Sections hard disk are divided into basic and logical. The main type of disk partition has another name - primary. Primary or primary disk partitions are used to start the OS. This system partition C directly installs the operating system. There is a small section in which space is reserved (100, 350 or 500 MB), which since the version of Windows 7 is used for the needs of the operating system.
The logical drive is functionally the same as the main drives. The main and logical partitions contain information. The only difference is that it cannot be done from logical partitions of the disk. windows startup... If the system partition C is converted into a logical partition from the main one, then Windows will not function fully.
In all cases, it will not boot if you logically create a small technical section where there is a reserved space for storing boot data.
Let's take a look at what a logical drive is and how to convert them from one type to another.
A single hard drive can use up to four primary partitions if there are no logical drives. If it becomes necessary to create more than four partitions on the disk, then the new created fourth partition and all subsequent ones must be logical. After creating the three main sections, the fourth will be extended or additional. It is in the form of a container that can be divided into many logical partitions.
Formation of logical and basic partitions
The standard Windows disk management utility does not provide the user with options for choosing the type of partition. This utility creates the optimal layout itself for most cases. By default, the first 3 sections she creates become the main ones. Starting from the 4th, all partitions created by this utility automatically become logical. Now the sense of how to create logical drives without using third-party software is clear.
AOMEI Partition Assistant
This principle of operation is also incorporated in a third-party disk space manager - AOMEI Partition Assistant... At the beginning, three partitions are created by the main ones by default, and from the fourth - logical ones. AOMEI Partition Assistant differs from standard windows utilities the presence of an advanced mode of settings for creating disk partitions. There you can manually select a logical or basic type for the first three partitions you create.
Paragon Hard Disk Manager
Paragon Hard Disk Manager is also a fan of template presets. In the default settings for creating a disk partition, the first 3 partitions are considered basic. As in the previous software, the logical structure of the disk can be set manually. It is referred to as an extended structure in the application interface.
Acronis Disk Director
Unlike the above software, in Acronis Disk Director has no template parameters. By default, a logical partition is used in the form for creating new partitions. The parameters of this section must be changed manually. To create a main section, you need to select the inscription "Main" and next to the "Active" item, if a section is being formed for Windows.
Replacing a logical partition on a primary disk and vice versa
In what situations may it become necessary to change the logical type of a disk partition and back? The need for such a process is associated with unsuccessful experiments during the transformation of system windows partitions into logical ones from the main ones. This also includes the problems that may arise with the installation of Windows, when only logical partitions were initially created on the hard drive.
The reverse operation, which consists in converting to a logical primary partition, may become relevant when the hard drive has more primary disks than is necessary for a particular job. For example, this is needed when restoring Windows from backup to the section that is different from the original. Here we are talking about transferring the system to another hard drive, where distribution has already been carried out. It is important to preserve the structure and information of non-system sections. The "inhabited" Windows from a backup copy is restored to the system partition.
If the hard drive has 4 main partitions without logical ones, or there are 3 main partitions, and the rest are logical, then the software for reserve copy in some situations will not be able to perform the operation windows recovery... The backup may contain more than one system C partition, but also a technical section, where space is reserved for the needs of Windows. System partition C and this small partition upon completion of the restore operation, if possible, would divide the main partition into 2 partitions, which are also main. It turns out that the rule is violated - either 3 main partitions, and the rest are logical, or 4 main partitions without logical ones.
In such a situation, the problem is solved as follows: converting one of the non-system partitions with the contained files from the main to the logical one. The question of how to combine logical drives is a rather non-trivial task.
Installing Windows on a logical disk partition
If the hard drive has main partitions, even in the case of purposeful installation of Windows on a logical partition, the OS will independently convert it to the main partition during the installation. Windows is able to get out even from such a situation when the limit on the main partitions has been exhausted. The arrangement of the technical section will be made on any main section available for this.
If there are only logical partitions on the hard drive, then Windows will not want to be installed at the stage of choosing a disk partition. It will be more convenient if there are no data on the hard drive or they will not be of particular importance.
The problem is easy to solve using the tools at hand installation disk OS:
- Existing logical partitions of the disk must be removed using the "Delete" item.
- In their place, new sections will be formed using the "Create" button.
- To gain access to these buttons, select the "Disk Setup" option.
