Thanks for the great tutorial covering disk management!
I especially like the depth that you include in this tutorial.
Your tutorials are excellent because of the:
1. Detail covered
2. Clearity of instructions
3. Great screenshots
4. Excellent choice of what topics to cover.
Thanks for sharing. We’re always happy to see that our work helps people.
Rich
13 years ago
I have to second Brian rec’s. I recently bought a WIN7 laptop and your tutorials have been a godsend for me in learning the new WIN7 OS. My sincere thanks for all of your hard work and the quality info you provide. Keep up the great work guys!
Rich
Anand
13 years ago
I appreciate your tutorial. Though I am still in WinXp, I know that your tutorial is going to help me when I will need one.
I read many tutorial and blogs and have to say, yours is clear and to the point. Sincerely thanks and hope you will keep it up.
Anand
vicky
13 years ago
Thanks for your great clear tutorial guide. My sincere thanks for all of your hard work and the quality info you provide. I like the way and the style of layout you written. Short and clear to the point directly.
Thanks
Vicky
micke
11 years ago
hello i have 133 MB healthy(EISA congifuration )d drive of 10 gb ntfs healthy (primary partition)and c drive of 275.56 gb ,9.99 gb is unallocted and there is 2.05 gb healthy(primary partition)
2 drives c,d is shown on my pc and i want to make one more drive but there error comes that u have alredy 4 partition nw tell me how i add this 2.05 gb and 9.99 gb to make a new partition ??
Narayan Mukku
11 years ago
HI,
Currently my Desktop OS is XP & i want to upgrade to Windows 7 however when i try to install Win7 its gets an error saying that hard disk is not compitable… the disk mgmt supports upto XP version… can you suggest how to manage the disk to install Win7.
Thanks In Advance,
Narayan
XD
11 years ago
hello my brother accidentally changed the drive letter and path of local D to G it done so many problems how i gonna fix this
Doug
11 years ago
Hey! Great tutorial! This has helped me get over the jitters of disk management almost completely. The problem I have was created when attempting a dual boot install of Linux Mint 14 along side Windows 7.
At one point during the Mint install I was promted if I wanted to import files from Windows to Mint. I clicked yes. This worked until the system froze and would not continue the install. Thinking I could simply begin a fresh install, I rebooted the install disk and inadvertantly created two new volumes/disks which is not what I wanted because the total of volumes/disks were now four! With c having 149GiB and the others having 70 or so GiB.
I want to simply delete the other volumes/disks and have what I started with. C having 296 or so GiB in one partition so that I can re-reinstall Mint once again and end up sharing equally the entire hard drive in just two partitions.
Also, I cannot seem to expand C either with or without a free space partition to the right of C because the expand button is grayed. What say you of the computer savvy? I have Windows 7 Ultimate to work with.
You could try using gParted under Linux to manage partitions but you do need to be very careful as it is very easy to delete partitions and create a mess. I believe one of the problems with the Windows partitioner manager is that it does not recognise the Linux partition / file systems whereas Linux will be able to see the Windows partitions.
It feels scary at first but tread carefully, double check as you go and be prepared to read up on partitions etc
Conversely, you should be careful managing Windows partitions with a Linux partition manager. gParted is a great tool IF you know what you are doing with it. It can (I have done it) completely trash a Windows install without meaning to. I always attributed it to the NTFS, which is completely proprietary. Linux file systems have their little quirks, that’s why you will have problems managing them with a Windows-based partition manager.
25 years “in the trenches” doing IT has made me realize that using tools made by the OS’s creators (/maintainers) is generally the best course of action. Make a partition with gParted BEFORE you install Windows on it, that is safe. Otherwise you are treading on thin ice. Everything may work fine once you reboot, but gParted can also mess up the Windows boot partition (especially important to some OEM installs, since it contains the Win license key file).
Most problems I have seen arise from gParted/Windows cock-ups are just boot partition “damage”, but they can be really hard for an inexperienced user to deal with, since they stop any kind of automated diagnostics (or even low-level error messages) from running.
jasray
10 years ago
Yes, a lot of work–well-done. I would like to see the same type of tutorial using GParted.
Henry Wong
10 years ago
I have c: drive, D: drive and E: drive and some unallocated space. How can I increase the C: drive?
Read this guide, section: How to Resize a Partition – Extending & Shrinking.
Al
10 years ago
All well and good if your drive has only ever been partitioned and formatted with windows formats. If the drive has any other formatting on it, this Disk Manager cannot do a thing. Cannot delete partition, cannot reformat, cannot work with it at all. Not really a Disk Manager, more a ‘Windows formatting adjuster’.
sri jnana
10 years ago
does it work for windows 7 home basic version?
