Using Windows user available control system management software to partition HDD
Under later windows versions, such partitions can be easily created and edited even after installing the operating system. It seems that most people are using this method. As it is offered by Microsoft and made very easy to do I am a bit suspicious. But for now I will do it.
Find the management control console.
You need initially to get at the controlling / managements software. Once you have the Disk manager Window open , the complete Partition process can be done very quickly…
If you are familiar with earlier Windows versions you will probably have had some experience navigating in an “explorer” type way to these sort of things.
Microsoft seem to be changing / moving in a direction backwards/ sideways or just moving / changing for the sake of it. It seems to be getting generally less intuitive to find these sort of user available control things.
Instead you are faced with pretty smart phone type App pictures and small pretty square icons.
You need to train yourself not to get lost in their newer pretty interfaces.
Never mind.. There are a few ways to find the Disc manager window / control console that you need...
_ (i) Semi - Navigating way
**Hit the Microsoft symbol bottom left, and look for a small search bar or search window. **You may already have a search bar bottom left or somewhere else
Type in something like , Control , Sytemsteuerung , or Management or similar .
A window of some form, or blue / white / light blue outline with some options may come up bottom left. Try to find something that eventually looks like the sketches below….. http://i.imgur.com/pdZdisy.jpg
You may have an in between stop and see a window that you may recognise as the Sytemsteuerung/Control panel start window. You could try there top right in the search bar typing in something of the form of Management / verwaltung / Administration.
You are finally trying to find the window below, going by the name of something like
Festplattenpartitionen erstellen und formatieren
Datenträgerverwalten
Create and format disk partitions
Disk Management
Semi Navigate To Disk Management.jpg http://i.imgur.com/jr48NVv.jpg http://i.imgur.com/pdZdisy.jpg
Disk Management.jpg http://i.imgur.com/S31moCb.jpg
Disk Management.jpg
_ (ii) Command window way.
Hit [Microsoft Symbol key] + [Key R]
Type in compmgmt.msc then [OK]
That should bring up a Computer Management Window from which you can probably find the option to click to get the Disk Management Window
Computer Management.jpg http://i.imgur.com/S31moCb.jpg
_ (iii) Right click on Microsoft Symblol..
Right click on the Microsoft Symbol, bottom left, then look for an option like Disk Management
Right Click Start Disk Management.jpg : http://i.imgur.com/GoaUyZJ.jpg
_(iv) Right click on This PC symbol , for example from the left hand side of the typical File explorer, then select Disk Manage
Right Click on This PC Manage.jpg http://i.imgur.com/FBQB6v9.jpg http://i.imgur.com/j2qTRqn.jpg http://i.imgur.com/mnACIdz.jpg
Once you have the Disk manager Window open , the complete Partition process can be done very quickly… Basically we want to split up / divide the C drive, http://i.imgur.com/x84qwTa.jpg , but we don’t want to damage stuff on it. What we can often do is to shrink it…..
Shrinking / Reduce Volume ( of main partition )
This is most likely the next step. This is the main in built feature which simplifies partitioning, allowing such partitions to be easily created even after an operating system has been installed
Assuming that you have a main large partition, ( most likely indicated by C: ) , this can be reduced, and so making available “free space” on the HDD
Right click on this, and select something like Reduce/Shrink Volume
Reduce Volume.jpg : http://i.imgur.com/zkLm8AA.jpg http://i.imgur.com/tP3Iw1L.jpg
That is likely to take between a few seconds to a few minutes, and you should resist the temptation to do anything whilst it is being done
Eventually you will be offered the largest that is available to have “free” after. You can reduce that, in other words have less available, and consequently leave more space on the original partition, ( which you are about to reduce in size). The amount that you are offered seems to be quite a bit less than was shown as “free available” on the original partition. Presumably some allowance has been made so that you do not cripple the computer by leaving it not enough “room” to “work in”
Reduce Volume Offer.jpg : http://i.imgur.com/pevSryH.jpg http://i.imgur.com/tP3Iw1L.jpg http://i.imgur.com/MjiwqzQ.jpg
For my first attempt, I will go with the offered values.
To Summarise what I had and am getting after the reduction
My HDD was somewhere in the region of 230GB-250GB, and most of that seemed to be as typical on the ““ C: ” drive”.
An indication was given that I had about 190GB “free”. So presumable about 50GB had been used for the Operating System and a few other things that were pre installed.
On attempting to shrink the ““ C: ” drive” , I was offered up to about 110GB, leaving the original ““ C: ” drive” at about 130GB
On clicking on reduce/shrink , you may need to wait a while, and once again, you should resist the temptation to do anything whilst it is being done. Finally you should see something of this form:
Reduced Volume.jpg http://i.imgur.com/qGr2i9V.jpg
( In that last screenshot the ““ D: ” drive” is actually a USB stick connected to the computer. )
The partitioning is not quite finished yet. At this stage the C: is now in its final new state, but the extra new space is now like a “wasteland”. It is not recognised as anything. It won’t show up on any typical explorer window.
