How to combine hard drives on a computer. Correct combination of hard disk partitions. How to merge hard drive partitions

Good afternoon! For those PC users who have partitioned their hard drive into sectors, let's talk about how to combine hard drive partitions. For example, I combined the partitions because I had very little space on the C drive. When I start watching movies online, the entire movie is loaded into the cache and the hard drive memory becomes smaller. Well, let me tell you what and why)

What is the advantage of dividing the disk into parts?

1. each partition can contain a separate file system or a distinctive cluster size;
2. each disk partition is separate and is not affected by operations performed on other disk sectors;
3. this is the ability to save data even after reinstalling the operating system by separating system files from user files;
4. Multiple hard drive partitions allow you to install more than one operating system.

What is a hard drive partition? This is a separate part of the drive that allows you to more conveniently and efficiently use the disk capacity. I won't lie, sometimes this creates some problems.

That's why today I'll show you how to merge hard drive partitions. To do this, we will need a special program, otherwise it will be impossible to merge the sections. One such program is EaseUS Partition Master Free. It is completely free and easy to understand.

As soon as the merging process is completed, you will see the main program window in front of you, where the sections you have selected have already been merged. But this is still a long way off.

In time it ranges from several minutes to several hours. It all depends on the number of sections and their volume. The program will display a message in the form of a pop-up window when the merger is completed.

A new section will appear in the “My Computer” window, which will combine all previous sections, as well as the files and folders created in them. Its volume will be equal to the total volume of all combined sections. Here is a list of alternative programs for merging hard drive partitions:

• Acronis Disk Director,
• Paragon Hard Disk Manager,
• Norton Partition Magic,
• Active@ Partition Manager, etc. The only “but” is that most of them are paid programs.

Lastly, I invite you to subscribe to new blog articles. To do this, enter your email at the end of the article and I will send new articles to your email.

So, now you know how to combine hard drive partitions into one. I would be glad if I helped you understand this issue, and if something didn’t work out, ask your questions in the comments. I wish everyone health and goodness!

With UV. Evgeny Kryzhanovsky

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: 12 comments

1. Badrudi

   Hello Evgeniy. Thank you for the article. We'll try to combine them if necessary. although I have a different problem now. How to thoroughly clean your hard drive.

2. Oleg

   Hello, Evgeniy! I have a question: how to divide a hard drive into several parts. Initially, only the C: drive is installed, on which the operating system sits. I am not strong (yet) in computer matters, but I think I can solve this issue on my own with your help. All the best!

3. Oleg

   Good afternoon, Evgeniy! Unfortunately, I did not find an article on your blog that was interesting to me. Could you please indicate a more precise title of the topic that reveals the answer. I'm currently working from a tablet, perhaps for this reason I can't find what I need. Thank you in advance!

4. Oleg

   Hello, Evgeniy! Yes, I had a question about how to split a hard drive into two or more. But I already managed it on my own. By the way, the same program is used as the one you suggest for merging the disk. Good luck! And good luck!

5. Peter Firsov

In this article I will describe step by step how to combine local disks in Windows 7. In previous versions of operating systems, in order to work (divide/merge) a local disk, it was necessary to download additional software. In Windows 7, you can get by with built-in utilities.

Attention!!! All information will be deleted from the local drive that you want to connect, so transfer all data to other drives or external media. The disk you want to connect to, if you increase the space correctly, all the information will remain.

Initially, I have drives C, D, F, Y. The goal is to combine drive F with drive D (everything has been deleted from drive F).

To merge disks, right-click on "Computer" on the desktop and select "Control". If the shortcut is not on the desktop, click "Start" then on "Computer" right click and select "Control".


Next, select the volume (local disk) that needs to be merged and right-click on it, select "Delete Volume". If the "Delete volume" line is not active, read the article.

The next step is to delete the partition; to do this, right-click on the remote volume and select "Delete partition". If the line is not active, read the article The Delete partition/Delete volume field is not active .


Next, on the volume (disk) to which you need to add space (local disk that needs to be enlarged), right-click and select "Extend Volume".


The volume expansion wizard will launch, read about its capabilities and click "Further".

In the next window, select the disk that needs to be connected and the amount of space to be connected, since in this example there is only one disk and I want to connect all the free space of this disk, we leave everything by default and click "Further".

In the next window we look at all the parameters we specified, if everything is specified correctly, click "Ready".

As a result of all these actions, we have an enlarged D disk.

How to connect two drives into one without loss of information? I have a C: drive and the operating system is installed on it. There are two more drives E: and F:, these are the ones I want to combine into one drive, but both drives have information. This means that I cannot do this using the built-in tools of Windows 7. Or I can, but I need to transfer information from the F: drive and delete it, then attach the resulting unallocated space to the E: drive, as a result I will get one large E: drive.

