Partitions divide one physical disk into multiple logical disks (partitions). Each one uses its portion of the assigned portion of the physical hard drive and is treated by the operating system as a drive with its own drive letter.
Technically, every physical drive already contains a logical one, without it you won't be able to write files. And if you bought your PC pre-installed with Windows, it probably already has two or three partitions. Only one of them, C: tends to fill almost the entire physical disk - for regular use. Others, each of which is fairly small, are used for maintenance and restoration purposes.
So why do you need to split your C: drive into multiple partitions?
The first reason is the use of multiple operating systems.
Another reason, which in my opinion is the main one for most users, is the need to separate system and application data. Thus, you can place the operating system on one disk, and all your data on the other. This is very handy if you have to reinstall your OS in the future. Yes and create an image of your system partition much easier in that case.
Believe me, there is no bigger nightmare than seeing a user have a 1 TB hard drive (or even more) on which there is only one partition, and, as a rule, it is clogged with more than half of all sorts of rubbish, which you are asked to save when reinstalling the OS, and you don't have any extra space.
The work of reinstalling the OS in this case can take almost a whole day instead of the standard hour.
How to partition your hard drive?
In this article, we are considering a computer under Windows control 8.1
To access Disk Management, you need to press Alt-X and select Disk Management.
Figure 1 Shrink Volume
As you can see from Figure 1, you can shrink your volume (partition) in order to create a new partition on the freed space later.
As you can see, creating a new partition is not at all difficult.
So, the disk partitioning algorithm:
- Run Disk Cleanup
- Defragment
- Shrink the corresponding volume
- On the free unallocated space, create a new partition.
When buying a computer or Windows installation or another OS, many users want to split the hard disk into two or, more precisely, several partitions (for example, drive C into two disks). This procedure makes it possible to store separately system files and personal data, i.e. allows you to save your files in case of a sudden "rally" of the system and improve the performance of the OS by reducing the fragmentation of the system partition.
Update 2016: added new ways to split a disk (hard or SSD) into two or more, also added a video on how to partition a disk in Windows without programs and in the program AOMEI Partition assistant. Corrections have been made to the manual.
There are several ways to partition a hard drive (see below). The manual discusses and describes all these methods, indicates their advantages and disadvantages.
- In Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and 7 - without using additional programs, by standard means.
- During the installation of the OS (including how to do this when installing XP).
- Via free programs Minitool Partition Wizard, AOMEI Partition Assistant, and Acronis Disk Director.
How to partition a disk in Windows 10, 8.1 and Windows 7 without software
You can partition your hard drive or SSD in all latest versions Windows in already installed system. The only condition is that free space there was no less on the disk than you want to allocate for the second logical disk.
To do this, follow these steps (in this example, the system drive C will be partitioned):
After these steps, your disk will be divided into two, and the newly created one will receive its own letter and will be formatted in the selected file system. You can close Windows Disk Management.
Note: You may want to increase the size of the system partition later. However, this will not work in the same way due to some limitations of the considered system utility.
How to partition a disk on the command line
You can split a hard drive or SSD into several partitions not only in Disk Management, but also using the command line in Windows 10, 8 and Windows 7.
Be careful: the example shown below will work without problems only in cases where you have a single system partition (and possibly a couple of hidden ones) that needs to be divided into two partitions - under the system and data. In some other situations ( MBR disk and there are already 4 partitions, when shrinking a disk "after which" there is another disk) this may work unexpectedly if you are a novice user.
The following steps show how to split the C drive in two on the command line.
Done, now you can close command line: in Windows Explorer you will see a newly created drive, or rather a drive partition with the letter you specified.
How to Partition a Disk in Minitool Partition Wizard Free
Minitool Partition Wizard Free- an excellent free program that allows you to manage partitions on disks, including dividing one partition into two or more. One of the advantages of the program is that a download is available on the official website. iso image with it, which can be used to create bootable flash drive(developers recommend doing this with Rufus) or to burn a disc.
This makes it easy to perform disk partitioning in cases where it is not possible to do so on a running system.
After booting into the Partition Wizard, you just need to right-click on the disk you want to partition and select "Split" (split).
The next steps are simple: adjust the partition sizes, click OK, and then click the "Apply" button (apply) at the top left to apply the changes.
Free download boot image ISO Minitool Partition Wizard Free is available from the official website https://www.partitionwizard.com/partition-wizard-bootable-cd.html
Video instruction
I also recorded a video on how to partition a disk in Windows. It shows the process of creating partitions with the regular means of the system, as described above and with the help of a simple, free and convenient program for these tasks.
