Disk Management on Windows 8

Windows 8 is distinctly different from its predecessor. For starters, there’s that missing Start menu and the fact that older versions of CPUs might not take to the new OS. There’s also better security and battery life and it is an optimum operating system for touch devices. Microsoft seems to be moving toward better integration of its operating system on smartphones, tablets and other devices. This will give the company better leverage in its quest for dominance against Android and Apple’s operating system.

You will find the Disk Management tool on Windows 8 which helps you do all sorts of disk related hardware tasks, be it formatting and shrinking, changing drive letters and other disk related work. You can use Disk Management to manage all your drives-flash, optical and both internal and external hard disk drives on a 64 or 32 bit Windows 8 PC. You may recognize the tool because it is part of the Microsoft Management Console.

Here are some of the other uses of Disk Management:

•    Shrink or extend volume
•    Move from basic to dynamic disk
•    Open and explore volume
•    Convert GPT to MBR and Vice Versa

You can access the Disk Management tool in two ways:

•    Get to the Desktop mode with Windows Key + X. Once you get there, go to the Computer Management. What you’ll see is the Computer Management window where you’ll find Disk Management.

•    Type ‘cmd’ on Run and click OK. Type out diskmgmt.msc and enter.

When you get to the Disk Management tool, you’ll notice that it is divided into two portions. The top half has all the partitions-formatted and unformatted and the bottom half will show you in graphics, the physical drives that are on the computer. You can choose to partition a drive to make more space, format a drive to restore factory settings or make the drive all brand new. You can even change the letter of your drive to keep it better organized. You may also change the file system on a drive.

Disk Management has a few issues. For instance, the Extend Volume function can only be used only if there is space that has not been allocated, next to the partition in question. If that is not there, then it can’t be done. Even if you do use third party tools for partition, Windows 8 doesn’t work too well using a third party tool due to compatibility issues. Though there might be help from MiniTool Partition Wizard and EaseUS Partition Master.

Staying with Disk Management, you can download an Add-In for the Microsoft Windows Home Server. This will help you understand storage status and is great for organizations to find extensive information and monitor activity. Here too, you can customize names for disks and 3D wireframe. All of this will help you maintain your server in great condition and trouble shoot as and when required. There is one month free trial, so do check it out.

Disk related business is considered to be one for the experts and technicians and rightly so. But thanks to Disk Management on Window 8, the task got a bit simpler. The tool has a few glitches but is worth experiencing.

Ryan Larkin authors for Broadbandproviders.com, the leading provider of the best value broadband internet - He writes about Technology tips and everything about the Internet.