How to Partition a Hard Disk on XP
- 1). Backup all of your data prior to beginning the partition process.
- 2). Insert the Windows setup disc into your CD drive.
- 3). Restart your computer and enter the BIOS or Setup Menu. The commanded needed to enter the Setup Menu will be displayed on the bottom or top of the splash screen, depending on your computer. The splash screen is the first screen that appears when the computer is turned on, and many times displays the computer manufacturer's name and logo. Often, a message will appear such as "Press XX to enter setup." For example, if "Press F11 to enter setup" is displayed at the bottom of the splash screen, press the "F11" key immediately when the splash screen appears to enter the Setup Menu. You may need to reboot your computer twice--once to learn the command necessary to enter the Setup Menu and a second time to enter the Setup Menu.
- 4). Use the arrow keys to select the tab labeled "Boot" at the top of the BIOS window. Scroll down until "CD-ROM Drive" is selected, then press the "+" key until it is the first item listed in the boot order. Press the "F10" key to save your settings and exit the BIOS. These instructions apply to the PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility, which is the most common Setup Utility. If you are running a different BIOS, you will need to explore the BIOS options until you find the boot sequence settings. They may be listed as "First Boot Device," in which case you must select "CD-ROM Drive" from a list of available media.
- 5). Restart the computer again if the computer does not boot to the Windows "Welcome to Setup" page.
- 6). Press "Enter" on the "Welcome to Setup" page and then press "F8" to accept the Windows license. Press "ESC" when prompted to repair Windows, to bypass the repair and proceed to the Hard Disk Partition page.
- 7). Press "D" to delete any existing partitions, and press "C" to create a new partition using unpartitioned space. If there is no unpartitioned space, you must delete an existing partition. When creating a partition, enter the desired size in megabytes and then press "Enter." If "Enter" is pressed without you declaring a size, a single partition will be created, utilizing all of the unpartitioned space. Press "Enter" to proceed once the partitions have been created.
- 8). Choose your new file system from the available options, depending on your partition sizes. For example, Fat32 can not be used on a partition that is larger than 32 GB in size. If your partition size is larger than 32 GB, you must format using the NTFS option. Once your option is selected, press "Enter" to format the partitions using the selected file system.
Additionally, you will see two options for both NTFS and Fat 32--one of each followed by "(Quick)." The "Quick" option skips the Check Disk process, which checks your hard disk for bad clusters. "Quick" can be selected if your disk has recently been scanned by the operating system or if you wish to scan it at a later time. - 9). Follow the on-screen instructions once your partitions have been formatted to install Windows XP on the partitioned drive.
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