How to partition a drive during Windows 10, 8 and Windows 7 installation
The advantages of this method include its simplicity and convenience. Partitioning will also take relatively little time, and the process itself is very clear. The main disadvantage is that the method can only be applied during installation or reinstallation operating system, which in itself is not very convenient, besides, there is no possibility of editing partitions and their sizes without formatting the HDD (for example, in the case when the system partition has run out of space and the user wants to add some space from another hard disk partition).
If these shortcomings are not critical, consider the process of partitioning the disk during OS installation. This instruction fully applicable when installing Windows 10, 8 and Windows 7.
Attention! When deleting disk partitions, all data that is on them will be deleted.
Partitioning a Hard Drive When Installing Windows XP
During the development of Windows XP, an intuitive graphical interface was not created. But although it is controlled through the console, partitioning the hard drive when installing Windows XP is as simple as when installing any other operating system.
Step 1. Delete existing partitions.
You can repartition a disk while defining the system partition. It is required to divide the section into two. Unfortunately, Windows XP does not allow you to perform this operation without hard formatting disk. Therefore, the sequence of actions is as follows:
Step 2. Create new sections.
Now you need to create the necessary hard disk partitions from the unallocated area. This is done quite simply:
Step 3. Determine the format of the file system.
After the partitions are created, select the partition that should be the system partition and press Enter. You will be prompted to select a format file system. FAT format is more outdated. You won't have any compatibility issues with it, for example, Windows 9.x, but because systems older than XP are rare today, this advantage does not play a special role. If we also take into account that NTFS is faster and more reliable, it allows you to work with files of any size (FAT - up to 4GB), the choice is obvious. choose desired format and press Enter.
Then the installation will go in standard mode - after formatting the partition, the installation of the system will begin on it. You will only be required to enter user parameters at the end of the installation (computer name, date and time, time zone, etc.). As a rule, this is done in a convenient graphical mode, so it is not difficult.
Free AOMEI Partition Assistant
AOMEI Partition Assistant is one of the best free programs for changing the partition structure on a disk, moving the system from HDD to SSD, and, including using it, you can split a disk into two or more. At the same time, the program interface is in Russian, unlike another good similar product - MiniTool Partition Wizard.
Note: despite the fact that the program claims Windows support 10, in my system it did not perform partitioning for some reason, but there were no failures either (I think they should be fixed by July 29, 2015). In Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 it works without problems.
After launching AOMEI Partition Assistant, in the main window of the program you will see connected hard drives and SSDs, as well as partitions on them.
To partition a disk, right-click on it (in my case, C), and select the "Partition Partition" menu item.
At the next step, you will need to specify the size of the partition to be created - this can be done by entering a number, or by moving the separator between two disks.
After you click OK, the program will show that the disk has already been partitioned. In fact, this is not yet the case - in order to apply all the changes made, you must click the "Apply" button. You may then be warned that the computer will restart to complete the operation.
And after the reboot in your explorer you will be able to observe the result of disk partitioning.
Other hard drive partitioning software
To partition a hard drive, there is a huge amount of different software. These are both commercial products, for example, from Acronis or Paragon, and distributed via free license– Partition Magic, MiniTool Partition Wizard. Consider dividing a hard disk using one of them - the Acronis Disk Director program.
How to partition a hard drive in MacOS X using standard tools
You can partition your hard drive without reinstalling the operating system or installing additional software on your computer. In Windows Vista and above, the disk utility is built into the system, and this is also the case in Linux systems and MacOS.
To partition a disk in Mac OS, do the following:
After that, after a short (at least for SSD) process of creating a partition, it will be created and available in the Finder.
I hope the information will be useful, and if something does not work as expected or if you have questions, you will leave a comment.
When buying a computer or installing Windows or another OS, many users want to partition their hard drive into two or, more precisely, several partitions (for example, drive C into two drives). This procedure makes it possible to store system files and personal data separately, i.e. allows you to save your files in case of a sudden "rally" of the system and improve the performance of the OS by reducing the fragmentation of the system partition.
Update 2016: Added new ways to partition a disk (hard or SSD) into two or more, also added a video on how to partition a disk in Windows without software and AOMEI Partition Assistant. Corrections have been made to the manual.
There are several ways to partition a hard drive (see below). The manual discusses and describes all these methods, indicates their advantages and disadvantages.
