Member Avatar for Creationz

somebody can help me?
how to change the drive letter and paths of the boot volume.

Example :
i have 1 Volume HardDisk = C: NTFS (320GB) Used Space 100GB and Free Space 220GB,
i want to make 2 Volume = C: NTFS (160GB) Used Space 100GB and D: NTFS(160GB) 160GB but don't used space (Clean), but my Volume C: is Boot Volume/System Volume.

Question :
how to i change my 1 volume harddisk (C:) change and make to 2 volume harddisk (C: and :D)?

*sorry if my english bad*

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Short answer: you can split a single booted C: NTFS into a smaller C: and a new D: without reinstalling Windows, but it must be done carefully. Back up everything first, because resizing a boot volume can make the system unbootable if something goes wrong.

A safe, practical plan:

  1. Create a full disk image or at least copy your user data to an external drive and make a Windows recovery/repair CD or USB.
  2. Confirm the disk type (MBR vs GPT) and whether the disk is basic or dynamic; these affect what tools and how many partitions you can have.
  3. On modern Windows (Vista and later) try Disk Management > Shrink Volume after temporarily disabling pagefile/hibernation and System Restore and running chkdsk; if the shrink is limited by immovable files, use an offline tool that runs before Windows mounts the partition. On older XP-era systems you will need an offline partitioner that operates from boot media.
  4. Shrink the C: partition to leave the desired free space, create and format the new partition in the freed space and assign it D:. Re-enable pagefile/restore/hibernation and verify the system boots cleanly.

Troubleshooting and cautions: immovable files (pagefile, hibernation file, MFT, shadow copies) often block shrinking; disabling them and running chkdsk/defrag helps. If boot fails, use the Windows recovery environment to repair the boot loader. If the disk is dynamic or you hit the MBR four-partition limit, the workflow changes and you should proceed only after a verified image backup.

Context for this thread: was pointing toward a non-destructive resize approach and noted reinstalling Windows will achieve the layout but is disruptive. For the scenario you describe (320 GB C: with 100 GB used -> 160/160 split), the non-destructive route is usually faster and safer when you follow the backup-and-repair precautions above.

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Member Avatar for compdoc

if your C: drive is partitioned to the entire 3210GB disk then you will need a third party tool such as partition magic.

Member Avatar for Selwyn

If you have the xp disc you can install the os again after you have saved all your work and install xp with 2 partitions the sizes you would like.
This is a bit of a long way around but it will do the trick

Member Avatar for compdoc

If you have the xp disc you can install the os again after you have saved all your work and install xp with 2 partitions the sizes you would like.
This is a bit of a long way around but it will do the trick

you could do it that way but a third party tool would be better because you can repartition the drive without loosing any data and its faster than repartitioning the drive and reinstalling windows with the install disk

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