Download the program to create partitions. Programs for working with a hard drive: testing, partitioning, formatting, cleaning. Why do you need to partition your hard drive?

Creating, deleting and formatting computer disk partitions is only part of the possibilities hard drive management applications. Today, they make it possible to securely perform operations that previously required data deletion or other mind-boggling combinations.

Many of the tasks performed through the Partition Manager can, in theory, be accomplished using Windows' built-in Disk Management tool. However, it is not as intuitive as the programs discussed here.

A good disk management application consists of several modules. They are used to create, delete and format partitions. Apart from these functions, they also have functions for copying and moving partitions, creating images and backups.

Additional modules support system migration, merging and splitting partitions. Supports various partition schemes, dynamic disks, RAID configurations, various file systems and boot records.

Attention! Whenever you work with hard drive partitions, you need to plan carefully, back up your data, and make sure you select the correct hard drive or partition before pressing Enter.

Attention! All operations carried out on partitions are fraught with risks. The editors recommend extreme caution and are not responsible for possible loss of data or other damage incurred by readers.

EaseUS Partition Master Disk Management

One of the most popular programs for managing hard drive partitions in Windows. Ensures the allocation of new partitions without data loss.

Benefits of EaseUS Partition Master

• Easy conversion of partition type, primary to logical and vice versa
• Recovers deleted or non-existent partitions
• Supported hard drive capacity up to 8 TB

Flaws

• Inability to transfer data from HDD to SSD in the free version

License: freeware
Price: free

AOMEI Partition Assistant Disk Management

Also popular. Creates, divides, connects, copies hard drive partitions, changing their size, while saving files. System transfer is possible.

Benefits of AOMEI Partition Assistant

• Convenient wizards for every operation
• Supports all the most popular file systems
• Displays accurate information about supported media
• Allows you to create a bootable CD with the application

License: freeware
Price: free

Disk Management in GParted

A tool for managing computer hard drive partitions. Distributed as an ISO file. Install it on a flash drive or burn it to a CD and start your computer from it.

Benefits of GParted

• Does not require installation and does not take up disk space
• Attractive free offer for companies
• Wide range of partition management capabilities for almost any file system

Flaws

• Mastery takes time
• Only available via Live CD

License: freeware
Price: free

MiniTool Partition Wizard

Performs all operations with hard disk partitions and also hides it. Copying the contents of the disk and changing the file system.

Advantages of MiniTool Partition Wizard

• Lots of tools, including disk cleaning and checking
• Convenient visual wizard for each operation
• Allows you to convert NTFS to FAT32 without formatting, change the disk type from MBR to GPT

License: freeware
Price: free

Active@ Partition Manager

Performs operations on disk partitions. Formats the flash drive in FAT32 and NTFS. Fixes MBR disks. Converts MBR to GPT and vice versa.

Benefits of Active@ Partition Manager

• Disk Imaging Tool
• Convenient wizard for creating and changing partitions
• Built-in boot sector editor, allows you to manually make changes
• Shows data for hard drives

Flaws

• English only

License: freeware
Price: free

Good afternoon

For some reason, many users believe that the heart of the computer is the processor (for some game lovers, the video card). But purely in my opinion, the most important piece of hardware in a computer/laptop is the hard drive (HDD).

Whatever the breakdown of the hardware (if it is not related to the disk), by replacing and repairing it, you will restore your work and continue it as if nothing had happened.

But if the hard drive “flies”, then restoring the data is not always easy... Okay, lyrics, on this page I want to collect the most necessary and useful programs for working with the hard drive. I present only the most popular and relevant programs, which I have used myself more than once or twice.

I really like this utility for its clarity and focus on novice users. All you need to do is install the program, after a while you will learn:

• state of the “health” of your disk in percentage terms;
• status about its performance;
• temperature;
• how much actual time it worked (not to be confused with age and date of manufacture).

