Hard Disk Drives

• Hard disk drives, more commonly referred to as either HDDs, hard drives or hard disks, are standard storage devices used in most computers. These devices store nonvolatile data on a rotating, round, magnetic disk. The data stored can be updated, changed and removed at will.
  
  

Uses of a Partition

• Users may create partitions to store specific programs and file types on designated areas within a hard disk drive. Backup data is often stored in a unique partition on a hard drive, since the user rarely needs to interact with backup data. Users sometimes store programs such as video games or work files to their own partitions on a hard drive for organization purposes. Additionally, users who maintain multiple operating systems on a single machine often use partitions to keep the operating systems separated.
  
  

Creating a Windows 7 Partition

• Creating a hard disk drive partition varies based on the operating system involved. In most circumstances, a hard disk must have a specific amount of unused space in order to create a partition. To create a Windows 7 HDD partition as outlined by Microsoft, first open your "Start" menu, then click the following options in succession as each become available: "Control Panel," "System and Security," "Administrative Tools," "Computer Management." From here, open "Disk Management" from the "Storage" pane, right click an unallocated region on the hard disk you'd like to create a partition on, and select "New Simple Volume." The "New Simple Volume" wizard will guide you through the next few steps, involving designating a partition size, as well as deciding whether or not to format the partition. Once this is complete, your hard drive will have an additional partition
  
  

Do I Need a Partition?

• Partitions aren't at all required when operating a hard disk drive. Partitions simply provide greater ease in organizing disk space. This means that most users can get by without ever using or creating a partition on their computer.