If the disk does not need to be divided into partitions, for example, a 60 GB SSD is used, then you can not create any partitions. You just need to install Windows on "Unallocated Disk Space".
When there is a huge amount of data on the hard disk, then you need to use special software to work with disk space.
Converting primary disk partition to logical and vice versa
Nominated logical organization file system when creating a partition is subsequently not changed by the standard Windows utility. To resolve the issue, you can use a more functional solution in the form of Acronis Disk Director 12.
Conversion process:
- Select the partition table in the program window.
- Then it calls the context menu in the section. In the case of the main partition, the function "Convert to logical" is selected.
- We confirm the decision.
- Applying the expected operation.
- Another confirmation of the decision by clicking the "Continue" button.
- We get the converted section into a boolean type.
The operation to convert a logical partition of a disk to the main type is performed in the same way. On the selected section, select in context menu the function "Convert to Basic".
In individual cases of returning for the technical section of Windows of the main type in this way, you will need to make additional recovery boot sector.
Completion
Now we figured out what a logical drive means and how to convert it. Beginners who are going to experiment with computer disk space should know the following information. Conduct a potential test professional programs in this area not necessarily physical disks computer. For such purposes, using Windows tools, you can create a virtual VHD disk, initialize it and carry out various experiments with it.
When buying a new computer () it often happens that when you enter My Computer, you see only one undivided hard (local) disk.
For example, if the volume is 500 GB, then there will be one local C drive with a volume of 465 GB.
By the way, for those who do not know why this is happening:
from a computer science course at school, you should know that 1 byte contains 8 bits (the minimum unit of information), 1 kb - 1024 bytes, 1 MB - 1024 Kb, 1 GB - 1024 MB, etc.
But marketers and manufacturers "decided for everyone" and they have not 1024, but 1000. It seems that it is easier to count, but in fact you are paying for more space than you have.
Moreover, the file system immediately takes a certain amount for its needs.
So it turns out that on the hard disk, on which even 500 GB is written, you get the actual space of 465 GB.
And here there are 2 situations: when the operating system is already installed on the disk, and when it is empty.
But in any case, it is inconvenient when there is only one local disk in the computer.
For information:
HDD - device. You can feel and see it
Local disk - what you see in My Computer in the OS.
It is much better when the system is installed on one local disk (about 100 GB), and the remaining space is divided as you like and used in the same way.
For example, you can create 3 local disks, on one of which there will be an OS, on the other multimedia (movies, music, photos, etc.), and the third one can be used for your documents, or you can also install an Operating System.
This will be more convenient and do not accidentally delete needed by the system files.
So, how to split a hard drive into multiple local ones using standard tools Windows?
1)
The easiest way to "get" to what you want is to right-click on the My Computer icon on the Desktop or in the Start menu and select from the context menu Control:
2) The "Computer Management" dialog box will open in which we need the item Disk management
3) The following picture will open. I have everything divided as needed, so it may be different.
4) Here you need to select a local disk (look at the Status) either from the top or from the bottom (the principle is the same, they are simply shown in different ways). Right-click on it and select Shrink volume
5) We are waiting for the system to determine the quantity free space and will count it
6) A window will appear with the calculated amount of available space. Only the field is available for editing in it Compressible space size (MB)... In principle, you don't need to edit anything else. But here you should be careful how much you are willing to take from the disk to create another in Megabytes.
After you decide on this - click Shrink.
7) We are waiting for a few minutes while windows compresses the disk. Then the same window with disk management appears again, but new section - Free and in the table below it will be with a green stripe. Right click on it and select from the menu Create simple volume
8) Will open Simple Volume Wizard... In which we agree with the greeting by first clicking Further.
Then you will be prompted to resize the volume. But you do not need to change anything here, because you will not do the above, and the size is the one that you specified during compression. Therefore, we press Further
9) Select a letter for the new disk from the proposed drop-down list and click Further
10) Probably the most important part follows. You need to format the disk and prepare it for turning on. It is recommended to do as shown in the screenshot below. Only in the Volume label: field you can specify your own. This will be the name of the disc, you can even write in Russian letters.
11) The last window will list all the parameters that you specified in the Wizard. Press Done and the section is created.
After low-level formatting (if necessary) you can start creating MS-DOS partitions on the disk and logical drives.
