Create a partition on a portable hard disk makes easy to organize files, audio and videos in it. We can save music in one partition, pictures in one and movies in another one. Therefore, you can easily find right file when you need. Making a partition on external hard disk is same as the internal hard disk.
This tutorial based on the Windows operating system. Windows has its own disk partition manager application called Disk Management. In this tutorial I use that application. In this tutorial, I used Windows 8 OS. However, Disk Management software available Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 too. Other OS has the same procedure. Also, you need an administrative account.
This method needs to format the external hard disk. Therefore, it’s better backup all the critical files and folders in it. Personally I recommend to make a partition after you purchased. Recently I have purchased a WD Elements 1TB to store my videos, images and other stuff. In this tutorial, I used that WD Elements external portable hard drives.
How to make an external hard disk partition with Windows.
We can open Disk management in mainly two ways. Using Administrative tools create and format hard disk partition window or computer management.
Via Disk Management.
- Open control panel.
- Then navigate to “System and Security> Administrative Tools> Disk Management” just like the following screenshot.
- Now you opened the Disk management window and continue the next step.
Via Computer Management.
- Open control panel.
- Go to “System and Security> Administrative Tools> Computer Management”. If you opened computer management, under the storage you can see disk management. Just like the following screenshot.
- Under the storage, Disk management available. Double click on the Disk Management to open it.
Start making an external hard disk partition.
- Connect your external hard disk drive to your computer via USB cable.
- Disk management window lists all the available drives. Identify the correct drive to be partitioned. If there is any data copy them to elsewhere. If your drive never partitioned, it has a black color bar above the drive, if it’s not, it will display with a blue color bar. Just like the following screenshot.
- First right click on the portable hard disk drive and choose “delete volume” option. This will format the drive.
- Once format completed, it will display as unallocated with black bar.
- Again right click on the drive and choose “New Simple Volume” option.
- New Simple Volume wizard, click “Next” to proceed.
- Next window chooses the new partition size in MB and click Next. To make multiple partition allocate necessary space for each volume.
- Now assign a drive letter or path. No need to change anything. Default settings are OK.
- “Format partition” window, chooses the file system as “NTFS” and submit a suitable name. Make sure that quick format option checked.
- Finally, click on the “Finish” to complete the external hard disk partition process.
- Likewise, make another partition (s) to other available space.
Once you have created an external hard disk partition, there’s an unallocated space on your drive (if you don’t fully allocate space to 1st partition). Therefore, you have to create another partition by using existing unallocated spaces. Otherwise you can’t use its full size.