You now have to right click on the newly shown area and select something like, New Simple Volume
New Simple Volume.jpg : http://i.imgur.com/jrXdq7B.jpg
After that, the steps are fairly self explanatory, and initially I ignore most options which would be for more advanced stuff
Generally you would
_ Accept the suggested shrinked size
Accept Shrink suggestion.jpg : http://i.imgur.com/e3wIgYD.jpg
_ Choose a new letter for the drive, I chose V ,
Chose V.jpg http://i.imgur.com/unOOhRx.jpg
_ Chose to Format as is the default option. ( You can do this later, but for a simple first attempt I take the suggested option )
( At this stage you can also name the new drive. I chose OS 2 , as initially I am proposing to use the new drive for a second Operating System )
Chose to format.jpg http://i.imgur.com/UuQxDl4.jpg http://i.imgur.com/3FGZq6c.jpg
( If you have the time, it might be worth unclicking the quick Formatting. I am not sure exactly what the difference is, but there have been suggestions that it might check for damage / and or be more thorough in completely wiping any information off: It seems that in general, Formatting my not quite completely “wipe clean”. It may “tidy” or “clean away” and make ready for new use. Some professionals recommend using software to completely wipe clean, before formatting. )
_ As far as I know that is all I need to do. This bit of the original , ( C: in our case) , is now effectively seen as a separate entity, the “V: entity”, or “V: drive”. ( It is still physically on the same drive as C: )
What is now effectively the C: drive, cannot directly use the new volume. It can only manipulate it in a similar way to how it can manipulate and control other storage things, such as external USB sticks. As far as C: is concerned, it is just another storage device. So doing something like installing software on the C: will not directly do anything to the V: entity. This should go a long way to help prevent that a virus effecting C does not get so easily at the V: . It will not completely guarantee it, but it is less likely since most viruses find there way from things via the internet. The internet has no direct way to get at the V: when the V : is not in use.
So finally I seem to have the following results, summarised approximately:
C: 125GB
V: 105GB
C and V partitions.jpg : http://i.imgur.com/Mfm5aJH.jpg
C and V drives.jpg : http://i.imgur.com/7ZBoBOy.jpg
C and V.jpg : http://i.imgur.com/cod7tOQ.jpg
C and V.JPG
As always, the various numbers seem to approximately tie up. In this case I have approximately “split” an original 230GB into 125GB + 105GB
I think a ball park figure for an operating system and a few bits of software such as Microsoft Office seems to need about 20-40GB, so hopefully I can later use my new 105GB V: partition for that purpose.
_._________________
Two “drives”? Significance
What we have now is a single physical HDD which is separated into two main areas. The main significance of this, as far as I know, is that not all things can be done by one on the other.
Most importantly, if we have an operating system on one part, as we still do in our case on the C: “drive” , then the other V: “drive” is mostly seen as simple storage thing. So the operating system is limited in what it can do to it.
( The word “drive” is used a bit loosely and is possibly a poor choice of wording since both are on the same actual physical HDD. It also should not be confused with Drivers , which we discus in the over over next post and is a completely different thing. )
At this point we have not gained much. We could just as well have left things as they were and connected an external storage device such as a simple USB stick.
The important advantage comes about because most usually, an integrated internal HDD is required in a computer to allow instillation and to run an operating system. Now, as far as the computer is concerned, it “sees” effectively 2 integrated internal HDDs
We can , for example, install a second Operating System on the new “ V: drive”.
So we still could say , so what?? –
The best way to think of that is to compare it as if in a vehicle we have two independent engines.
Engines and computer operating system are both complicated things. There is a lot to go wrong. But there is much less chance of a problem arising that would simultaneously cause serious damage to both engines, especially if we are only using one, that is to say, only have access to one, at a time.
This comparison can be applied directly to an operating system which may get a bug, or be corrupted when in use, for example as the result of a virus or other malicious attack from the internet.
It is not completely impossible that some malicious attack or virus might be able to damage both “drives”, but it is much less likely than being possible to damage the one that is in use.
Other advantages, are that one healthy operating system might be able to assist in some process to repair should the other operating system become damaged or corrupted
Other advantages for me are that I would like to have an older stable operating system which I am familiar with alongside the possibility to have the newest supported operating system to help “keep in touch” and for the cases when only one operating system will work for some particular requirement.
One thing that could of course cause problems in both operating system is if the actual physical HDD fails. We do not actually have physically two separate HDDs , even though often one tends to use the word “drive” or “drives”
In the over over next posts I will look at doing “Back up” things in preparation for installing or re installing operating systems on either of , ( our now 2 ) main “drives”
In the over next post I will add from time to time Tutorial info related to partitioning
In the next post is a short set of instruction to reverse the partitioning process done in this post.
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