We will consider the process of preparing computer hard drives for using MS-DOS using the example of using the FDISK.EXE program. This program is included with the MS-DOS distribution.
The FDISK program works in interactive mode. Through several submenus, it allows you to do the following:
- create a primary MS-DOS partition;
- create an additional (extended) MS-DOS partition;
- create multiple logical disks on an additional MS-DOS partition;
- select the active partition;
- delete primary and secondary sections;
- get information about sections;
- if the system has several hard drives - select next disc to create partitions on it.
After starting, the FDISK program displays the main menu on the display screen. This menu contains four items:
1. Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive 2. Set active partition 3. Delete partition or Logical DOS Drive 4. Display partition informationTo select a menu item, press the key with the corresponding number. If you want to quit working with FDISK, press the key
When you start FDISK after doing the low-level formatting hard disk, no MS-DOS partitions have been created on it yet. Therefore, you first need to create the MS-DOS partition (s) on the disk. First, the primary MS-DOS partition is created. The primary partition will correspond to the first logical disk. Then an additional MS-DOS partition is created if required. You can place one or more logical drives on an additional partition.
To create primary and additional MS-DOS partitions, as well as to organize logical disks, select the first item of the main menu by pressing 1. The following menu will appear on the screen:
1. Create Primary DOS Partition 2. Create Extended DOS Partition 3. Create Logical DOS Drive (s) in the Extended DOS PartitionNow you can start shaping your hard drive structure. First you need to create the primary MS-DOS partition. If you allocate all the space on the disk for the primary partition, then later in MS-DOS this disk will be represented as a single logical disk.
If you have a disk large capacity, it makes sense to create multiple logical drives on it. To do this, the primary partition should be allocated as much disk space as you want to have on the first logical disk. Set aside all the remaining hard disk space for an additional partition. Then you need to create the required number of logical disks on the additional partition.
To create a primary MS-DOS partition, select the first menu item by pressing 1. You will be asked whether you will use all available hard disk space for the primary MS-DOS partition:
Do you wish to use the maximum available size for a Primary DOS Partition and make the partition active (Y / N) .....? [Y]If you are going to map the entire hard drive to one logical drive, press the key
In case you decide not to spend all your free disk space under the primary section, and pressed the key
After determining the size of the primary partition, you will return to the previous menu again. If you have not allocated all the free disk space for the primary partition, you can create an additional partition. It is not possible to create two or more primary partitions on one hard disk. In the case when several hard disks are connected to the computer, you can create one primary partition on each of them, and then, by selecting the second item from the main menu, make one of them active. The active primary partition will subsequently load operating system.
To create an additional partition, select the first item from the main menu, and then select the second item from the next menu - "2. Create Extended DOS Partition". You will be asked if you would like to allocate any remaining hard disk space after creating the primary partition for an additional partition.
If you decide to create two partitions on the disk, press the key
If you are not going to install another operating system on the same hard disk, for example UNIX, it makes sense to allocate all the remaining disk space for an additional MS-DOS partition.
After creating an additional partition, you can start creating logical disks on it. To create several logical disks in an additional partition, select the first item from the main menu, and then the third item from the menu that appears - "3. Create Logical DOS Drive (s) in the Extended DOS Partition".
After that, the program will ask you for the size logical drivewhich you are going to create in the additional section. You can allocate an entire additional partition for one logical disk, giving up all the free space for it. If you want to create several logical disks in an additional partition, set aside some of the additional size for it. The size of the logical disk to be created can be specified in megabytes or defined as a percentage of the additional volume.
Repeating the operation to create logical disks as many times as necessary will complete the partitioning of the disk. If your computer has multiple hard disks, you can immediately create partitions on the remaining disks. Note that the MS-DOS operating system can only use two hard drives.
If you accidentally make a mistake when creating partitions or logical drives, you can delete and recreate them. To delete partitions and logical drives, you can use the third item from the main menu of the FDISK program - "3. Delete partition or Logical DOS Drive". In this case, before deleting the primary partition, you must delete the additional hard disk partition, and before deleting the additional partition, you must delete all logical drives from it. If you delete a partition or logical drive, then you will lose all data written to it.
To resize a partition, you must delete it and then create a new one of a different size. The maximum partition size that FDISK can create is two gigabytes.