In short, there is a lot of information on both disks and it is quite difficult to transfer it anywhere; I don’t have a portable hard drive. I found articles on your website about the free section manager "", these articles have almost everything: how to create a section, increase, decrease and most importantly, all this happens without losing information, that is, before working with the program, information does not need to be transferred anywhere. You just don’t have an article on the topic of how to connect two disks into one, I think the large audience of your resource will be grateful to you for such an article. Gleb.

How to connect two drives into one

Hello, friends! As our reader correctly noted, for these purposes you can use the free program "EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition". Using this program, you can combine two disks into one without losing information on these disks.

Our article is suitable for operating systems: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

Let's return to today's article. The content of the article:
1) Connect two disks into one using the "EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition" program quickly and easily, naturally without loss of information.

2) We connect two disks into one without resorting to any programs, that is, using the tools built into Windows 7. I think this part of the article will also be useful to someone. But we will have to transfer data from the disk that we want to delete, otherwise there is no other way.

3) Friends, we also have an article on how to connect two disks into one using the program. This program is the leader among hard drive managers, but unfortunately it is paid.

How to connect two disks into one using EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition

Let's go to the official website http://www.easeus.com/download.htm. Select " EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition" and click Download

Freeware Download

Download Now

The program installer is downloaded. Let's launch it. Installing the program is simple, but there are a few points you need to pay attention to.
If you don’t need the TuneUp Utilities 2013 optimizer, uncheck the box and click Next.

It is not necessary to indicate your email

Before starting the program, go to Disk Management. We will not touch drive C:, but we will connect drive E: (59 GB) and drive F: (59 GB), so we will end up with one drive E: (119 GB).

Let's launch the program.

In the main program window, left-click once on the E: drive and click on the Merge tool,

In the window that appears, indicate the drive with which we want to merge the E: drive, this is the F: drive, check the F: box and OK.

Our program works in deferred operation mode, click the Apply button and OK,

Yes.

The disk merging process has begun.

Go to Disk Management and look at the result. Instead of two drives E: and F:, we now have one drive E: (119 GB).

All the data that was on the F: drive moved to the E: drive, into the folder Local Disk F.

How to connect two disks into one using the Windows 7, Windows 8 operating system itself without resorting to any programs

Let's say that some users do not want to install additional software on their computer and will try to make do with the tools built into the operating system.

Let's go to Disk Management. To connect drives E: and F:, you must first transfer all the data from drive F: to a portable hard drive or flash drive, or to drive E:, then delete drive F:, right-click on it and select Delete volume, agree Yes.

Once again, right-click on the “Free” space and select Delete Partition.

Are you sure you want to delete the partition? We agree Yes.

Unallocated space of 59 GB appears. We attach this unallocated space to the E: drive. Right-click on drive E: and select Expand Volume.

Ready.

All. I would be very glad if I helped someone.

The question of how to combine two disks into one is one of the most frequently asked among computer users. This can be useful in many situations, including even issues related to installing a single file system for all partitions, converting GPT or RAW formats that may not be accepted by the operating system, installing software that requires a lot of disk space, etc. The user can be offered two main methods of combining, which will be discussed further in as much detail as possible. The proposed solutions work equally well when performing such actions with logical partitions and when working with RAID arrays, when two or more independent hard drives are installed on the computer.

Benefits of combining hard drives or partitions

It goes without saying that the first and main factor influencing a positive decision in favor of merging partitions is increasing the available disk space on one disk, which is extremely necessary when installing some programs.

On the other hand, as already mentioned, if different types of file systems are installed on disks or partitions, it is quite common to observe problems with the installation of certain types of software. Bringing them, so to speak, to a common denominator eliminates the problem entirely. Finally, if the system has unreadable RAW partitions or GPT format for hard drives larger than 2 TB, which the operating system may not perceive, such a tool is simply irreplaceable.

Merging options

Now a few words about how to combine two disks into one in Windows 7 and higher. First, you need to decide exactly how the partitions will be merged. First of all, we can highlight methods of combining with the loss of information or its preservation. The second is the use of standard system tools or third-party software.

It’s worth saying right away that the solution to the question of how to combine two disks into one, using the built-in Windows tools, does not imply the preservation of data that was originally located in one of the partitions (this is not provided at all). Therefore, before doing such things, all information from the partition being deleted (and it will actually be deleted and only then attached to the main disk or partition) must first be transferred to another partition or to removable media. As is already clear, there is no need to talk about the performance of installed programs. When solving the problem of how to combine two disks into one, but so that both the information is preserved and the applications work, it is necessary to use additional third-party tools. They will be discussed separately.

How to merge two disks into one in Windows 7 and higher versions using standard means?

First, let's look at the system's own tools. This is the disk management section. You can access it through the administration menu, but it’s easier to use the “Run” console, in which you need to enter the line diskmgmt.msc.

Here you select the partition through which you want to merge, and use the RMB menu to call up the volume deletion option. The system will immediately issue a warning that all information on the selected disk will be deleted. We agree.

We repeat a similar operation, but for the section. After this, the so-called unallocated area will appear.

