GParted Live CD is free, open source disk partition management software; easy to use with a simple and instinctive interface. It will format and perform operations on all major file systems, (including FAT32 and NTFS). The software is platform independent and will work with any PC.
GParted is an industrial-strength package for creating, destroying, resizing, moving, checking and copying partitions, and the file-systems on them. This is useful for creating space for new operating systems, reorganizing disk usage, copying data residing on hard disks and mirroring one partition with another (disk imaging).
Download an ISO image of the GParted Live CD from gparted.sourceforge.net and burn the image to a CD.
To set up a new partition run the command ‘chkdsk /f /r’ from the command prompt. Keep in mind that you must restart your computer to allow the check to run. Next, run the Windows defragmenter or another stand alone defragmentation application to move all the files to the start of the partition. As always, when performing tasks of this type; back up your files.
Resizing your partition normally shouldn’t destroy any data, but that chance always exists.
Next, boot from the GParted CD where you will choose from a selection of options to run GParted, or boot from another partition. You may need to choose one of the special options depending on your hardware. GParted itself is a complex collection of menus and functions to perform almost any partition function. You can easily check, create, copy, re-size, remove, or delete partitions. You can easily compromise your operating system, so be deliberate in your actions. The documentation presents the easiest method to each task. Most are accomplished in a few easy steps.
This industrial-strength partition tool isn’t for novices, or the faint of heart, but experienced users will find this tool an essential addition to their toolkit.
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