If you run FDISK with the / STATUS parameter or select the fourth item in the main menu - "4. Display partition information", information about partitions and logical disks of the computer will be displayed on the computer screen.
In this article, I will show you how to create a partition on a hard drive in windows 7.
Section hard disk
- This is a part of the hard disk on which information can be stored. Sections can be created, compressed, formatted, deleted. Section is created to separate user files from files operating system ... Usually, on a computer, it is enough to have two hard disk partitions: Local drive C and Local drive D.
On Local Drive C operating room files are stored windows systems, and installed programs ... On another section of the hard disk (it may be called differently for you), you can store your important documents, programs, photos, videos, music. In the event of a failure of the operating system, the data on this local disk will be saved, since the system will be reinstalled on the Local disk C.
Smash earlier hDD to sections could only be done with third-party programs ... For example Partition Magic, Acronis Disc Director. Now, with the advent of new operating systems, this procedure can be done using the built-in windows tools 7.
So, let's start creating a partition on your hard drive. To do this, you need to follow the instructions below.
Step 1 ... Click right click mouse on my iconComputer and from the context menu selectControl.
Step 2. In snap in section Storage devices select Disk management.
Step 3 ... Next, click onLocal drive C or another disk you want to compress (If you have only one hard drive C, then you have no choice but to compress it, if there are other partitions, then the choice is yours from which drive you want to "take away" memory). Compressing the disk is required to provide a new partition for creation. In the context menu that appears, clickShrink Volume ...
Step 4 ... The process will begin to determine the available compression space. We'll have to wait a bit ... After a few seconds, a dialog box will appear in which you need to configure the C drive for compression.
In field specify the size by how much you want to compress the disk. (The compressed size is the size of the future partition to be created). After you calculate what size you need press the button Shrink.
Step 5. After the compression process is completed, an unallocated black section will appear. Right-click on it and click Create simple volume...
Then a window will appear Simple Volume Wizardto help you create a simple disk volume.
A simple volume can reside on only one disk.
Press the button to continue. Further.
Step 6... Next, you need specify the size of the created partition... In line Simple volume size enter maximum size in MB or leave it as it is (by default, in the field the size of a simple volume is maximum size).
Click to continue Further.
Step 7... In the next window Simple Volume Wizards assign a drive letter to the partition from A-Z by clicking on the drop-down list (indicated by the arrow), and then click Further.
Step 8... In a new window, you have to complete.
In order to save data on this partition, it must first be formatted.Formatting is the process of creating a file system.Set the switch in the section Format this volume as follows and select:
Create a simple volume using Disk Management.
- Start Disk Management.
- Start the "New Simple Volume" wizard on Disk 2.
- Size the volume to 100 MB and label the volume as "Simple".
Create a simple volume using Diskpart.exe.
- Start Command Prompt.
- Run diskpart.exe and use the following commands to create a simple volume:
- list disk
- select disk 3
- create partition primary size \u003d 100
- list partition
- select partition 2
- format fs \u003d ntfs label \u003d simple2 quick
- assign.
In this beginner's guide, we'll look at how to split (split) and merge hard drive partitions in Windows 10 using the built-in snap-in.
Sometimes you just need to create, delete or modify disk partitions in Windows 10. If you have only one disk and you would not like to keep operating system files and your files on the same disk, creating logical disks will help you. Each of the logical partitions of the disk can have its own file system and will allow you to boot multiple operating systems from one hard drive. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to manage disk partitions in Windows 10, simply using a snap.
For the convenience of the readers, this guide is divided into two parts. The first part will show you how to divide your hard drive into two partitions and assign a drive letter to the newly created volume.
In the second part, we will delete new volume and consolidate the reclaimed space, returning it back to the original size of the C: drive. So let's get started ...
How to split and merge disk partitions in Windows 10
Part 1 - splitting and creating a new disk partition
In the first half of this tutorial, we will see how to split the existing disk space into two partitions. Let's say you bought new windows 10 pcs and disk size C: is 500 GB. Obviously Windows will already be installed on the disk C:... But there comes a point when you need to move some of your data to some other disk. Or in another case, you want to create a new partition to boot a different operating system. You need to create a new partition by partitioning the disk FROM into two parts. Here's what you need to do:
To open the snap - Click Win + R and in the window line Run and enter. Click on OK or Enter .