The utility operates in constant mode (minimized in the tray, next to the clock), and when alarm signals appear, it will notify you in time. What else do inexperienced users need for diagnostics?!

Note : not only work on a PC is supported, but also on laptops, netbooks, etc. SSD drives are also supported.

One of the most renowned utilities for testing and diagnosing disks. The program allows you to test: HDD, FDD, CD/DVD, USB/Flash/SCSI.

Main functions:

• viewing complete information about the drive;
• support for IDE/SATA controllers;
• tests to check the “mechanics” of the disk;
• SMART monitor;
• low-level formatting and much more.

In general, I must admit that the program is not very friendly and simple for novice users. It must be used with caution - here, more than ever, it is correct: “if you don’t know, don’t press!”

Developer's website: http://mhddsoftware.com/

A very popular free program for diagnosing hard drives. Allows for fairly accurate diagnostics of fur. parts of drives, view SMART attributes, identify defective sectors (note: bad blocks), it contains various tests, and other useful functions.

An excellent program for testing disks. Its main advantage over MHDD and Victoria (discussed above) is support for all drives with a wide variety of interfaces: ATA/ATAPI/SATA, SSD, SCSI and USB.

By the way, the program does not work under Windows; to run it, you need to burn bootable media (flash drive or CD/DVD disk), and after booting from it, run the utility.

A very high-quality utility for checking HDDs and SSDs for bad sectors, viewing S.M.A.R.T., for setting up special... parameters (power management, acoustic mode adjustment, etc.).

The hard drive temperature can be displayed on the taskbar (to be aware of how things are going ☺).

Supported drives:

• HDD with ATA/SATA, SCSI, USB, FireWire or IEEE 1394 interface;
• SSD with ATA/SATA interface;
• RAID arrays with ATA/SATA/SCSI interface;
• Flash drives with USB interface.

A decent program for monitoring the status of hard drives that support S.M.A.R.T technology.

The program displays detailed information about your drives: interface, total operating time, firmware, serial number, standard, allows you to manage AAM/APM settings (useful when your drive is very noisy), displays S.M.A.R.T. parameters. (reading errors, track search time, number of on-off cycles, performance, spindle starts/stops, sector errors, etc.).

Cleaning HDD from debris

Advanced System Care

One of the best programs for cleaning your computer from junk, fixing errors, editing the registry, removing incorrect shortcuts, etc. Allows you to tidy up your Windows in a few minutes and make it work much faster.

Using the program is very simple: just install and run. In my example below, I did just that - it turned out that there were enough problems (although I regularly use wizards to clean up Windows...).

Also note that after installing Advanced SystemCare, a special manager appears in the upper right corner of the screen: it shows the current CPU and RAM load (in percentage). Thanks to this manager, you can take screenshots, watch disk, memory, processor load, perform quick cleaning, and diagnostics. In general, it replaces the task manager...

CCleaner

A free utility for comprehensive cleaning of your Windows. Cleans various garbage: temporary unnecessary files, “residues” from deleted programs, browsing history in browsers (all popular ones are supported: Firefox, Opera, Chrome, etc.).

There is a portable version: which does not require installation. The program works in all popular versions of Windows: XP, 7, 8, 10.

Wise Disk Cleaner

This program allows you to deep clean your Windows system and hard drive from various debris. No other utility will find as much garbage as Wise Disk Cleaner finds!

In addition to its main purpose, the program has a built-in defragmenter. Defragmentation carried out after cleaning has a very good effect on the responsiveness and performance of the hard drive.

Wise Disk Cleaner has a convenient and pleasant interface: all the main tabs are located at the top; by clicking on one of them, you can quickly complete the current task. In general, only positive emotions from such software ☺!

Formatting, breakdown - working with sections

A very convenient and multifunctional program for working with hard drives. Its capabilities are more than enough for the average user, here you can: change the partition size (without formatting), move a disk partition, join (merge) partitions (without losing information), delete a partition, format, backup wizard, migration wizard from HDD to SSD and much more.

