How to Create a New Partition

by Lysis

Overview

Partitions are logical segments of a hard drive. When you install a new hard drive, the Windows operating system assigns a drive letter and formats it so that it can be recognized as a storage unit. The Windows operating system comes with a disk management tool that allows you to create a new partition on the computer. The tool takes unused hard drive disk space and creates a partition for use on the Windows computer. This tool makes it easy for users to assign a partition and letter for a segment of a hard drive.

Step 1

Click the Windows Start button and select "Control Panel." Double-click the "Administrative Tools" icon. In the administrative tools, double-click the "Computer Management" icon. This opens a new window.
Step 2

Click the "Disk Management" icon on the left side of the window. This opens a window that shows the list of unallocated space.
Step 3

Right-click the bar that is labeled "unallocated space" in the section. Select "New Partition" from the menu. In the New Partition menu, select "Primary Partition" from the list of options.
Step 4

Enter a size for the new partition. The size is in megabytes. One gigabyte is equal to 1,000 megabytes. Click the "Next" button.
Step 5

Enter the file partition type. NTFS is the partition type for any Windows operating system from 2000 to current versions. If this is for an older operating system, choose FAT32, which is used for Windows 98, 95 or DOS.
Step 6

Type a volume letter for the drive. Ensure the drive letter you choose is not one that is already used. For instance, you wouldn't choose C or D since these letters are commonly taken by storage drives.
Step 7

Click the "Next" button. At the summary screen, click the "Finish" button to confirm the settings. The Windows operating system then partitions the drive and assigns the letter chosen.

References & Resources