## Partition Management

In this chapter you will find all the information necessary to carry out partitioning operations supported by the program.

### Basic Partitioning Operations

Here you can learn how to accomplish basic partitioning operations (create, format, delete).

#### Creating Partitions

The program provides the ability to create a new partition within a block of un-partitioned space.

##### Restrictions

1. Do not use the Create Partition function in order to undelete the last deleted partition.

2. The program allows creating new partitions only within blocks of un-partitioned space. It cannot convert a free space on an existing partition to a new partition.

3. The program cannot create new partitions on Dynamic Disks.

##### Express Create Partition Wizard Startup

· In the Main menu: select Wizards > Express Create Partition…

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

##### Create Partition Wizard Startup

· In the Main menu: select Wizards > Create Partition…

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

##### Dialog Startup

1. Select a block of free space on the Disk Map;

2. Select in the Main Menu: Partition > Create Partition.

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

##### Express Create Partition Wizard Setup

Thanks to a highly intelligent work algorithm, the wizard requires minimal involvement in the operation, thus you only need to choose a method you find the most suitable to create the partition (if several available), which actually differ in the amount of space to allocate. For easy perception, you can see the resulted disk layout on the disk map by selecting this or that mode.

| The number of available methods depends on your disk layout. To learn more on the way the wizard works, please click the corresponding link on the first page of the wizard.

##### Create Partition Wizard Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the operation:

· Partition destination. Select a hard disk (if the computer has several hard disks) and then choose position for the future partition on the disk: at the end (preferable), at the beginning or somewhere in the middle between other partitions.

| By default, the program allows you to create a new partition only as the last primary or as the last logical drive within the extended partition. However, by activating the advance mode on the first page of the wizard you can remove this restriction that in its turn might result in some boot problems.

· Partition size. There is no restriction on size of the future partition, merely depending on space available on the hard disk.

If there is not enough free space in one block, the wizard enables to redistribute free space, joining all free space blocks together into one united block and moving partitions when necessary. If the total amount of free space is still not enough, it is possible to split a fragment of space from one of the existing partitions, thus resizing it.

| If a partition to resize is locked and cannot be processed, the wizard makes the system reboot to create the partition and then automatically boots the system again. (The rebooting mechanism is different for different versions of Windows.)

You can also choose whether the future partition will be primary or logical by marking the appropriate checkbox.

· Partition properties. On the next page of the wizard you can set a number of additional parameters:

- Partition type. From the pull-down list select a file system the newly created partition will be formatted to, otherwise the partition will remain unformatted (so that it will not be ready to use).

- Volume label. Enter a label for the selected partition in this textual field. It is an irrelevant parameter usually used for drive identification.

- Surface test level. Define the level of the surface check to make the program find bad and unstable sectors and mark them unusable in the file system metadata.

##### Dialog Setup

Initially the program suggests some consistent values for all parameters. In most cases, you can just press the Yes button to confirm the operation.

· Define whether the partition will be Primary, Extended or Logical. You can choose the desired partition type from the pull-down list. As a matter of fact, the available alternatives fundamentally depend on the selected block of free space - within the Logical free space, only Logical partitions can be created; Within the Primary free space, both Primary partitions or the Extended Partition can be created.

· Partition Size. Define the size (in Mb) of the new partition.

· Free space before. Define the position (in Mb) of the new partition relative to the beginning of the block of free space.

· Free space after. Define the amount of trailing free space (in Mb) at the end of the new partition.

| Partition size and position may also be defined by using the drag-and-drop technique. To do that, just carry out the required operation on the Disk Map. The virtual operations are to be available.

· File system for new partition. From the pull-down list select a file system the newly created partition will be formatted to, otherwise the partition will remain unformatted (so that it will not be ready to use).

· Volume label. Enter a label for the selected partition in this textual field. It is an irrelevant parameter usually used for drive identification.

· Drive letter assignment. The pull-down list contains vacant drive letters that can be associated with the newly formatted partition.

In addition, there is the possibility to make further detailed settings (although the default values will do in most cases). To activate the advance mode, you need to click the More options button at the foot of the dialog page. Depending on the chosen file system, the following options become available:

· Use OS built-in routine. Mark the option to restrict the available values according to the used OS.

· The amount of sectors per cluster. Define the Cluster Size for the formatted partition with this spinner control.

| Number of available options depends on the selected file system type.

##### Result

After the operation is completed you receive a fully functional partition.

Available operation scenarios:

· Creating a new partition to detach operating system from the rest of data

#### Formatting Partitions

Any partition should contain some file system to be used for keeping data. The process of installing a file system is commonly known as formatting. A huge variety of file systems have been developed these days.

