Partitioning

Back Partitioning Before installing an operating system on a hard drive, the hard drive must be partitioned and formatted. When a hard drive is partitioned, it is logically divided into one or more areas. When a hard drive is formatted, the partitions are prepared to hold files and applications. During the installation phase, most operating systems automatically partition and format the hard drive. A technician should understand the process relating to hard drive setup.


 * · **Primary partition** – This partition is usually the first partition. A primary partition cannot be subdivided into smaller sections. There can be up to four partitions per hard drive.
 * **Active partition** – This partition is the partition used by the operating system to boot the computer. Only one primary partition can be marked active.
 * **Extended partition** – This partition normally uses the remaining free space on a hard drive or takes the place of a primary partition. There can be only one extended partition per hard drive, and it can be subdivided into smaller sections called logical drives.



You can use the Disk Management to make partitions for the hard drive. If you use Window 2000 or XP, here are the steps for making partiotions.

A hard drive must contain at least one formatted partition before it is usable. You can use the Windows 2000/XP Disk Management tool to set up volumes or partitions on your hard disk. With Disk Management, you can create and delete partitions; format volumes using a FAT, FAT32, or NTFS file system; and setup more advanced disk subsystems. You can perform most disk-related tasks without the need to restart your computer as most configuration changes take effect immediately upon committing the changes.

﻿You should not attempt to make any changes to a partition from which theoperating system was booted, the system files are located, or the active paging (swap) file is located.

To start **Disk Management**: 1. Select Start, point to Settings, and then select Control Panel 2. Open **Administrative Tools**, and then open Computer Management. 3. Alternatively, select Start, right click on My Computer and select **Manage**. 4. In the console tree, select **Disk Management**.



Before a new, un-partitioned disk can be used in Windows XP it must contain a **disk signature**. The first time that Disk Management is run after a new hard disk is installed, the **Disk Signature** and Upgrade **Disk Wizard** is started. If thewizard is cancelled, you may find that when you attempt to create a partition on the new hard disk, the New Partition option is unavailable (appears dimmed). In this case a signature can be written on the hard drive by right clicking on the disk description window (lower pane, typically a red circle with a white dash covering the hard drive icon) and selecting **Initialize Disk**. .



To create a **new partition or logical drive**: In the Disk Management window, do the following: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">1. Right-click the Unallocated space and select **New Partition**.



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">2. On the "Welcome to the New Partition Wizard" page, select **Next.** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;"> .

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">3. On the "Select Partition Type" page, select the type of partition that you want to create, and then select **Next**.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">4. On the "Specify Partition Size" page, specify the size in megabytes (MB) of the partition that you want to create, and then select **Next**.



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">5. On the "Assign Drive Letter or Path" page, enter a drive letter or drive path, and then select **Next**.



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">6. On the "Format Partition" page, specify the formatting options that you want, and then select **Next**.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">7. On the "Completing the Create Partition Wizard" page, verify that the options that you selected are correct and then select **Finish**.



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">This video is for partitioning a hard drive in Windows Vista.

media type="file" key="How To Partition a Hard Drive.flv" align="center" width="360" height="270"

[]

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Summary <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">A partition is a logical division of the hard drive. Partition and format are related to each other. When we installed an operating system on a hard drive, the drive automatically partitioned and formatted. After the drive is formatted, the partition is prepared to hold files and applications. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">There are three types of partitions: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">It is the first partition that cannot be subdivided into smaller sections. It can be up to four partitions.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">· Primary partition

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">It used by the operating system for booting the computer. Only one primary partition can be active.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">· Active partition

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">It uses the remaining space on the hard drive. There can be only one extended partition and it can be subdivided into smaller sections called logical drives.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">· Extended partition

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt;">Resource

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">partitioning_and_Formatting_Guide.pdf

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">CISCO Networking Academic Website