Partition Wizard will; this is useful in this type situation where you need to add space to the Windows C: partition and there is an existing data partition in the way and nowhere to move the data.

    To boot the disk, in the BIOS set the PC boot order to boot first from the CD/DVD drive, insert the PWBD and restart the PC, it'll take a few minutes for it to setup with no input from the user needed.
    Once the program has started you can remove the CD from the drive if you like.
    click an image to enlarge
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-3.1.jpg
    1) In the Partition Wizard program right click the partition you want to shrink and at the very top of the drop down menu that opens click Move/Resize.
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-3.2.jpg
    2) In the Move/Resize box click to hold and drag the left side of the border / slider and drag it to the size you want to shrink the partition and click OK.
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-3.3.jpg
    3) At the top left in the action bar click Apply then click Yes for the "Apply Changes" conformation dialog box.
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-3.4.jpg
    4) You will get a "Pending" graph but it depends how much data that has to be moved to know how long it will take, just relax and let it work without interruption; when it finishes click OK for the "Successful" dialog box.

    This will give you unallocated space in Windows disk management that can be created into a completely new partition or the Windows C: partition can be extended into the created unallocated space so the C: partition can be expanded; see the second snip down.

    That's all, you're finished; remove the CD from the drive, at the upper left corner click General then Exit to close the Partition Wizard program and restart Windows.
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-3.6.jpg
    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD-3.8.jpg
    Enjoy! :)




  1. Posts : 12,177
    Windows 7 Ult x64 - SP1/ Windows 8 Pro x64
       #1

    Nice tutorial BFK, this will help a lot, always seems to be questions on how to do this.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 22,814
    W 7 64-bit Ultimate
    Thread Starter
       #2

    Hello Dave, that's why I did it, I hope a lot of people find it useful.
      My Computer

  3.    #3

    It looks perfect to me.

    I'll keep it at the top of my Bookmarks and refer Users to Options 1-3 to see how they get on.

    (You should be repped for your hard work by everyone who uses this, by clicking the scales in your posts above and saying thanks! )
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 22,814
    W 7 64-bit Ultimate
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Thank you very much Greg.
      My Computer

  5.    #5

    Note you can also wipe the entire HD from the Disk tab. It offers various levels of zeroing (one is enough) up to 3 passes which is the DOD standard.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 22,814
    W 7 64-bit Ultimate
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Thanks Greg, I'll have a look at that.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 8
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #7

    Thanks a lot BFK, for this very helpful and informative post.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 22,814
    W 7 64-bit Ultimate
    Thread Starter
       #8

    Hello Chris H, welcome to Seven Forums!





    I'm very glad it was a help to you, thanks for the feedback.
      My Computer

  9.    #9

    Barefoot, I believe that running Startup Repair to repair the MBR is a critical enough step that it should have an illustrated Step 4 in Option One, rather than just a note that might be missed.
      My Computer


 
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