What especially deserves attention: all operations with disks are performed using a step-by-step wizard, which at each stage will tell you what is being used for what. Also, most disk operations occur without data loss (unless the program warns otherwise).

Aomei Partition Assistant - what can be done with the HDD partition

Acronis Disk Director

A very powerful and reliable tool for managing disks and volumes on a computer. Main functions: split and merge disk volumes, disk formatting (all popular file systems are supported: FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, Exts, Ext3, Reiser3, Linux or SWAP), recovery of accidentally deleted volumes, ability to download the program offline (without using Windows - for this you need to prepare a bootable USB flash drive in advance), etc.

MiniTool Partition Wizard

A very convenient machine for working with a hard drive: it allows you to perform the entire list of operations that an ordinary PC user might need.

Main functions:

• Windows Migration Wizard to another disk/partition (convenient, for example, when migrating Windows from HDD to SSD);
• Partition Copy Wizard;
• recovery wizard;
• merging, formatting, splitting, deleting partitions;
• Russian language support;
• Works in all popular Windows: 7, 8, 10.

EASEUS Partition Master Free

The best free solution for Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP, which will help you create, delete, resize, transfer, expand, split, format, clone partitions of any disks: HDD, SSD, USB drives (flash drives, disks etc.), memory cards, and other storage media.

The program allows you to change the file system (from FAT32 to NTFS) without data loss, change the MBR disk layout to GPT or the reverse operation - GPT disk layout to MBR (also without data loss).

In general, it is a convenient and indispensable manager for working with disks (certainly more convenient than the built-in Windows wizard...).

Defragmentation

If, when opening some files from the disk, your PC begins to think, does it slowly and not immediately, then in the most harmless case, this is to blame fragmentation. To correct this mess, you need to carry out the reverse operation - defragmentation(such a tautology ☻).

Defragmentation- the process of optimizing information storage on disk to ensure a continuous sequence of clusters. In general, if we step back from unclear terms, then after defragmentation your disk starts working faster: reading and writing files speeds up. Thanks to this, your programs become more responsive, and it becomes more pleasant to work on such a PC!

Windows, by the way, has its own defragmentation wizard, but in my opinion, it does not work perfectly... Therefore, I will give a couple of necessary utilities.

Auslogics Disk Defrag

Despite its compact size, this utility will give a head start to many competitors! The program works very quickly, optimizes the file system, which speeds up your work. Needless to say, the program is used by more than 11 million users around the world!

Main functions:

• defragments files and unused space on the HDD;
• When defragmenting, special attention is paid to system files (which affects performance);
• you can defragment specific files (there are not many programs where there is a data feature);
• the ability to work in the background (i.e., unnoticed by you);
• free for home use!

A free and small utility for defragmenting HDDs, USB drives, memory cards, floppy disks. By the way, the program makes it very convenient to set the startup time - you can set up a work schedule so that the disk is analyzed and defragmented when you are not working on the PC.

Main functions of MyDefrag:

• there is a version that works from the command line (does not need installation);
• 2 algorithms for defragmentation;
• there is a task scheduler;
• The standard version of the program is automated and will not take you a minute of time to set up.

A free defragmenter from the manufacturer of the CCleaner utility (Piriform Ltd). The program allows you to work both with an entire disk partition and with individual files and folders.

After analyzing the desired hard drive partition: the program will display a list of fragmented files. You can select the ones you need, and Defraggler will quickly optimize their placement. As a result, you don’t waste time defragmenting the entire disk (in general, in some cases it’s very convenient!).

The page will be updated with new software as you work with the site.

Additions on the topic of the article are welcome!

To work with hard disk partitions (dividing into partitions or combining them into one), the Windows 10 operating system has a built-in utility “ Disk management" Its use, in my opinion, is preferable to installing any third-party tools. You can read how to split a hard drive using Ten’s own means or, conversely, combine its partitions in separate articles on this site: divide And combine. But sometimes situations arise when it is quite difficult to do without third-party tools.

