In Windows 11/10/8/8.1, thePower User Menuis the easiest way to start Disk Management.
Checkwhich version of Windows is installedon your rig if you’re not sure.
Don’t worry if this window doesn’t appear.
There are legitimate reasons you may not see itwe’ll know soon if there’s a problem or not.
Skip down to Step 4 if you don’t see this.
On this screen, you’re asked to choose a partition style for the new hard drive.
ChooseGPTif the new hard drive you installed is 2 TB or larger.
ChooseMBRif it’s smaller than 2 TB.
ChooseOKafter making your selection.
You might need to maximize theDisk ManagementorComputer Managementwindow to see all the drives on the bottom.
An unpartitioned drive will not show up in the drive list at the top of the window.
If you don’t see the drive you want to partition, you may have installed it incorrectly.
Turn off your gear and double-check that the hard drive is properly installed.
In Windows XP, the option is calledNew Partition.
ChooseNext >on theNew Simple Volume Wizardwindow that appeared.
In Windows XP, aSelect Partition Typescreen appears next, where you should choosePrimary partition.
TheExtended partitionoption is useful only if you’re creating five or more partitions on a single physical hard drive.
SelectNext >after making the selection.
ChooseNext >on theSpecify Volume Sizestep to confirm the size of the drive you’re creating.
This means that you’re creating a partition that equals the total available space on the physical hard drive.
You’re welcome to create multiple partitions, that will eventually become multiple, independent drives in Windows.
You’re welcome to set theAssign the following drive letteroption to anything that’s available.
You’re also welcome tochange the hard drive letterlater on if you want.
ChooseDo not format this volumeon theFormat Partitionstep, and then selectNext >.
If you know what you’re doing, feel free to format the drive as part of this process.
ChooseFinishand Windows will partition the drive, a process that will only take a few seconds on most computers.
You might notice that your cursor is busy during this time.
Next, Windows will take a stab at initiate the new drive automatically.
Do you want to format it?"
This only happens in Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7.
You won’t see this in Windows Vista or Windows XP and that’s perfectly fine.
Just skip to the last step below if you’re using one of those versions of Windows.
Or, if you knowhow to format a hard drive in Windows, feel free to chooseFormat diskinstead.
If you don’t, consult a tutorial first before attempting it.
What Is Partitioning?
In other words, a hard drive isn’t useful to your operating system until it’s partitioned.
FAQ
In Disk Management, go for the partition you want to remove.
Right-choose that partition and selectDelete Volume.
SelectYesto confirm that all data will be lost.
Go toApplications>Utilities>Disk Utility.
pick the partition to remove and clickErase.
Confirm the deletion by selectingErase, then selectDone.
