Partitioning your computer's hard drive may be necessary in order to install two operating systems (for example, Linux and XP) or to get a more organized structure of partitions and files.
Instructions
Step 1
To ensure that data on your computer will not be lost if partitions are unsuccessful, be sure to back them up. To do this, download and install a file backup software (such as BackupFly or Acronis True Image) on your computer.
Step 2
After the installation is complete, run the program. Depending on which program you selected, you can use an external hard drive or DVD to back up your files. Follow the instructions of the program to copy the data. After copying is complete, check that copies of all files have been created.
Step 3
Download and install a utility for creating hard disk partitions on your computer (for example, Acronis Disk Director or Paragon Partition Manager). Make sure you have allocated enough space (about 20 GB) on the C drive for the Windows operating system and temporary files for other programs. Run the disk utility and select the required number of partitions. If you plan to install a different operating system on your computer, you may need to select 3 or 4 partitions.
Step 4
Wait for the partitioning utility to finish, and then restart your computer. If the process was successful, there should be no problem accessing My Computer. In addition, three to four different drive letters will appear, each representing one partition.
Step 5
If no partitions were created or any files were lost, run the backup program. Select the data backup to be restored to your hard drive.
Step 6
Repeat step 3 to repartition the hard drive. If you have problems again, you may need to install and use another program to create disk partitions.