This article was written in response to questions from site readers who had problems dividing a hard drive or merging its volumes. The Disk Management utility built into Windows 10, despite all its advantages, has its drawbacks: sometimes it does not allow you to create a partition of the required size, sometimes it does not allow you to split your hard drive at all, sometimes it is not possible to combine the necessary volumes into one. In these problematic situations (and only in them!) I recommend using a third-party one, even if free program for managing hard disk partitions in the "top ten". It is worth remembering that using any third-party tool to manage the operating system can be potentially dangerous. I am not inclined to dramatize the situation, but I believe that I am obliged to warn about it, even if the probability of possible problems is one chance in ten thousand. Therefore, whenever possible, it is better to still use the Disk Management utility built into Windows 10, developed by Microsoft.

When I was preparing this article, I spent several hours of time to find a truly completely free, reliable and reputable program for dividing a hard drive into partitions(or their combinations). There are a lot of outright lies and dubious programs of unknown origin in this area. A separate point in my search was the question that the software found should not only free, but also had a Russian-language interface and it also turned out completely compatible with Windows 10. The last question is far from idle - the fact is that on the Internet you can find information about how some disk partitioning programs created for Windows 7 or 8 ruined the hard drives of Windows 10 users.

So, as a result of a long and thorough search, I finally found and tried the program myself AOMEI Partition Assistant. In general, its full version, the Professional Edition, costs from $59 and much more. But don’t let this scare you, because the functionality of its free Standard Edition branch is quite enough to:

• Divide the hard drive into partitions
• Merge hard drive volumes into one partition

In general, the presence of a paid version speaks only in favor of this software. After all, this indicates the seriousness of the intentions of its authors. Those who create programs for money probably make decent solutions for free, albeit with somewhat limited functionality (especially since it’s quite enough for us). Another proof of the authority of AOMEI Partition Assistant, in my opinion, is the presence of an article about it in Wikipedia. By the way, if you doubt the reliability and safety of a particular program, always check through a search engine whether Wikipedia writes about it. This, of course, is not a 100% guarantee, but still, since this electronic encyclopedia strives for maximum objectivity, in articles about software there you can find information about the possible “pitfalls” of a particular program. It is there, on Wikipedia, that it is better to take a link to the official website of the program. The fact is that the first places in search engines are often not the official websites of certain programs.

On the official site AOMEI Tech I found it right away section dedicated to the Partition Assistant program. Let's go down a little on this page to the second screen. There, to download the free version of the program we need to manage the hard drive, we find the item Partition Assistant Standard Edition and (of course) click “Download”. Don’t be alarmed that the site is in English; the program itself has an official Russian localization. Please note that there are several options for downloading this program for different needs on the page - for free home use, choose the version Standard Edition.

The installation process of the program is not at all complicated. First, you are asked to select a language, then traditionally accept the usage agreement, and, if necessary, select the folder where the program will be stored - that’s basically all. After installation, the program will automatically launch if you leave the “Run this program” checkbox at the last stage.

I will not consider all options for using AOMEI Partition Assistant to manage a hard drive. I will only examine in detail the question of how this can free program to split your hard drive into several partitions in Windows 10. Everything else (including merging volumes) is done by analogy.

Dividing a hard drive into partitions using the free AOMEI Partition Assistant program in Windows 10

When the program starts, all the physical hard drives installed on your computer or laptop, as well as the partitions that exist on them, will be displayed at the bottom. In order to divide a disk into several volumes, you first need to “pinch off” a piece of space from an existing partition. To do this, stand on the donor volume and, right-clicking on it, select “ Resize partition».

A new window will appear in which you need to specify what size you want to leave the existing volume. All remaining space will be freed up for the new partition. I left the C drive with 150 GB. Click OK.