I mean i am using windows 7 home basic version & when i am using to do partition my c drive(in which win 7 is installed) i am getting error at last step i.e; drive cannot be converted to dynamic drive. it is not supported by current server configuration…
so does the partition works in windows 7 home basic???
thanks in advance!!
sri jnana
Silhoutte James
10 years ago
Follow the instructions to access Disk Utility in Windows 7:
1.Launch the Start button, and then select Control Panel
2.Click on the System and Security icon (In case you don’t find the option in Control Panel, skip to Administrative Tools icon and right away move to step 4)
3.In the System and Security window, click on the Administrative Tools located at the bottom of the window
4.In the Administrative Tools window, double-click on the Computer Management icon
5.Click on Disk Management on the left side of the window soon after the Computer Management opens
6.Your computer might take few minutes fn loading, soon after which Disk Management should appear on the right side of the Computer Management window
Mirwais Khawrin
10 years ago
If I shrink any drive in windows7 for example drive D, could be safe the data of drive D ?
MANISH
9 years ago
I LOST MY DRIVE , PLZ HELP ME TO RECOVER IT
Mike Briggs
9 years ago
Great tutorial. I have 378GB unallocated. How do I transfer it to my C drive which only has 1.39GB left? Also I have 379 GB on D drive, some of which I would also like to transfer to my C drive. Can you help please?
Venkatesh Macha
9 years ago
Very Good tutorial, very good explanation with screenshots. i found everything i needed.
Thank you for sharing such a useful Tutorial.
Ritu Ranjan Shrivastwa
9 years ago
Hi,
I have a question..
If I extend a drive, will anything happen to the drive being extended (apart from getting extended). I mean like the previous data will be safe or not? (I think they should be)
I forgot my password for my computer and never set up a recovery. will the disc utility cd allow me to get into it?
Linda McKoryk
8 years ago
I have two disks. On Disk 0 in order from the left of the screen I have 300 MB EFI System Partition; then 900 MB Recovery Partition; then OS (C:) with 185.96 GB NTFS where I only have 13 GB free space and that I need to add more GB to; then 350 MB Recovery partition; then DATA (D:) with 63 GB NTFS all of which is free. On Disk 1 in order from the left of the screen I have Data1 (E:) with 37 GB NTFS all of which is free; then 193 GB Unallocated; then Data2 (F:) with 37 GB all of which is free. My problem is that I cannot figure out how to get the unallocated amounts alongside the OS (C:) so I can expand the OS (C:). Can you help with this?
pissed
7 years ago
procedure does not work to delete win 10 partitions. please review and advise. thanks.
JC
6 years ago
Extremely helpful… very detailed and clear, thank you very much!
7tutorials,
Thanks for the great tutorial covering disk management!
I especially like the depth that you include in this tutorial.
Your tutorials are excellent because of the:
1. Detail covered
2. Clearity of instructions
3. Great screenshots
4. Excellent choice of what topics to cover.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks for making the great tutorials.
BRIAN
Thanks for sharing. We’re always happy to see that our work helps people.
I have to second Brian rec’s. I recently bought a WIN7 laptop and your tutorials have been a godsend for me in learning the new WIN7 OS. My sincere thanks for all of your hard work and the quality info you provide. Keep up the great work guys!
Rich
I appreciate your tutorial. Though I am still in WinXp, I know that your tutorial is going to help me when I will need one.
I read many tutorial and blogs and have to say, yours is clear and to the point. Sincerely thanks and hope you will keep it up.
Anand
Thanks for your great clear tutorial guide. My sincere thanks for all of your hard work and the quality info you provide. I like the way and the style of layout you written. Short and clear to the point directly.
Thanks
Vicky
hello i have 133 MB healthy(EISA congifuration )d drive of 10 gb ntfs healthy (primary partition)and c drive of 275.56 gb ,9.99 gb is unallocted and there is 2.05 gb healthy(primary partition)
2 drives c,d is shown on my pc and i want to make one more drive but there error comes that u have alredy 4 partition nw tell me how i add this 2.05 gb and 9.99 gb to make a new partition ??
HI,
Currently my Desktop OS is XP & i want to upgrade to Windows 7 however when i try to install Win7 its gets an error saying that hard disk is not compitable… the disk mgmt supports upto XP version… can you suggest how to manage the disk to install Win7.
Thanks In Advance,
Narayan
hello my brother accidentally changed the drive letter and path of local D to G it done so many problems how i gonna fix this
Hey! Great tutorial! This has helped me get over the jitters of disk management almost completely. The problem I have was created when attempting a dual boot install of Linux Mint 14 along side Windows 7.
At one point during the Mint install I was promted if I wanted to import files from Windows to Mint. I clicked yes. This worked until the system froze and would not continue the install. Thinking I could simply begin a fresh install, I rebooted the install disk and inadvertantly created two new volumes/disks which is not what I wanted because the total of volumes/disks were now four! With c having 149GiB and the others having 70 or so GiB.
