Partition Windows 7: A guide
You do not need an additional program to partition hard disks in Windows 7 (divide them into different areas). This is just as possible with the administration tools integrated in Windows 7. We show you step by step how to do it.
1. Open partition tool in Windows 7
- In the Windows 7 user interface, click on the Windows symbol at the bottom left and select the "Control Panel" entry in the menu that opens.
- From there you can go to the partition tool. In the open Control Panel, click on the "System and Security" entry.
- Now search for the entry "Administration" and click on the sub-item "Create and format hard disk partition". In the opened "Disk Management" window you can edit the Windows 7 partitions.
2. Remove space for new partition
In order to set up a new Windows 7 partition, you first have to "remove" some space from an installed hard disk.
- In this case, right-click on a drive from which you want to deduct space to use it for a new partition (usually the drive is C :).
- Then select the "Shrink Volume" entry. You have to wait a little (depending on the size of the hard disk).
- Under "Space to shrink in MB" you must now specify how large the new partition should be. Then click on "Zoom out".
3. Create partition with Windows 7
After another short processing time, the new partition is displayed. However, it cannot be used yet.
- Click on it with the right mouse button and select "New Simple Volume" from the context menu.
- Now enter the new size. Windows 7 already specifies the total available capacity as standard. So just click on "Next".
- Now assign a drive letter to the partition or drive. Since Windows 7 automatically specifies the next available letter here, simply click "Next" again.
- Next, determine the formatting type and the name for the drive or partition. When formatting, you can choose between "NTFS", "Standard" and "Quick format". Which entry you choose is largely up to you. "Quick format" is usually sufficient if the hard disk is relatively new and unused. But if you are older and crammed with data, we recommend "NTFS" or "Standard". With the drive name it is also up to you whether you assign your own name or leave the field unprocessed. Windows 7 then automatically assigns a name.
Further practical tips for Windows can be found here.