Having multiple hard drives on your computer greatly increases the security of file storage. But even if you only have one hard drive on your computer, you can improve the safety of your files by splitting it across multiple logical drives.
Instructions
Step 1
The creation of a logical disk is a rather arbitrary process, since no new device is physically created. There is an allocation of some disk space, which is assigned a particular letter. From the moment of such a partition, the user can refer to the new logical disk as an independent device - format it, write information to it, install the operating system, etc.
Step 2
If your computer has only one hard drive, be sure to split it into two (or more) logical ones. This is very convenient, as it significantly increases the safety of information on the computer. The main operating system is installed on the C drive, the backup operating system on the D drive. The D drive also contains the user's main files. Even in the case of very serious problems with the main OS, you can boot from the backup, save important data from the C drive (for example, the "My Documents" folder) and reinstall the operating system. This leaves the files on drive D intact in any case.
Step 3
Windows XP does not have a built-in hard drive partitioning tool. Windows 7 has the ability to partition a disk, but still, for this OS it is better to use a third-party utility. One of the most convenient programs is Acronis Disk Director, its latest versions support all operating systems of the Windows family. The program exists in two main versions: one is loaded from the CD when the computer starts, the other is installed as a regular program for Windows. Otherwise, everything is the same in them.
Step 4
To partition the disk, run Acronis Disk Director. Select manual mode. use the mouse to highlight the disk you are going to split. Then, on the left side of the program, click the "Divide" item. A window will open in which you will be asked to select the folders to be transferred to the new section. After selecting the desired folders, click the "Next" button.
Step 5
A new window will open where you can distribute the space between the two drives. Move the slider with the mouse to set the dimensions you need. By default, the disk is divided in half. Click OK.
Step 6
All the necessary operations have been completed, but the new disk has not yet been created - you have just determined the sequence of actions. For all these actions to be implemented, click the checkered flag icon at the top of the program window and confirm the operations.
Step 7
If you booted Acronis Disk Director from a CD at system startup, all operations will be performed immediately, you just have to restart your computer. If you worked with the program from Windows, the computer will reboot and all disk partitioning operations will be performed during the reboot process. Please note that it is best to use the CD-bootable version of the program. The Windows version sometimes crashes, which leads to a complete inoperability of the computer. In any case, save important data to external media before partitioning the disk.
