How to partition and format the DataLocker on Windows 7
Windows 7
To partition and format the DataLocker with Disk Management, please follow these steps:
- Open Disk Management by right-clicking on Computer (on your Start Menu) and left-click on Manage.
- You will see two panes, on the left pane under Storage, click on Disk Management. You will now see the right pane show the drives attached to your computer. Maximize the window if necessary to see the drives.
- In the lower right pane, you will see a list of all available drives/devices. Find the drive listing that corresponds to the DataLocker drive you want to partition and format. It usually has a black bar indicating unallocated space.
If there is a blue bar, then the drive has already been partitioned and formatted. Make sure, that if you have data on the DataLocker drive, you back it up before proceeding. Once you are ready, right-click on the blue bar and select Delete Volume. You will see a pop-up window asking you if you really want to delete the partition. Click Yes. The bar should now turn black.
- Right-click on the black bar to see a menu of available options. Left-click on New Simple Volume.
- The Welcome to the New Simple Volume Wizard will appear. Left-click on Next to proceed to the next screen.
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This is where you will set a partition on the drive. By default Windows chooses the whole drive so you can left-click on Next.
Note: To create multiple partitions on the DataLocker, you will have to type in a smaller amount in megabytes, and it will partition and format only that amount. For example, if you have a 500 GB hard drive and you want to divide the drive into two partitions, you could type in 250000 (for 250 GB’s) in the Simple volume size in MB area.
Once you finish formatting the first partition, you will need to go back and repeat these steps again to partition and format the left-over unallocated area of the DataLocker. The result will be two partitions on the DataLocker. Remember, when you change, or add partitions it will destroy any data on the DataLocker. So be sure to plan out ahead how many and what size partitions you want before creating any.
- Choose the drive letter that you want the DataLocker to have. By default Windows will choose the next available drive letter. Then click Next.
- This is the format screen. Make sure that the File System is set to NTFS. The Allocation Unit Size can be left in its default value. In the Volume Label field you can give the DataLocker a name if you want. Check the box that says Perform a Quick Format so that Windows will format the drive quickly. Then click on Next.
- The next screen gives you a summary of all the steps that you just went through. Click on Next.
- The listing for the drive (Disk 1 in the picture below) will say Formatting as it formats the drive.
- When the drive is done (Disk 1 in the picture below) the bar will be blue and the drive will say Healthy.