Now we see that we have free space labeled " Unoccupied" We need to create a new partition (volume) on it. To do this, right-click on it again and select the item “ Creating a section».

The pop-up window appears again. We leave everything in it as default and click OK.

After this, a new section will appear on the program screen. It would seem that you can rejoice. But it was not there. Turns out, no changes have been made to the hard drive itself yet! For the operation to be completed, you must press the button at the top “ Apply».

Typically, you will need to restart your computer to complete the operation. This is exactly what the new window in the AOMEI Partition Assistant program tells us. Click “Go” on it. It is better to leave the checkbox next to the “Check partitions before execution” item. This will allow the program to check partitions for errors before dividing.

After this, a new window will appear again warning you to restart your computer. We agree and click “Yes”.

After the reboot, the actual physical division of the hard drive into two partitions begins. It occurs before the Windows 10 operating system boots in PreOS mode.

Personally, this process took me only a couple of minutes. Most likely, the fact is that on the shared hard drive I had nothing except the clean installed Windows 10 and several programs. Therefore, it did not take much time to move files. If the computer is weak and there is a lot of information on the disk, then the division process may take much longer. My computer rebooted twice and then started up normally. After this, a new section appeared in Explorer, and the existing one became smaller.

Let me remind you that, by analogy with this instruction in Windows 10, using the free AOMEI Partition Assistant program, you can combine hard drive partitions.

I foresee a question from some meticulous readers of my site about why I reviewed only one free program for managing hard drive partitions on the “ten”. Will explain. The fact is that the rest of the programs I studied did not suit me for various reasons: some of them did not have the Russian language (and for many this is important), others had too much functionality in the free version, others raised doubts about the plan security for the operating system and compatibility with Windows 10. In addition, I absolutely see no point in looking for something else to solve fairly rare problems. I believe that the software reviewed copes with the assigned tasks with a bang and has undoubted advantages over all other free programs that I have studied. So why then bother yourself and others with unnecessary information?)

The performance and ease of use of the system depend on the condition of the hard drive. Cluttered media reduces performance, slows down the system and is more susceptible to errors and failures. Adequate disk management and the use of custom partitions improve its performance, increase comfort and have a positive impact on the security of data and equipment. There are many tools and programs for working with a hard drive. Some of them differ only in graphical interface and price.

Selecting a program for working with hard disk partitions.

GParted is an advanced program for working with hard disk partitions that does not interfere with the operating system. After downloading, the program is offered as an ISO disk image, which must be burned to a CD/DVD. After recording, restart your computer and select to run from CD/DVD. The program allows you to create, delete and resize an existing partition. A big advantage of the program is the ability to change the size of the partition on which the system is installed. The program supports most known file types, including fat16, fat32, ntfs, ext2, ext3 and ext4. Before any operations on partitions, it is recommended to first defragment them and back up the most important files. Resizing partitions can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

How to use the program:

1. Back up your important files!
2. Download the GParted program and burn it to disk.
3. Insert the disc into the drive and restart your computer.
4. When the motherboard manufacturer splash screen appears, press the F8 key (sometimes it can be the F9, F10, F11, F12 key, depending on the manufacturer) and select boot from CD/DVD.
5. Once downloaded, select GParted Live from the list.
6. Click "Don't touch keymap".
7. Select a language (Russian – 24).
8. “Which mode do you prefer?” – 0 and confirm with ENTER.
9. A search will begin for all available hard drives and partitions that have already been created on them. This may take a few minutes.

1. If you need to repartition the disk, first delete any previously created partitions. To do this, delete them one by one (the “Delete” trash can icon). If you don't have any sections yet, skip this step.
2. In the list of partitions, click on the space with unallocated space. Then click on the white sheet icon (“New”).
3. In the window that opens, you need to set the parameters for the new partition: size, partition type (primary, extended or logical) and its file system, partition name. Then confirm adding the section with the “Add” button.
4. After creating the section, confirm the actions by selecting the green “tick” icon. The program will begin creating partitions. This may take a few minutes.
5. The next step is to close the main window and double click on the “Exit” icon.
6. Restart your computer.

