Generally, when you install an Operating System (OS), in a computer or a laptop, the hard disk of your computer is divided into segments, which are called 'partitions'. The primary partition drives are C drive, D drive, etc. The partitions of your computer are very important as it contains the information of your computer and your stored data. Before creating these, it is necessary to know your hard disk's capacity, and then decide the number of partitions of the drive that you want to create.
Partition the Windows OS Without Formatting
- Click on the start button and right click on the Computer option. Select manage option, and Computer Management window will open on your monitor screen.
- You can also go to the Computer Management window, by clicking on Control Panel → Administrative Tools → Computer Management.
- On the left side of the Computer Management window, you will find options like System Tools, Storage, Service and Applications.
- Now we need to find Disk Management from these options. Choose the option Storage, and click on Disk Management.
- After clicking on Disk Management option, you will see all the partitions that are available on your hard disk.
- Apart from the available partitions which are called primary partitions, we want to create more partitions. For that, you must choose a primary partition from which you want to create another one.
- After choosing the primary partition (C drive or D drive), right click on it. You will see a number of options, among which you need to choose, Shrink Volume.
- Shrink window displaying the information of the hard disk drive will appear. In this display window, you will see Size of available shrink space to shrink in MB, and a number across it.
- The number displayed is the maximum capacity in MB, beyond which you cannot create a partition drive.
- Next, there is an option, Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB, in which you can enter the capacity or size of the partition in MB, which you want to create.
- After entering the data, click on Shrink button at the bottom of the Shrink window.
- The process of shrinking will take place, and it may take few minutes, depending on the size of the hard disk.
- After the shrinking process, a window displaying the unallocated space will appear. Right click on it, and select the option New Simple Volume.
- New Simple Volume Wizard will appear, and on the File system option, you need to select NTFS (New Technology File System)and then click on Next and Finish.
- Finally, to ensure the completion of the process, restart your system.
Partition the Mac OS Without Formatting
- On your Mac, click on open finder window → Applications → Utilities → Disk Utility.
- Double click on the Disk Utility application window and select the partition hard disk preference, and then click on the Partition button, which is at the top of the Disk Utility application window.
- In the Data Utility application window, select Volume Scheme preferences, and adjust the number of partitions and the size of each partition by dragging the mouse or by entering the value of the hard drive partition.
- After allocating the size of the partitions, create a file name of your choice.
- The final step is to click on Apply button, and reformatting the hard disk will be done automatically after pressing the OK button which is at the top of the Disk Utility window.
Even though, creating it is simple, it should be done carefully. You need to choose the correct and permissible size of the partition you want to create and should be careful enough not to make a mistake in the process. See to it that you do this process when there is continuous supply of power, otherwise, it may even end up crashing your hard drive.