Create and format a hard disk partition

You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps.

To create a partition or volume (the two terms are often used interchangeably) on a hard disk, there must be either unallocated (empty) space on the hard disk or free space within an extended partition on the hard disk.
If there is no unallocated space, you can create some by shrinking an existing partition, deleting a partition, or by using a third-party partitioning program. For more information, see Can I repartition my hard disk?
When you create partitions on a basic disk using Disk Management, the first three volumes you create will be formatted as primary partitions. Beginning with the fourth volume, each volume will be configured as a logical drive within an extended partition. For more information, see What are partitions and logical drives?

1. Open Computer Management by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, clicking Administrative Tools, and then double-clicking Computer Management. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
   
2. In the Navigation pane, under Storage, click Disk Management.
   
3. Right-click an unallocated region on your hard disk, and then click New Simple Volume.
   
4. In the New Simple Volume Wizard, click Next.
   
5. Type the size of the volume you want to create in megabytes (MB) or accept the maximum default size, and then click Next.
   
6. Accept the default drive letter or choose a different drive letter to identify the partition, and then click Next.
   
7. In the Format Partition dialog box, do one of the following:
   
   • If you don't want to format the volume right now, click Do not format this volume, and then click Next.
     
   • To format the volume with the default settings, click Next.
8. Review your choices, and then click Finish.

Warning

• Formatting a volume will destroy any data on the partition. Be sure to make backups of any data you want to save before you begin.
  
• You cannot format a disk or partition that is currently in use, including the partition that contains Windows.
  
• Quick format is a formatting option that creates a new file table but does not fully overwrite or erase the volume. A quick format is much faster than a normal format, which fully erases any existing data on the volume.

1. Open Computer Management by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, clicking Administrative Tools, and then double-clicking Computer Management. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
   
2. In the Navigation pane, under Storage, click Disk Management.
   
3. Right-click the volume that you want to format, and then click Format.
   
4. To format the volume with the default settings, in the Format dialog box, click OK, and then click OK again.

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Courtesy – www.microsoft.com, www.fanhow.com