##### Supported File Systems

The program provides the ability to format partitions of the following file systems:

- FAT12 & FAT16

- FAT32

- HFS+

- NTFS

- Ext2

- Ext3

- Ext4

- Linux Swap v. 2

##### Wizard Startup

· In the Main menu: select Wizards > Format Partition…

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

##### Dialog Startup

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map;

2. Select in the Main Menu: Partition > Format Partition.

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

#####

##### Wizard Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the operation:

· Partition to format. Select a hard disk (if the computer has several hard disks) and then the required partition to format.

| As a result of this operation contents of the selected partition will be lost.

· Partition properties. On the next page of the wizard you can set the following partition parameters:

- Partition type. From the pull-down list select the desired file system type. In fact, the program displays only those file systems that can correctly be placed to the selected partition, taking its capacity into account.

- Volume label. Enter a label for the selected partition in this textual field. It is an irrelevant parameter usually used for drive identification.

- Drive letter assignment. The pull-down list contains vacant drive letters that can be associated with the newly formatted partition.

In addition, there is the possibility to make further detailed settings (although the default values will do in most cases). To activate the advance mode, you need to mark the appropriate option at the foot of the page. When it is marked, the next page enables to define:

· Use OS built-in routine. Mark the checkbox to restrict the available values according to the used OS.

· The amount of sectors per cluster. Define the Cluster Size for the formatted partition with this spinner control.

| Number of available options depends on the selected file system type.

##### Dialog Setup

Initially the program suggests some consistent values for all parameters. In most cases, you can just press the Format button to confirm the operation.

· File system. From the pull-down list select the desired file system type. In fact, the program displays only those file systems that can correctly be placed to the selected partition, taking its capacity into account.

· Volume label. Enter a label for the selected partition in this textual field. It is an irrelevant parameter usually used for drive identification.

In addition, there is the possibility to make further detailed settings (although the default values will do in most cases). To activate the advance mode, you need to click the More options button at the foot of the dialog page. Depending on the chosen file system, the following options become available:

· Use OS built-in routine. Mark the checkbox to restrict the available values according to the used OS.

· The amount of sectors per cluster. Define the Cluster Size for the formatted partition with this spinner control.

| Number of available options depends on the selected file system type.

##### Result

After the operation is completed you receive a fully functional partition formatted to the specified file system.

#### Deleting Partitions

##### Wizard Startup

· In the Main menu: select Wizards > Delete Partition…

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

##### Dialog Startup

In order to start the operation you should take the following steps:

Launcher

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map;

2. Select in the Main Menu: Partition > Delete Partition.

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

##### Wizard Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the operation:

· Partition to delete. Select a hard disk (if the computer has several hard disks) and then the required partition to delete.

| As a result of this operation contents of the selected partition will be lost.

· Merge free blocks. As a result of the operation you may get several blocks of the unallocated space on the hard disk. So choose whether to merge them all and place at the beginning of the disk or at the end by selecting the required operation from the pull-down list.

##### Dialog Setup

Initially the program suggests you just to remove references to the selected partition from the Partition Table.

· Enter the volume label to confirm deleting. To confirm deletion of the selected partition, enter its Volume Label. The current volume label is displayed above.

· Do not ask volume label next time. Mark the option to inhibit confirmation next time you start the dialog.

##### Result

By default, the operation takes only a fraction of a second. However, the program waits until Windows completes the modification of the disk layout.

### Advanced Partitioning Operations

Here you can learn how to accomplish advanced partitioning operations.

#### Merging Partitions

The Merge Partitions Wizard enables to consolidate the disk space, which originally belongs to two adjacent partitions (or additionally separated by free blocks), into a single, larger partition. The order, in which two partitions have been chosen, is important since all contents of the second selected partition will be placed in a folder on the resulted joined partition.

The program provides the ability to merge only NTFS, FAT16 or FAT32 partitions.

##### Startup

· In the Main menu: select Wizards > Merge Partitions…

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

##### Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the operation:

· Adjacent partitions to merge. Click on the left partition of the pair of partitions you need to merge, as the right one will be selected automatically. During the operation all contents of the right partition will be placed in a folder on the resulted joined partition. By default, the program offers an easy-to-understand folder name, which can be customized however.

| If a system partition is the right one of the selected pair, Windows OS will become unbootable after the merge operation is over.

##### Result

After the operation is completed the disk space of the two adjacent partitions will be consolidated.

#### Redistributing Unused Space between Partitions

##### Express Resize Partitions Wizard

The Express Resize Partitions Wizard enables to easily increase free space on one partition by up-taking the unused space of an adjacent partition of your hard disk.

###### Startup

· In the Main menu: select Wizards > Express Resize Partitions…

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

###### Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the operation:

· Adjacent partitions to resize. Click on the left partition of the pair of partitions you need to redistribute the unused space between, as the right one will be selected automatically.