I want to simply delete the other volumes/disks and have what I started with. C having 296 or so GiB in one partition so that I can re-reinstall Mint once again and end up sharing equally the entire hard drive in just two partitions.
Also, I cannot seem to expand C either with or without a free space partition to the right of C because the expand button is grayed. What say you of the computer savvy? I have Windows 7 Ultimate to work with.
Thanks tons in advance!
You could try using gParted under Linux to manage partitions but you do need to be very careful as it is very easy to delete partitions and create a mess. I believe one of the problems with the Windows partitioner manager is that it does not recognise the Linux partition / file systems whereas Linux will be able to see the Windows partitions.
It feels scary at first but tread carefully, double check as you go and be prepared to read up on partitions etc
Conversely, you should be careful managing Windows partitions with a Linux partition manager. gParted is a great tool IF you know what you are doing with it. It can (I have done it) completely trash a Windows install without meaning to. I always attributed it to the NTFS, which is completely proprietary. Linux file systems have their little quirks, that’s why you will have problems managing them with a Windows-based partition manager.
25 years “in the trenches” doing IT has made me realize that using tools made by the OS’s creators (/maintainers) is generally the best course of action. Make a partition with gParted BEFORE you install Windows on it, that is safe. Otherwise you are treading on thin ice. Everything may work fine once you reboot, but gParted can also mess up the Windows boot partition (especially important to some OEM installs, since it contains the Win license key file).
Most problems I have seen arise from gParted/Windows cock-ups are just boot partition “damage”, but they can be really hard for an inexperienced user to deal with, since they stop any kind of automated diagnostics (or even low-level error messages) from running.
Yes, a lot of work–well-done. I would like to see the same type of tutorial using GParted.
I have c: drive, D: drive and E: drive and some unallocated space. How can I increase the C: drive?
Read this guide, section: How to Resize a Partition – Extending & Shrinking.
All well and good if your drive has only ever been partitioned and formatted with windows formats. If the drive has any other formatting on it, this Disk Manager cannot do a thing. Cannot delete partition, cannot reformat, cannot work with it at all. Not really a Disk Manager, more a ‘Windows formatting adjuster’.
does it work for windows 7 home basic version?
I mean i am using windows 7 home basic version & when i am using to do partition my c drive(in which win 7 is installed) i am getting error at last step i.e; drive cannot be converted to dynamic drive. it is not supported by current server configuration…
so does the partition works in windows 7 home basic???
thanks in advance!!
sri jnana
Follow the instructions to access Disk Utility in Windows 7:
1.Launch the Start button, and then select Control Panel
2.Click on the System and Security icon (In case you don’t find the option in Control Panel, skip to Administrative Tools icon and right away move to step 4)
3.In the System and Security window, click on the Administrative Tools located at the bottom of the window
4.In the Administrative Tools window, double-click on the Computer Management icon
5.Click on Disk Management on the left side of the window soon after the Computer Management opens
6.Your computer might take few minutes fn loading, soon after which Disk Management should appear on the right side of the Computer Management window
If I shrink any drive in windows7 for example drive D, could be safe the data of drive D ?
I LOST MY DRIVE , PLZ HELP ME TO RECOVER IT
Great tutorial. I have 378GB unallocated. How do I transfer it to my C drive which only has 1.39GB left? Also I have 379 GB on D drive, some of which I would also like to transfer to my C drive. Can you help please?
Very Good tutorial, very good explanation with screenshots. i found everything i needed.
Thank you for sharing such a useful Tutorial.
Hi,
I have a question..
If I extend a drive, will anything happen to the drive being extended (apart from getting extended). I mean like the previous data will be safe or not? (I think they should be)
Your all data will be safe….
How to Delete a Disk Partition with Disk Mangement – should be Management
Problem fixed. Thanks for the feedback.
Superb, Very Very usefull and indepth.
I forgot my password for my computer and never set up a recovery. will the disc utility cd allow me to get into it?
I have two disks. On Disk 0 in order from the left of the screen I have 300 MB EFI System Partition; then 900 MB Recovery Partition; then OS (C:) with 185.96 GB NTFS where I only have 13 GB free space and that I need to add more GB to; then 350 MB Recovery partition; then DATA (D:) with 63 GB NTFS all of which is free. On Disk 1 in order from the left of the screen I have Data1 (E:) with 37 GB NTFS all of which is free; then 193 GB Unallocated; then Data2 (F:) with 37 GB all of which is free. My problem is that I cannot figure out how to get the unallocated amounts alongside the OS (C:) so I can expand the OS (C:). Can you help with this?
procedure does not work to delete win 10 partitions. please review and advise. thanks.
Extremely helpful… very detailed and clear, thank you very much!