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Can you partition a drive without erasing data?

How do I partition my hard drive without losing my data?

  • I want to partition my hard drive into 2 (or more, I want to be able to change it later) sections but I don't want to lose any data. I have to format my harddrive anyway because I need to re-install windows, the thing is I don't have anything to put my files on so I want to make a partition so I can keep my files. Basically, I want to make a section that won't be formatted with the rest of it so I can keep my data. How do I do it?

  • Answer:

    I recommend you to use Acronis Disk Director for that. It can resize, move, copy, split, and merge partitions without losing your data and it has a friendly interface so you won't have any trouble using it. Visit a Disk Director site for more info: http://www.acronis.com/enterprise/products/diskdirectorsuite/

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use 3d party partitioning software, as it has been mentioned before, i'd recomend disk director, i think t the most convenient software for this. http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/diskdirector/

michael n

there is no way that you can keep some data in a section that will be formatted. Think of it as an all or none thing where if you format, you have to format the whole thing. You could always get an external hard drive and back up the info on that and then partition the drive into the various sizes and names but there is no way that you can partition the whole thing.

john s

You get a program like "partition magic". It will create a new partition without destroying the first one. Since formating, use the win cd (or whatever program to choose to create the partition-like fdisk ) you can delete and create a new partition, just choose a smaller size, what's left can be created in windows as a partition and formated.

computertech82

Use Acronis Partition Manager: http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/diskdirector/partitioning.html Or you could use Norton's PartitionMagic: http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/products/overview.jsp?pcid=sp&pvid=pm80 Acronis is better, however. (and it's cheaper too)

redsoxer

before you format your drive when you choose the drive to format follow the instructions to partition your drive

mixlas24523207

yep....you can do it....use a partitioning software...like...Partition Magic...etc...search...there are tons of it...install it and create partition from a free space of your hdd...but if you want to backup to the new partition you have to have enough free space for your files...anyway..it can be done...or another solution is to find another hdd..connect it to your pc (internal or externa;)...and backup there....when you create partitions...you will be able to format the boot one...and all your data saved to the new one wont be erased/deleted..just be careful what you are formating...

isuf e

That's kinda complicated...the only free way I can think of is if you micro managed everything in Linux...but the possible errors are endless.

ordogtunaep

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