· Resulted size of partitions. Redistribute the unused space between the partitions with the slider or manually by entering the required value.

###### Result

After the operation is completed the unused space between the specified partitions will be redistributed according to your needs.

Available operation scenarios:

· Increasing size of a system partition by taking unused space of an adjacent logical partition

· Resizing partitions of Apple Boot Camp

##### Redistribute Free Space Wizard

The Redistribute Free Space Wizard helps to increase free space on one partition by up-taking the on-disk unallocated space and the unused space of other partitions. By default, the wizard adds to the target partition all existing blocks of the free space. Besides you can specify partitions to act as a space donor. The wizard will automatically recalculate positions of the partitions and move their contents to new locations.

###### Startup

· In the Main menu: select Wizards > Redistribute Free Space…

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

###### Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the operation:

· Partition to enlarge. Select a partition, the size of which will be increased at the expense of other partitions. Blocks of the free space (if any) will be automatically added to the target partition.

· Partition to donate. Choose any partition(s) (not only adjacent) to donate free space.

· Partition size. By default, the program leaves 50% of the unused space on a partition and removes another 50% to add it to the target partition. However, the size to take can be customized by moving the slider or by manually entering the exact value.

###### Result

After the operation is completed free space of the specified partition will be increased by up-taking the on-disk unallocated space and the unused space of other partitions.

#### Undeleting Partitions

When simply deleting a partition (without additional wiping) disk management software only removes references to it in the Partition Table, thus leaving the possibility to recover it later.

The program enables to find and recover these partitions. A restored partition will be fully functional, as long as other partitions were not created, moved or exceeded the disk space occupied by that partition. That is why the program offers this function only for blocks of free space.

The operation can be accomplished with the Undelete Partition Wizard.

##### Startup

· In the Main Menu: select Wizards > Undelete Partitions…

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

##### Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the undelete partition operation:

· Free blocks to scan for lost partitions. Choose a free block from a tree-like list of available hard disks.

· Search method. By default, the wizard selects the fastest search method for your operating system. In most cases that will do to find any accidentally deleted partition. However if you're under Windows XP for instance (the Conventional Search option is selected), but the deleted partition you're looking for has been created with the Disk Management utility under Vista, the wizard won't be able to find this partition, unless you manually select the appropriate option (Quick Search for Partitions Created by Vista or Later OS). Moreover if the wizard still fails to find the partition you need, you can select the Thorough Search option to scan every single sector in the specified search area to get the most accurate results.

| To know more on the available search methods, please use the context sensitive hint system.

· File system filter. By default, the wizard will search for all known file systems. However, by clicking on the appropriate option on the second page of the wizard, you can specify only those file systems you need.

· A partition to undelete (if several). By default, the program searches records of any deleted partition ever existed on the selected block of free space. So you can get several partitions to choose from.

Most likely the required partition will be found first. If so, you may abort the search operation by pressing the Stop search button.

##### Result

After the operation is completed you receive a fully functional partition.

#### Installing a New Operating System

Getting your computer ready to install a new operating system, especially when it is going to be an additional OS in the system, is a rather complicated task that implies quite a number of operations, from allocating space to create a new partition (resize, redistribution of free space) to formatting of the newly created partition to a particular file system and checking its surface for bad sectors to avoid possible data loss. Operating systems today are being supplied with basic tools of partitioning that only enable to create a partition (in case there is enough unallocated space on the disk) and then format it to the specified file system type. Our program offers a handy Install New OS Wizard to easily carry out all the necessary operations to install a new operating system.

##### Startup

· In the Main menu: select Wizards > Install New OS…

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

##### Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the operation:

· Partition to install a new operating system. The program offers two ways of installing a new OS, i.e. to create a new primary partition for it or use an existing one.

| Only primary partitions can be used to install an operating system.

- In case the first option has been marked, the wizard enables to specify:

A hard disk (if several) where a new partition will be created. Thanks to an advanced program engine it is possible to use unallocated space of the disk (if any) and unused space of existing partitions to create a new partition;

| To avoid any possible problems, the new partition will in no way be created as the first partition of the disk which already contains at least one partition.

And its size. If there are blocks of the free space on the disk, the wizard will merge them all and allocate the resulted space for a new partition in the first place. If not, it will take 50% of the unused space of an adjacent partition. However, the size to take can be customized by moving the slider.

- In case the second option has been marked, the wizard enables to choose an existing primary partition to install a new operating system.

| Your computer may fail if any other OS has already been installed on the selected partition.

· Partition properties.

- Partition type. From the pull-down list select the desired file system type. In fact, the program displays only file systems that can be correctly placed to the selected partition, taking its capacity into account.

- Drive letter assignment. The pull-down list contains vacant drive letters that can be associated with the newly formatted partition.

