A D V E R T I S E M E N T

What is a hard disk partition

Partition is a physical division of hard disk storage space. To make it simple, imagine a large room, divide that room into two or more rooms by putting walls in between. In hard disk, each room is called a partition, each partition can be formatted into any file system and can store any information, and each will logically act as different hard disk. If you partition your hard disk, it will look as if you have more than one hard disk installed in your unit.

Why you should partition your hard disk

There are many reasons why you should partition your hard disk. The advantages are as follows.

• You can separate your data from the system. Meaning, you can store your operating system in one partition and your files in another partition
• You can multi boot your computer. You can install Windows XP in first partition, install Windows Vista in second partition, install Windows 7 in third partition, and store your files in another partition. The good thing is, your files are accessible from the three operating system.
• You can try to install a new operating system without deleting your existing OS, delete it safely if you don't like it. Now that Windows 7 is coming, you can try it without deleting your Windows Vista.
• Efficient use of disk space, simple file access, and enhance file security, are among the benefits of hard disk partitioning.

There are many more advantages in partitioning your hard disk, you can visit here for more information.

Steps in Partitioning your hard disk within Windows Vista

The steps below can only be done if you logged in to an account with administrative privileges in Windows Vista.

1. Under the Start menu, right-click the My Computer icon and select "Manage"
2. Double-click "Storage"
3. Double-click "Disk Management"
4. Right-click the drive you want to partition and select "Shrink"
5. Decide the amount of shrink, it will be the size of the new partition. If you want to install Windows 7 in this new partition, make sure it is at least 20 GB of space.
6. Next is to format this new partition.
   1. Right click new unallocated space that was just created
   2. Select "New Simple Volume"
   3. A "Volume Wizard" displays that will guide you through this process of formatting the new partition.
7. Change the name of the volume label to a name you can easily recognize. To rename a hard drive is as simple as renaming a folder in the desktop.

The new partition is now ready for file storage. You can transfer your files into it, install a new OS on it, do whatever you want, it's up to you. If you need more assistance in doing a partition, drop me a message and let us see if I can help you.