In the window, right-click on the partition of the disk you want to partition and select Shrink volume... In my case, this is a disk FROM:
Then in the window that appears in the line Compressible space size (MB) enter the desired size of the created disk. I indicated 26000 (MB) (this is about one sixth of the capacity of my hard drive) It will be about 25 GB in size. In other words, you will get this size from an existing partition if there is free space on it, and then click Shrink.
In a few seconds, and you will see the area you have freed up for the future disk partition with a mark, the same space will be taken from the existing disk partition FROM:.
So the drive FROM: divided into two volumes. Right-click on the unallocated space and in the context menu click Create simple volume, will automatically start
In the window Volume Size Specification you can change the size of the created size by clicking Further.
In the next window, set the letter of the new disk partition and click Further
Now you need to format the disk, there is no need to change the default settings here.
If your plans include installing a new OS on this disc, make sure Apply file and folder compression is not enabledotherwise you will face an error while installing the OS - Windows cannot be installed because this computer uses compressed….
The wizard finishes by showing you a summary of the information. Click the button.
The created logical disk will appear in the snap-in window and Windows Explorer 10 ready to go.
Part 2 - Merging Disk Volumes
You may need to merge disk volumes by returning the disk FROM: previously selected space for disk Z:
Here's how to do it:
1. Open Select the disk partition you want to merge and right-click on it by selecting from the context menu Delete volume... This will remove the drive letter and partition.
Note:This will also delete all data in the disk partition (In my case, from the Z: drive, all necessary information I previously transferred to another disk).
Click on Yes to confirm the deletion of the volume.
2. After the disk partition Z: will be deleted, you will see the disk partition marked with. Now right click on the volume of the disk with which you want to merge the unallocated capacity ( in this case it's a disk FROM: ) and select Expand volume.
3. In the opened wizard window Click the button Further:
4. Then on the next screen. Just confirm the size by clicking Further.
5. Click the button.
6. Now you will see that the volume of the disk selected for expansion has increased due to Unallocated volume.
That's all about Merging Disk Volumes in Windows 10!
Hello! I'll probably start from the very beginning, but if you are not very interested, and you know why this article was written, then you can safely move on to the next heading, below on the page. I decided to install Windows 8, I want to test new system , and I have not written the instructions for installing Windows 8 in the blog yet. Install on virtual machine I don't really want to, I want to demonstrate to my blog visitors a real installation on a real computer. All would be fine, but I'm not ready to give up Windows 7 yet, especially since not very good feedback walk on the net about the eight, and if people say, then most likely it's true :).
So I decided to install Windows 8 on one computer next to Windows 7. I think I'll see what and how, and then if you like the eight you can install it instead of the seven. There is only one little thing left, you need to create a partition on your hard drive to install Windows 8 as a second system. It's not even a problem, I thought to take a boot disk with Acronis Disk Director, take some space away from local disk D and create a partition for Windows 8.
But then I realized that not everyone who reads my blog, in particular, this article has a ready bootable disk with Acronis Disk Director. Therefore, I decided to write an article in which to tell in detail and with pictures how to create a partition on a hard drive in Windows 7, we'll do it all from working system standard utility "Disk Management".
I need to create another partition on my hard drive to install a second operating system. You may have another reason, for example, you have installed Windows and were too lazy to do only one system disk C, under which all the hard disk memory was allocated. I've met with this, and it's very inconvenient. Therefore, in this way you can take a little memory from a single partition and create another one or two local drives for storing photos, videos, etc.
How to create a partition on a hard disk from under Windows?
As I wrote above, we will create another local disk using the utility "Disk Management", first we need to run it. We go to "Start", "Control Panel", choose "Administration", a window will open in which run "Computer Management"... In the window that opens, on the left you need to select "Disk Management"... Wait a little while the system collects information about partitions on the hard disk.
After downloading the information, we will see our entire hard drive and partitions that have already been created. So we need to create another partition, but I have only 47 MB \u200b\u200bof free memory (see below in the picture, light green area). So you need to take a little space from one of the already created partitions, look at which we have the most free space, select it, right-click and select "Shrink Volume ...". As you can see, I have selected local disk D for compression.
