Resize the Primary Partition

The primary partition is the main segment of the hard drive where your operating system is installed. Most people only have one partition configured on the hard drive, so when it runs out of storage space, they purchase a new hard drive. If you have extra storage space in your computer, you can add that extra space to the primary partition. This gives you more room to install applications and save files.


1. Click the Windows "Start" button and right-click the "Computer" menu item. From the pop-up menu, click "Manage" to open the "Computer Management" window.

2. Click "Disk Management" on the left side of the window. Windows checks your current hard drive settings and displays them in the center pane.

3. Right-click the partition you want to change and select "Extend Volume." Enter the amount of total space you want to use for the extended partition. This number is displayed as megabytes. Therefore, if you want to add a gigabyte of storage space, enter "1000" into the text box.

4. Click "Next" and review the settings. Click "Finish" to extend your volume and save the changes.