Now you need to use RMB on the partition to which you will attach and select the volume extension line.

At the disk selection stage, most likely, free attachable space will be immediately added to the list. If this does not happen, you should use the add button yourself. After this, click the continue button, and in the next window - finish. If you look at the state of the disks and partitions after the operation is completed, you will see an increase in the space of one of the partitions at the expense of the other.

How to merge two disks into one using third-party programs

To manage disks and partitions, when you need to merge and save data, you can use third-party utilities that look much more powerful than the system’s own tools. These include software packages like Partition Assistant from AOMEI, Disk Director from Acronis, Partition Master from EaseUS and many others.

Let's look at the merging process based on the last mentioned utility. For example, we need to merge drive E and drive F, but so that after that only one partition E remains. In the main window of the Partition Manager section, use the merge button (Merge), check the boxes for the specified disks (partitions) and click the “OK” button. After checking the merge, the process will be in pending status. Click the Apply button and confirm the action. After this, the unification process will begin.

When it finishes, only one partition (E) can be seen in disk management. Explorer will show two hard drives in one hard drive or partition. Only drive F in partition E will be shown as a local directory (Local Disk F) with all the information that was previously present on it.

Brief conclusions

As a summary, it can be noted that if the user requires a quick merge, but there is no critical information on the attached disk or partition, you can use the system's tools. If data storage is mandatory, third-party programs will be needed. And further. Please note that if there is a second operating system on the combined disks in the attached partition, it will not be possible to run it.

All instructions are suitable for both traditional hard drives (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD).

Let us remind you: a physical disk is displayed in the system in the form of virtual volumes, they are also called local disks or partitions.

How to change disk partitions in Windows

By regular means

In Windows, you can merge disks without third-party programs, but this method has an important drawback. You will lose all data on one of the merged partitions. Therefore, important files must first be moved from it to another partition or to third-party media.

The process of merging local disks consists of two stages. First, you completely delete one of them along with all its contents, then you give the thus freed space to the second disk.

You will need the standard Disk Management utility. To launch it, use the Windows + R key combination and enter the command in the window that appears diskmgmt.msc and click OK. The hard drive partitions will be displayed at the bottom of the Disk Management window.

After launching the utility, right-click on the drive you are going to erase (for example, conditional drive D) and select “Delete Volume.” This cannot be done with a system volume on which , since the procedure destroys all files stored in the partition.

Now right-click on the adjacent partition (conditional drive C) to which you want to transfer the freed space, and select “Extend Volume”.

When the Extend Volume Wizard opens, click Next twice. As a result, the selected partition (in our example - C) will receive the entire volume of the deleted partition.

Using third party programs

There are free third-party software that makes managing local drives much easier. For example, the MiniTool Partition Wizard program allows you not only to quickly merge volumes, but also to easily change their size. At the same time, it saves all data. But if you have important files on your computer, do them anyway - just in case.

So, to merge disks using MiniTool Partition Wizard, run the program and click on the volume (let it be C) to which you want to attach another partition (let it be D). Select the Merge option from the context menu.

In the window that opens, click on the same section (C) and click Next.

Now click on the section (D) that you are going to attach to the already selected one. A field with the name of the folder will appear in the lower half of the window: merged_partition_content. The program will create it on the target partition and copy all files from the remote partition there. If you wish, rename this folder. Click Finish.

For the changes to take effect, click Apply in the left corner of the toolbar. If the program asks you to restart your computer, click OK and wait until Windows restarts. As a result, Explorer will display a disk equal in size to the two combined partitions.

If your goal is not to merge the disks, but only to increase the size of one of them (let's say D) at the expense of the other (let's say C), this can be done in two simple steps. First you need to reduce it, and then transfer the vacated space to the second one.

To reduce the volume of disk (C), select it in the main menu of MiniTool Partition Wizard and in the left panel click on the Move / Resize Partition button. In the window that appears, move the slider so that the number next to the Unallocated Space After parameter corresponds to the amount by which you want to reduce the selected partition. Confirm the change.

Click Apply on the top panel and wait until the program redistributes the entire volume. This may require a reboot.

If you have a Mac, you will need the pre-installed Disk Utility program to manage drive volumes. It is located in the Finder menu → Programs → Utilities. Before manipulating disks, be sure to back up important files.

After launching Disk Utility, in the left pane, select the hard drive whose partitions you want to edit and click on the “Partition” button.

A window will appear on the screen in which you can merge the selected volumes or resize them. The utility's interface is very visual: it is displayed as a pie chart, and its sections as sectors.

To merge partitions, you need to delete one of them first. To do this, select it and click on the minus sign under the diagram. Remember that all his data will be erased. After this, when an empty sector appears in place of the deleted partition, expand any adjacent volume by dragging the cursor beyond its border. And to redistribute volume sizes, simply move the boundaries of the corresponding sectors.

When you have made all the necessary settings, click “Apply” and wait for the changes to take effect.