** Partitioning in Windows 7 - Help needed urgently **

[gladiator]

Hi everyone,

I am new to windows 7. Recently i bought a laptop with windows pre-installed in it.
I have a HD drive of 500gb. Windows is already preinstalled on it. I Want to partition the drive without affecting any data. I loaded some 30 gb data already on the drive. I want to partition the 450gb drive into 3/4 drives each of 100gb, such that i can allocate the Os with a drive and remaining 2/3 with my personal data songs, movies...etc.

I want to partition the drive and I don't know how??? Can anyone please explain me step by step how to do it. The main point here is do i need to again reformat the whole drive such that before re-installing Windows 7 i can partition it (or) do i have any alternate solution such that while running windows I can partition the current drive without affecting any data other than system files....

Please help me ........

Thanks.

 

[Tews]

I dont think its possible to do without affecting your data, but I could be wrong...

 

[gladiator]

just tell me exactly,

as i need to do it this night

if i need to back up the data, how can i do it

please help me anyone....

 

[ilesal]

A good start would be to back up your data onto an external drive.

Type partition into the start menu search box.

When you create a partition it will be empty. You will have to create a folder with your say, Music, add the back up data and create a link in your Music folder on your OS, (add to library.)

Just out of curiosity why all the partitions? If the hard drive fails you still loose everything.

 

[Barman58]

I assume at the moment you have a single drive with the OS and the programs at the beginning of the drive in a single Primary partition.

What you need to do is to first shrink the existing single partition to your desired 100GB, this will give you a 100GB partition and an un-allocated area of 400GB

You would (due to restrictions in windows); need to create an extended partition and then create 3/4 logical drives within this partition.

Although this may be done within windows using the built in Disc Maintenance Application in Computer Management - I would advise that for better control you use a 3rd party tool.

Many are available both free and chargeable - I personally use the partition wizard Bootable disk

Partition Wizard is a Windows based FREE Partition Manager. It works as partition magic and supports Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008 server and Windows 7. FREE for Home and Business user.

   Warning

Although this is a generally safe procedure things can sometimes go wrong - read fully and be sure you understand the procedure and I would strongly advise that you back up any irreplaceable personal files before you begin just in case

 

[macgyver2]

I do this to every laptop I have used. If I remember correctly the built in disk manager won't allow you to do this. 3rd party software is needed since it needs to move data around to not destroy your installation.

ilesal, granted if the drive fails its all gone. I do it for when I am out and the OS fails I have a second partition with everything I need to restore my computer to a working state. I also have 2 partitions to keep my person files away from the OS so in case of the OS is trashed all my personal files are still safe.

 

[tbernstein]

barman58 seems to have it right. You can use the built in disc manager, but it has limitations. In particular, when you try to shrink an existing partition it won't always let you.
Most well known partition programmes give you more control. The paid ones aren't very expensive. In the UK they are often given away free on magazine covers, I don't know about the USA.
I tend to mistrust the freeware ones, as being complicated or just unknown, ( you don't trust your partitions to anything unreliable), but I looked at the partition wizard site and it sounds good. And since there is a recommendation here, it is presumably going to be alright.

That being said, if you're not sure, don't do it. Just make folders for all the data.
I admit, I do have lots of partitions, spread over two hard drive, but there are plenty of threads on various web sites that contain postings querying why you'd want to.
I do it for he same reason you do - organisation and also to protect data if I have to reinstall Windows.
(I use Paragon Partition manager - free from a magazine)

 

[gladiator]

thanks guyz for all the replies,

Finally i am thinking of just reloading windows 7 again, So that at the installation time it asks me the option of partitioning. So using this partition option I am going to divide my whole HD. Is it safe to do it??? Is it possible using my laptop with an Windows 7 OEM.

Anyone just help me regarding this doubt......
Thanks...

 

[SIW2]

Hi,

Because you only added another 30gb of data - Windows Disk Management should be fine for the job.

Type partition into start search box. When Create and Format Hard Disk Partitions pops up, click it.

You will see the drive in the next window.

Rt click the Big Windows partition and select Shrink.