After the reboot, the new disk partitions will be ready for use.

One of the most convenient programs for working with disks, EaseUS Partition Master, supports RAID devices. The application is equipped with a Wipe module, thanks to which the user can permanently erase files so that their recovery is impossible (especially useful before selling the hard drive). Each operation requires additional confirmation and comes first in the queue, so the risk of error is minimal. Let's see how to use this program to organize a disk that contains too many or too few partitions:

1. Download the program and run the installation.

IMPORTANT. During installation, do not download additional tools.

1. Once the application is installed, launch partition management to proceed to management.
2. Select the drive you want to format, right-click on it and select the “Erase data” option.
3. Set the number of times to clean the disk to 1, and click OK.

IMPORTANT. Formatting the drive means that all data will be deleted permanently.

1. The task will be added to the list of pending operations in the window on the left.
2. Next, select the “Create partition” option.
3. Then you need to set up a new partition, select its size, enter a name and select a letter. After entering all the data, click "OK".

You can create multiple partitions on a disk, but remember that if you create a partition on a USB drive, Windows will only be able to read the primary partition.

1. To complete all tasks in the Pending Operations list, simply click Apply Changes.

How to create a new partition:

1. Select the system partition.
2. The Actions panel displays the available functions.
3. If you are using a hard drive, we recommend defragmenting the partition first. Select Defragment, then click OK.
4. After defragmentation, select Resize/Move Partition.

In the next window, use the pointer to drag the borders to the left - this will reduce the size of the system disk.

1. If you are performing SSD partitioning operations, check the "Optimize SSD" checkbox.
2. Click "OK" to confirm the operation.
3. In the Apply Changes window, click Yes. A message appears asking you to restart your computer. Click Yes. The disk will be partitioned and the computer will reboot.
4. Launch EaseUS again. Click on the free space and in the Actions panel, select Create Partitions.
5. If it is an SSD, then check the "Optimize SSD" checkbox. Click OK. The unallocated space will be formatted as a new disk.

Merging sections:

1. In EASEUS Partition Master, select the partition on drive C. In the Actions panel, select Merge Partitions.
2. Select the second section, it should be the adjacent section. Select the target drive from the list. Files from the second partition will be placed in a separate folder. Click OK, then Yes. Sections will be merged.

The program also has a diagnostic module that allows you to search for damaged sectors and manage the structure of the hard drive. An important feature is the pre-splitting before approving changes, which gives the user full control over the planned actions. The rest of the programs in the review work on the same principles as those described above.

One of the best programs for working with a hard drive, supporting hard drives with a capacity of more than 2 TB. Each partition can be archived as a backup, allowing you to restore data after a possible failure. The user can also change the file system from FAT to NTFS, and after each change in the size of the NFTS partition, there is no need to reboot the system. The application is equipped with interesting modules, including a disk map, which shows a graphical view of the partitions on the disk, Disk Surface Test, which offers basic disk diagnostics, and the Partition Surfece Test, which analyzes a specific partition.

Free utility for Windows 7 and later Microsoft operating systems. Created on the Visual Operating System (ViOpSys) environment and runs from a boot CD/DVD when the system starts. Allows you to create new sections, divide, move and delete existing ones and copy their contents. In addition, the user has modules for defragmenting and formatting partitions. The program has low system requirements, so it can be used on older hardware (Pentium-class x86 processor, 32 MB of RAM or 16 MB in text mode).

