When referring to a computer hard drive, a disk partition is a section of the hard drive that is separate from other segments. Partitions allow users to divide a physical disk into logical sections. For example, allow multiple operating systems to run on the same device.
Then partitions allow you to segment a hard drive or drive in order to separate programs from files or install a second operating system .
When we talk of “unity” labeled with C: , D: and so on, we are actually talking about partitions, sections of physical unit. Each hard drive has at least one partition. You can shrink a partition and create new ones from the extra space. This is useful if you want to install more than one operating system or if you want to separate programs and data.
To understand which and how many partitions are present on your PC, just double click on the “This PC” icon on the desktop and a folder will open that will show the devices and drives (partitions) present in the system. In the following figure an example of a PC with two partitions: partition C: on which the operating system is installed and partition D: on which it is possible to save programs and various data.
It is always a good idea to have a C: partition dedicated to the operating system so that Windows does not slow down or crash due to too much data on its partition.
How to add one or more partitions on the PC
It is very easy to add partitions on the PC. Here, however, we want to point out the precautions to be taken and the steps to follow in order to partition the PC without risking losing data or causing trouble!
Step 1: Make a full backup of your entire drive if you don’t already have one. Disasters happen. In this regard you can also read this guide: how to backup dle PC
Step 2: Make sure you have enough free space on the existing partition and it will be used to create the new partition. To make space on the disk (and therefore on the partition) you might think about finding and removing duplicate files, deleting unnecessary files and emptying the recycle bin.
If you don’t have enough space yet, you can move the files to an external drive. Once the partitioning is done you can move them back to the new partition.
Step 3: Use a partitioning tool.
This is the fundamental step. There are so many tools and software designed to add partitions on your PC or to manage them. Among these we must certainly mention the tool integrated into Windows and which is called Disk Management
To open this tool, type the word ” partition ” in the search bar and click on the result “Create and format hard drive partitions”
The ” Disk Management ” tool will open :
Now right click on the partition (from which to create the new one) and select Shrink Volume .
A window will open asking you how much you want to shrink the partition. The default number will be the maximum available.
And herein lies the problem with Disk Management: if the current partition has 228GB available, you should be able to shrink it down to 227GB. But Disk Management may not allow you to reduce it that much. The drive may have 23GB of free space, but Disk Management may only allow 12GB. If the program does not allow you to shrink the partition as much as you want, it is better to use an alternative software such as Partition Assistant , one of the best programs on the market that can manage PC partitions without limitations of any kind.
This program allows you to add partitions on your PC quickly and easily and allows you to shrink the partition until there is almost no more space available. Here is the link from which you can download and install this program:
Support Windows 10/8/7 / Vista & XP
After installation launch the program and you will see this splash screen:
To add a new partition to the system you can either left click on the “create partition” option or right click on the source partition from which to create the new one. The following figure describes the 3 clicks to do to start creating a new partition on the selected disk:
If for example you have a partition E: \ very large, eg. 100 GB, after selecting it in the program and clicking on “ create partition ” you can create a new partition smaller than 100GB (even 99.9GB) from it, which will be identified by the letter F: \.
Finally click on OK to return to the initial screen and here click on “ Apply ” at the top to confirm the operations and implement them.
You will have added a new partition on your PC without any risk to your data!
