A disk partition, refers to the virtual division of the space of a unit both removable and local. In this way, operating systems recognize partitions as different storage units.
The purpose or objective of performing this task may vary depending on our intentions. Throughout this article, we are going to explain to you when it is considered convenient to partition our disks, and what we get from doing so.
Usually this process is a bit long, and you can do it fulfilling the steps that we leave in this post, but if you want to avoid all this manual process, you can make use of the tools that we leave you for this task.
When is it convenient to partition a hard drive in Windows 7?
Partition a disk means divide the capacity into different parts, and I use them that we can give to this task, vary according to our need.
Many of the general users look to partition a disk when they want to do the following:
Install another operating system
Many times have another operating system in parallel with our Windows 7, it is a way to get the most out of our disk and computer. But well, this is not the only thing that can be done, because some operating systems require installation on primary partitions and they automatically partition our disk, allowing us to use a part solely for file sharing.
Backups or file backup
It is recommended that we keep a partition to safeguard all our files and data in case of a contingency. Regardless of the cause of the malfunction of our operating system, we can use a partition so that our files are not affected with bugs.
Using a disk partition, we can always keep our protected filesEven when we need to install our operating system again, we only have to work on the OS part, and keep everything separate from the one that stores our data.
Improve performance
The new computers They give us many advantages, but also some negative details. Even though they offer us more storage capacity, it also forces the reading functions, to make a huge journey, while searching or managing information, but if we partition, travel time decreases, because the space to read is less.
Better maintenance
As in the previous case, but now from a maintenance point of view, partition our disks, allows us a better virus and vulnerability analysis, in addition to helping us to Identify faults that harm the system more quickly. All partitioning tasks, file cleaning .tmp Y virus scan, are made much faster when we partition our disk, because the search is in a smaller space.
Better management and organization
Another utilities that we can give to the disk partition, is the best organization of data and files, since, we can save in each part, categories of documents. Many of the young users use this method, to sectorize the installer files of applications and games, of study or work documents.
Learn step by step how to create one or more partitions on any hard drive in Windows 7
If we want to partition a disk, we must complete the steps that we leave below, so that the process is carried out correctly.
We must avoid skipping a step, because it can cause errors:
Collapse space
We must seek and open disk management console. For this we go to Windows 7 start menu, we write in the search field “diskmgmt.msc” and select the only result that appears to us.
Console already started “Disk Manager”, we right click on the unit we want to partition, and select from the drop-down list the option “Collapse Volume ”. Then the system will show us a window informing us about a small query that you will carry out, to check that it exists enough or available space to compress.
If the unit is very large it may take a longer time, while if the space is less, we will only have to wait a few minutes. We will see another window, and we will find the field, where we will indicate the amount of space that we are going to contract. We must remember that this is expressed in MB, if we want to compress 1 GB, we must write 1024 MB.
After we type the amount of space that we are going to contract, we click on “Shrink” (Spanish translation = Contraer)
We assign volume
In the disk console, we look for the space that we have just contracted, and we right-click on it, and then select the option “New Single Volume”.
Then we will see the New Single Volume Wizard, and we click on next
Now we look for the field, where we will indicate the size of the volume. Like, in the process of separating the space, the value must be expressed in MB, we confirm that the entered value is correct and click on “Next”.
At this point we must assign a drive letter, with the intention that it can be identified within the system, and to continue we click on “Next”.
If we want to change the name of the volume, we must look for the field called “Volume Label”, And write a name that describes our partition more, such as “Video game archive”, and save by clicking on “Next“:
We finish the process
For end this whole process to partition our disk, we click on Terminate or Finish.
Once everything is finished, we can use our partition and transfer our files or make a backup of them.
List of the best programs to partition hard drives in Windows 7
There are many programs that we can use to partition our hard drives, from Windows 7.
Next, we will mention the most recommended softwares for this process:
MiniTool Partition Wizard Free
Is, is a powerful tool that allows us manage the available space on our hard drive in our own way. It has a Free or a Premium version, the latter being a more complete version. We can not only use it to partition our disks, but also also to format and resize them. Among its latest updates, improvements were made to the software regarding the combination of partitions and search for errors.
Download MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Windows
AOMEI Partition Assistant SE
Among the best programs for partition management, we have AOMEI Partition Assistant SE, a great software, that allows us divide, delete, format or combine different partitions in a simple way. This program is fully compatible with all formats, so it will not matter the format of our partitions or disk, even so, We can manage it according to our interest.
Download AOMEI Partition Assistant SE Windows
EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition
If we want to manage our partitions a super simple way, we only must install the fantastic EaseUS Partition on our computer. Although it has two versions, Its Free version is quite useful for any process with our discs.
The tasks of expanding or compressing partitions will no longer be so tedious, and we can perform them in minimum time. Part of the most outstanding characteristics of this tool is its preview, since, through it, we can see what the conditions of our partitions after each process.
Download EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition Windows
GParted
With the use of this tool not only can we partition our local disks, since, we can also work on removable ones. Gparted, It is not a software like the previous ones, because it can be used as auto-executable by means of bootable discs or USB. With the use of this powerful tool our tasks of dividing spaces, or expanding them will not be a big problem.
Download GParted
Stellar Partition Manager
To end our list of the best tools to partition disk, we have Stellar Partition Manager. It is a program that allows us to comfortably manage all volume allocation processes, expansion, divide, and still others involving partitions. If you want to consult a longer list of useful tools for managing partitions, we recommend another post we have about the best programs to partition hard drives
Download Stellar Partition Manager Windows