Shrink it to 100 gb.

You then have a bit under 400gb Unallocated space.

Rt click the Unallocated space and create a New simple volume - select the entire amount and quick format as NTFS. The drive letter it offers by default should be fine.

If you already had 3 partitions on the drive ( you might as there may be a couple put on there by the OEM, you will actually be creating an Extended partition( It will have a Green border ).

Windows always makes the 4th partition an Extended.

You can make further sub divisions inside that - called Logical drives - in exactly the same way.

Rt click the new approx 300gb partition/ Logical drive you just created and select shrink - select 100gb

You will then have about 200gb Free space. Rt click that and create a new Simple Volume of 100gb - Quick Format to ntfs and accept the drive letter.

Then create another Logical drive from the remaining 100gb.

 

[gregrocker]

bumped * good advice^^

 

[gladiator]

@SIW2,

yeah i am gonna try it, i'll let u know when i am done.

Thanks

 

[pat247]

I have used the "shrink partitian" feature in disk management, in both Vista and Win 7, on a 500 GB drive with about 25 GB of data. Both times that I have used this built-in feature it was easy and did not cause any problems. When I did this last week in Win 7, I actually did a double shrink, the first cut the drive in half, then I decided to make it smaller so I cut another 100 GB. I then made a new simple volume of the unallocated space that remained. When I made the new simple volume I could have set it to whatever size I wanted so I can only assume that I could have set up multiple partitions. I think this feature work as well as third party apps that were needed in the past so you might want to give it a try before spending any cash.

 

[Barman58]

I have used the "shrink partitian" feature in disk management, in both Vista and Win 7, on a 500 GB drive with about 25 GB of data. Both times that I have used this built-in feature it was easy and did not cause any problems. When I did this last week in Win 7, I actually did a double shrink, the first cut the drive in half, then I decided to make it smaller so I cut another 100 GB. I then made a new simple volume of the unallocated space that remained. When I made the new simple volume I could have set it to whatever size I wanted so I can only assume that I could have set up multiple partitions. I think this feature work as well as third party apps that were needed in the past so you might want to give it a try before spending any cash.

I agree totally that the built in facility is adequate for basic re-partitioning tasks - where 3rd party solutions are needed is the occasions when you need to do more that basic tasks. Also these 3rd party apps need not cost anything other than the time to download and learn how to use them

The built in app cannot for example move partitions or recover space at the front of a drive - and of course windows has to be running to use the app - this is sometimes not an option

 

[pat247]

Nigel, I totally agree with what you say, third party apps are necessary if you need to get down and dirty and go beyond the basics. I`m sure the built in feature is very limited but a welcome feature non the less.

 

[Johnson]

You can use the built in disc manager, but it has limitations. In particular, when you try to shrink an existing partition it won't always let you.

The reason that happens sometimes is because the built in manager doesn't copy and move data that it encounters, so it will stop if the data sits beyond the smaller size specified for the partition.

Defrag before attempting shrinkage.

Using third party managers such as Partitiion Wizard (free) copy and move data within the new size limit.

 

[gregrocker]

When I have shrinking problems, I use free Auslogics Disk Defragger to see a map of the defragging. Where it shows a system file way off on the far right side of the partition, sometimes there is only one way to move it:

Download Perfect Disk 2k trial, right-click on your drive, choose offline defragmentation and choose the system files you want to shift.

Here is the tutorial where I learned about this. http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/wind...ows-vistas-shrink-volume-inadequacy-problems/ Note comments raving about PerfectDisk option.

 

[gladiator]

@SIW2,

It perfectly worked. I successfully shrinked the drive to 100gb. Thanks for ur advice.

Cheers,
TSG

 

[tbernstein]

The thing about the built in software is that it's probably best to keep the first partition as large as possible - you can always reallocate later.

This is because, if you have 2 or more partitions and you want to shrink the second or subsequent partition and then use the space to grow an adjacent one, it will only let you expand if there is space on the left of the next partition. But when you use the shrink option it seems only to create space on the right hand (i.e the wrong ) side of the shrunk partition.