- In Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and 7 - without the use of additional programs, using standard tools.
- During the installation of the OS (including how to do this when installing XP).
- With the free programs Minitool Partition Wizard, AOMEI Partition Assistant, and Acronis Disk Director.
How to partition a disk in Windows 10, 8.1 and Windows 7 without programs.
You can partition your hard drive or SSD in all the latest Windows versions on an already installed system. The only condition is that there should be no less free space on the disk than you want to allocate for the second logical disk.
To do this, follow these steps (in this example, the system drive C will be partitioned):
After these steps, your disk will be divided into two, and the newly created one will receive its own letter and will be formatted in the selected file system. You can close Windows Disk Management.
Note: You may want to increase the size of the system partition later. However, this will not work in the same way due to some limitations of the considered system utility.
How to partition a disk on the command line.
You can split a hard drive or SSD into several partitions not only in Disk Management, but also using the command line in Windows 10, 8 and Windows 7.
Be careful: the example shown below will work without problems only in cases where you have a single system partition (and possibly a couple of hidden ones) that needs to be divided into two partitions - under the system and data. In some other situations (MBR disk and there are already 4 partitions, while shrinking the disk "after which" there is another disk) this may work unexpectedly if you are a novice user.
The following steps show how to split the C drive in two on the command line.
Done, now you can close the command prompt: in Windows Explorer you will see a newly created disk, or rather a disk partition with the letter you specified.
How to partition a disk in Minitool Partition Wizard Free.
Minitool Partition Wizard Free is an excellent free program that allows you to manage disk partitions, including dividing one partition into two or more. One of the advantages of the program is that a bootable ISO image with it is available on the official website, which can be used to create a bootable USB flash drive (the developers recommend doing this with Rufus) or to burn a disc.
This allows you to easily perform disk partitioning actions in cases where it is not possible to do this on a running system.
After booting into the Partition Wizard, you just need to right-click on the disk you want to partition and select "Split" (split). 
The next steps are simple: adjust the partition sizes, click OK, and then click the "Apply" button (apply) at the top left to apply the changes. 
You can download Minitool Partition Wizard Free ISO bootable image for free from the official website https://www.partitionwizard.com/partition-wizard-bootable-cd.html
How to partition a drive while installing Windows 10, 8 and Windows 7.
The advantages of this method include its simplicity and convenience. Partitioning will also take relatively little time, and the process itself is very clear. The main disadvantage is that the method can only be applied when installing or reinstalling the operating system, which in itself is not very convenient, besides, there is no possibility of editing partitions and their sizes without formatting the HDD (for example, in the case when the system partition has run out of space and the user wants to add some space from another hard drive partition). For more information on creating partitions on a disk when installing Windows 10, see the article.
If these shortcomings are not critical, consider the process of partitioning the disk during OS installation. This guide is fully applicable when installing Windows 10, 8 and Windows 7.
Attention! When deleting disk partitions, all data that is on them will be deleted.
Partitioning a hard drive when installing Windows XP.
During the development of Windows XP, an intuitive graphical interface was not created. But although it is controlled through the console, partitioning the hard drive when installing Windows XP is as simple as when installing any other operating system.
Step 1. Delete existing partitions.
You can repartition a disk while defining the system partition. It is required to divide the section into two. Unfortunately, Windows XP does not allow you to perform this operation without formatting the hard drive. Therefore, the sequence of actions is as follows:
Step 2. Create new sections.
Now you need to create the necessary hard disk partitions from the unallocated area. This is done quite simply:
Step 3. Determine the format of the file system.
After the partitions are created, select the partition that should be the system partition and press Enter. You will be prompted to select a file system format. FAT format is more outdated. You won't have any compatibility issues with it, for example, Windows 9.x, but because systems older than XP are rare today, this advantage does not play a special role. If we also take into account that NTFS is faster and more reliable, it allows you to work with files of any size (FAT - up to 4GB), the choice is obvious. Select the desired format and press Enter.
Then the installation will go in standard mode - after formatting the partition, the installation of the system will begin on it. You will only be required to enter user parameters at the end of the installation (computer name, date and time, time zone, etc.). As a rule, this is done in a convenient graphical mode, so it is not difficult.
Free AOMEI Partition Assistant.
AOMEI Partition Assistant is one of the best free programs for changing the partition structure on a disk, moving the system from HDD to SSD, and, including using it, you can split a disk into two or more. At the same time, the program interface is in Russian, unlike another good similar product - MiniTool Partition Wizard.