You need to wait a little while Windows 7 determines how much space can be squeezed out of this section :).
A window will appear in which you can see the total size of the partition before compression, and how much space is available for compression. In my case, it was possible to take 20,140 MB from the D drive as much as possible, that's fine for Windows 8. But you can prescribe yourself how much space you want to take from a specific local disk. Click "Compress".
We wait a bit and look at the table again. As you can see, the area with free memory (light green area) has increased. A section can be created from this free area. Right click on it and select "Create Simple Volume ...".
The wizard for creating a simple volume will open. Click "Next".
Based on the free area, the system will show us the maximum and minimum size of the partition being created. And it will prompt you to enter the size for the new partition. For the new logical drive I used up all the free memory, so I just clicked Next.
Next, we need to assign a letter to the created disk. Therefore, we leave a mark opposite "Assign drive letter" and choose a letter, or you can leave the prepositional system. We press the button "Next".
The next step is formatting the section. I advise you to format your local drive right away. On the contrary "File system" I advise you to install NTFS, "Cluster size" we leave it by default. Where “Volume label” we indicate any name, since I create a section under windows installation 8, that's what I called it. Checkmark opposite "Quick Format" and click "Next".
We check the information and click “Finish”.
Everything is ready! I got another logical partition “H” called “Windows 8”. Now you can install an operating system on it, or simply save information.
If you go to "My computer", then you can see the section we created, even without any reboots.
Conclusion
To be honest, this is the first time I created a new partition on a hard disk using a standard tool in Windows 7. Usually I always use a bootable disk, or standard manager during the installation of the operating system.
But if you have Windows 7 running, and you just need to create another partition and take some memory from the existing one, then all this can be done in a few minutes in the manner described above, and there is no point in downloading and burning all sorts of boot disk images there.
How to grow one logical partition at the expense of another using boot disk , I wrote in the article, read it, it may come in handy. Here is another article on the topic of breaking a new hard drive during the installation of an operating system,.
Perhaps someone will say that this is a bad way, and it is best to create new partitions using special programs... This is not the case, I did not have a single problem either when creating or using this section. I installed Windows 8 on it without any problems next to already installed Windows
In this article, I will show you how to create a partition on a hard drive in windows 7. Section hard A disk is a part of a hard disk on which information can be stored. Sections can be created, ...
In this article I will tell you how to create a partition on a hard disk in windows 7. A hard disk partition is a part of a hard disk on which information can be stored. Sections can be created, ...
In this article I will tell you how to create a partition on a hard disk in windows 7. A hard disk partition is a part of a hard disk on which information can be stored. Sections can be created, ...
Some users do not know how to split one disk into several logical partitions, but this can be very useful. If there are several logical partitions, it will be possible to store information not on system volume... At the same time, the risk of losing it when reinstalling the system or when formatting the disk is dramatically reduced. This article will tell you several ways of how you can create a second volume D, both using standard tools and using third-party software.
Using Disk Management to Create a New Partition
The built-in disk management utility will allow you to perform all the necessary actions, while this program is present in all the latter versions of windows... To run it you need to pushWin +R to introduce diskmgmt.msc.
In the window that opens, you need select drive C (or another section that you want to divide), you need to click on it with RMB and select the item " Shrink volume". In the next window, you need to write the size of the new volume D, according to the standard, all free space is indicated there. But worth leaving system disk at least a dozen gigabytes of free space for new programs and system files. 
After that it will start formation process... At its end, an unallocated space will appear, on which you need to click RMB. 
Here it remains to select the item marked in the figure. In the next window, select a letter for the new volume, in our case it is D. 
Then it was suggested write title volumes, and select file system and cluster. Everything can be left at default here. After that, formatting will be done and the new logical partition will be available for use.
Using the command line to partition disks
Separation can also be done using the console. To do this, you will have to open it with administrator rights and enter following operators:
Aomei Partition Assistant Standard Application
There are quite a few applications that help manage logical partitions, as well as cut and create new partitions. You can find many examples on the Internet, but here is one utility. After the user downloads and installs it, you need to go to main menu, select the required hard, then right-click and select "". 
The next section will have to specify the number of megabytes for a new section. 
Then it remains to click OK, and then Go to.
After that, the device will be rebooted and the new partition can be used.