- Surface test level. Define the level of the surface check to make the program find bad and unstable sectors and mark them unusable in the file system metadata.

· OS Label. Enter a label for the selected partition in the textual field. It will later be used for the drive identification.

##### Result

As the final step the wizard will offer you to insert a distributive CD/DVD of the new operating system and restart the computer to launch the installation procedure.

| The program will update your MBR, so most likely you won’t be able to start up any of the previously installed operating systems. Please launch the Boot Manager Setup Wizard after the installation has been completed to fix this issue.

Available operation scenarios:

· Creating Dual Boot Systems

#### Moving/Resizing Partition

The Move/Resize Partition function allows you to resize or change location of any partition without destroying its data.

In order to move/resize a partition you should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Select in the Main menu: Partition > Move/Resize Partition…

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

3. Define parameters of the operation.

· Volume size. Define size (in Mb) of the modified partition.

· Free space before. Define the partition position (in Mb) relative to the beginning of the available range of disk space.

· Free space after. Define the amount of trailing free space (in Mb) at the end of the available range of disk space.

· Sector to sector move. Mark the checkbox to move the partition in the sector-by-sector mode to process its unused space as well. This can help to avoid problems with hidden data created by certain applications or the system administrator. However, it will take more time to accomplish the operation.

| Partition size and position may also be defined by using the drag-and-drop technique. To do that, just carry out the required operation on the Disk Map. The virtual operations are to be available. When resizing a FAT16 partition beyond the 2GB limit (maximum file system size), the partition will automatically be converted to FAT32. The program enables to enlarge NTFS partitions (system, locked) without rebooting Windows and interrupting its work, providing 100 percent guarantee that your data is kept intact.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Available operation scenarios:

· Increasing size of a system partition by taking unused space from any other

· Shrinking a system partition to increase size of a data partition

#### Converting File System

With our program you can change type of the used file system without destroying its data. While performing the operation, it first checks the current file system for consistency and then verifies whether the on-partition data meet the requirements of the desired file system or not. After having passed the testing, the program re-organizes the file system metadata and user files.

The program enables to convert the following file system types:

- FAT16/32 <> NTFS

In order to convert a file system you should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Select in the Main menu: Partition > Convert file system…

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

3. Initially the program suggests some consistent values for all parameters. In most cases, you can just press the Convert button to confirm the operation.

· New file system. From the pull-down list choose a file system you would like to convert to. Actually the program only displays variants available for the operation, taking into account the current parameters of the selected partition and limitations of the used file system.

· New cluster size. Define the cluster size for the partition. This parameter can have a profound effect on the overall performance. In a nutshell, larger clusters waste more space, but generally provide for slightly better performance, because of less fragmentation. So be particularly careful with it.

| The cluster size value is expressed in sectors per cluster. To get it in Kbytes, please divide it into half. You may only decrease the current cluster size.

· Surface test level. Define the level of the surface check to make the program find bad and unstable sectors and mark them unusable in the file system metadata.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

#### Making Logical/Primary

The program allows you to include a primary partition in the extended partition, or exclude a logical partition from the extended partition, without partition duplication.

In order to change a partition type you should take the following steps:

1. Select a primary or logical partition on the Disk Map.

2. Select in the Main menu: Partition > Modify > Make Partition Logical/Primary.

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

| The Make Primary > Logical option is only available when the selected partition is adjacent to the extended partition and vice versa. The Make Primary > Logical option of the system partition will result in inability to boot the operating system.

3. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

### Changing Partition Attributes

This chapter explains how you can change partition attributes (Active flag, Hidden flag, Volume Label, etc.).

#### Mark Partition Active/Inactive

The program enables to set an active/inactive flag for primary partitions of a hard disk. By default, an operating system will boot only if its partition is active or bootable.

In order to mark a partition active/inactive you should take the following steps:

1. Select a primary partition on the Disk Map.

2. Select in the Main Menu: Partition > Mark Partition as Active/Inactive.

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

3. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

| There can only be one active partition on a hard disk, otherwise your operating system will fail to boot.

#### Hide/Unhide Partition

The program allows you to hide/unhide primary and logical partitions. By default, an operating system does not mount hidden partitions, thus preventing access to their contents.

In order to hide/unhide a partition you should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Select in the Main Menu: Partition > Hide/Unhide Partition.

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

3. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

| It is strongly recommended not to hide the system partition. Otherwise your operating system will fail to boot.

#### Set Label of a Partition

The Partition Label is a small textual field (up to 11 characters) that is located in the partition's boot sector. It is detectable by any partitioning tool and is used for notification purposes only.

In order to change a partition label you should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Select in the Main Menu: Partition > Modify > Change Volume Label.

| There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

3. Enter a label for the selected partition.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.