Despite the fact that the program claims support for Windows 10, on my system it did not perform partitioning for some reason, but there were no failures either. In Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 it works without problems.
After launching AOMEI Partition Assistant, in the main window of the program you will see connected hard drives and SSDs, as well as partitions on them. 
To partition a disk, right-click on it (in my case, C), and select the "Partition Partition" menu item.
At the next step, you will need to specify the size of the partition to be created - this can be done by entering a number, or by moving the separator between two disks. 
After you click OK, the program will show that the disk has already been partitioned. In fact, this is not yet the case - in order to apply all the changes made, you must click the "Apply" button. You may then be warned that the computer will restart to complete the operation. 
And after the reboot in your explorer you will be able to observe the result of disk partitioning.
Other programs for creating partitions on the hard drive.
For splitting hard drive There is a huge amount of different software. These are both commercial products, for example, from Acronis or Paragon, and distributed under a free license - Partition Magic, MiniTool Partition Wizard. Consider dividing a hard disk using one of them - the Acronis Disk Director program.
How to partition a hard drive in MacOS X using standard tools.
You can partition your hard drive without reinstalling the operating system or installing additional software on your computer. In Windows Vista and above, the disk utility is built into the system, and this is also the case in Linux systems and MacOS.
To partition a disk in Mac OS, do the following:
After that, after a short (at least for SSD) process of creating a partition, it will be created and available in the Finder.
Not so long ago, SSD drives began to rapidly capture the computer market, and every day, there are more and more models and varieties, and the choice of an SSD drive is becoming increasingly difficult. In this article, I will try to bring main characteristics of SSD drives which you should pay attention to when buying it.
Why you need an SSD drive
To begin with, let's look at why we need an SSD, but we need it mainly to install an operating system on it. For frequent rewriting of large amounts of data, an SSD drive is not suitable due to its rapid wear (wear and tear of memory cells). It is suitable for storing static (not changing) or slightly changing information, but SSD volumes are not at all large, or quite expensive compared to hard drives. But, for installing an operating system on it, it is just right - this will significantly increase the speed of the system and launch applications.
Memory type SSD drive
On the this moment, there are two types of memory that are used to build an SSD drive: MLC and SLC. SLC memory consists of memory cells that contain one bit of information, and therefore have only two charge levels (0 and 1). MLC memory - multi-level memory, consists of cells containing several bits and can be in a state of different charge levels, which means an increase in capacity, a decrease in price, but an increase in access time and a decrease in the number of overwrites (service life) up to 10 times! Hence, SLC memory is more durable, faster, but more expensive.
SSD drive controller
The evenness of wear of memory cells largely depends on the controller of the SSD drive, with a bad controller, the memory can wear out unevenly, due to which the entire SSD will become unusable, although most of the memory still has a resource. SandForce and Intel controllers are considered to be the best.
Is it possible to split an SSD drive into multiple partitions
After reading the top paragraph, the question may arise as to whether one section of a partitioned SSD drive will wear out faster than another due to more intensive writing in it. SSD disk controller optimizes this process on all memory chips, regardless of the markup. This means that the SSD drive can be partitioned without consequences.
Read/write speed
I think everything is very clear here, the higher the read / write speed, the higher the speed of working with this SSD.
IOPS - number of I / O operations per second
This parameter displays the total number of write and read operations per second. The higher this indicator, the more likely it is to achieve maximum throughput with linear (large blocks) write / read.
SSD storage capacity
For system disk 60-64 GB will be enough, the amount of SSD memory greatly affects its cost. But if you already have it for other purposes, then I think you can decide on its volume yourself.
Interface
Buying a drive with an interface SATA3, install it on a board with a SATA3 controller, and not older ones ( SATA2, SATA), otherwise you may not get the best disk performance. SSD drives with interface PCI-E usually have a higher throughput, but also more demanding, driver problems can occur, especially on Linux.
power usage
If we take into account the meager power consumption of SSD drives, then a small difference between them, I think, can be omitted
MTBF - time between failures
I think a very cloudy characteristic, since it ranges from 1 to 2 million hours, but no drive will last that long due to the simple wear and tear of the memory itself. Although it is up to you to decide, if the figures of 2 million hours “warm” you, you can also pay attention to this parameter.
After purchasing an SSD drive, I recommend immediately updating the firmware, which can be downloaded from the manufacturer's official website. And in this article, you can read about recommendations for working with SSD drives.
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