A powerful and functional disk and partition management tool, equipped with diagnostic and repair modules for working in Windows 10 and earlier versions. In addition to the basic functions of creating, copying and deleting partitions, you can back up and restore data lost due to, for example, a hard drive failure. The application is equipped with a “tomofinder” that allows you to find and restore deleted data. The program supports the most popular file systems, such as FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, EXT2 and EXT3, as well as media with DE, SCSI, SATA interfaces. Allows you to manage virtual storage media and RAID. The built-in diagnostic module allows you to analyze the state of the disk, find and correct any errors (including restoring a damaged MBR).

A program designed to create copies of Windows system partitions. Allows you to quickly clone a partition to a new drive, so you can work on new media without having to go through the operating system installation process. When moving a partition, you can change its size or leave it at its original size. The program supports files in FAT and NTFS, IDE, SATA, SCSII, USB and FIREWIRE interfaces.

An application designed to manage USB storage devices (cards, pendrives, external drives), supporting FAT16, FAT 32 and NTFS file systems. Allows you to create, copy and delete partitions, format memory and create bootable media, for example, with an operating system or another program. The program is equipped with a diagnostic module that checks the performance of the hard drive and the size of the media.

Allows you to analyze disk resources, provides detailed data about files and displays them in graphical form. For example, their size and location. The user can determine what data will be displayed and in what form. The application generates reports from collected data in HTML, ASCII and XML formats.

Conclusion

Thus, we introduced you to the best programs for working with hard drive partitions. You just need to try them and decide which one suits you best. And if after reading this article you still have questions, feel free to ask them in the comments.

Existing primary partitions and logical drives can be reduced in size by using adjacent free space on the same drive. For example, if there is a need for an additional partition but no additional disks are available, you can shrink the existing partition from the end of the volume to create unallocated space that can be used for the new partition. The compression operation may be blocked by the presence of certain file types (see "What to Consider Also" for more information).

When you shrink a partition, all simple files are automatically moved to another area of ​​the disk to free up additional space. There is no need to format the disk to shrink the partition.

Note: If the partition is an unformatted partition (that is, without any file system) containing data (such as a database file), then shrinking the partition may destroy the data

Start- right-click Computer- choose Control. Select an item Shrink Volume

Follow the instructions. It is advisable to leave the size of the main partition at least 40 GB. After compression, a new unallocated partition will appear that will need to be formatted.

Note: Only basic volumes that do not have any file system or have a file system can be compressed NTFS

What should also be considered

• When you shrink a partition, some files (such as the page file or shadow copy storage area) cannot be moved automatically, limiting the partition shrinkage to the point where the non-movable files are located. If the compact operation fails, check the Application log for event 259, which indicates an unmovable file. If you know the clusters or cluster associated with the file that is interfering with the compression operation, you can also enter the command at the command prompt fsutil(enter fsutil volume querycluster /? to view the syntax). When setting the parameter querycluster the result of the command points to an unmovable file that is preventing the compression operation from being performed.

  In some cases, you may be able to temporarily move this file. For example, if the file you're moving is a page file, you can use Control Panel to move it to another drive, shrink the volume, and then move the page file back.

• It is not possible to shrink a partition if too many bad clusters are detected during dynamic reassignment of bad clusters. If this happens, you should move the data and replace the drive. Do not use block-level copying to migrate data. This will cause the bad sector table to be copied and the new drive will treat the sectors as bad even though they are healthy.
• You can shrink primary partitions and logical drives on partitions that do not have any file system or on partitions that do have a file system NTFS.

Enlarging the main partition

A logical disk is expanded by contiguous free space on the same secondary partition that contains it. If there is not enough free space on a partition to expand the logical drive, the partition is increased in size to accommodate the logical drive.

For logical disks, boot volumes, or system volumes, you can only expand a volume into contiguous disk space and only if the disk can be converted to dynamic. For other volumes, it is possible to expand into non-contiguous disk space, but with the condition that the disk will be converted to dynamic.

Open Disk Management Environment: Start- right-click Computer- choose Control. Select the item, right-click on the main section and Extend volume. Follow the instructions.