19 February 2013

Manage Your Hard Disk Partitions Like A Pro With EaseUS Partition Master [Windows]



hard drive partition softwareWhen you ask a tech crowd about hard drive partition managers, many people will agree that EaseUS Partition Master is the best tools for the job. Why? Because it offers many great features, yet remains easy to use. It’s also MakeUseOf’s favorite partition manager for Windows.


So what does a hard drive partition manager do? New hard drives typically come with one large logical storage unit that spans the entire size of the disk. A partition manager can slice that space up into multiple partitions, meaning it can be used like multiple disks. There are many reasons why you would want to do that, for example to boot more than one operating system from the same hard disk, or to store personal data separately from your operating system, meaning you can wipe the system partition without losing your files. Now, what if one partition becomes too small or you don’t need it anymore? A partition manager can also resize, move, and merge partitions. While Windows does provide native disk management tools, third party software usually provides additional features.


Note that EaseUS Partition Master is launched from a start screen that features two other EaseUS tools, which are the EaseUSData Recovery Wizard and EaseUS Todo Backup. This review focuses on the partition manager only.


hard drive partition software


Feature Overview



  • maintain data during any partitioning operations

  • resize or move partitions, includes extending NTFS system partition without reboot

  • merge two adjacent partitions into a bigger one

  • create multiple partitions

  • delete partitions (data is lost)

  • wipe data on unallocated space

  • wipe a whole disk or wipe a selected partition

  • format with new file system, including FAT, NTFS, EXT2, and EXT3 (data is wiped)

  • format with new cluster size between 512Bytes and 6KB (data is wiped)

  • change label and drive letter

  • hide partition

  • convert primary partition to logical partition and vice versa

  • defragment disk or partition

  • run a disk surface test to find bad sectors

  • rebuild MBR to boot system again

  • manage Linux partitions formatted with EXT2 or EXT3 file system

  • supports hardware RAID, multiple removable storage devices, standard hard disk and GPT disk

  • supports up to 2TB partition on MBR and 4TB partition on GPT

  • runs under Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7 SP1 / 8 with either 32-bit or 64-bit


Interface Overview


Front and center are all disks connected to your computer. Connected drives are listed as Disk1, Disk2 etc. Under each disk header, you will find all partitions of the respective disk and their properties.


hard drive partition manager


Below the drive list, you see the disk map, which presents a graphical overview of each disk’s partitions.


hard drive partition manager


The left-hand menu shows all available operations for each partition. See how the menu changes as you select different partitions.


hard drive partition manager


Key operations, like Resize/Move, Delete, or Merge are also shown as buttons in the toolbar on top.


windows hard drive partition manager


In addition, all operations are accessible via the menu shown in the screenshot above. Moreover, you can change what you see or how items are arranged via the View menu.


windows hard drive partition manager


Using EaseUS Partition Master


The main purpose of this tool is to create, resize, move, delete or merge partitions, and – with the exception of deleting a partition – without compromising the data stored on each disk or partition. After closely inspecting the interface, you should have an idea how to use EaseUS Partition Master. I will take you through the finer detail of basic operations here, using an unpartitioned external hard drive.


I want to create a partition. Note that this option does not exist. So first, I have to create some space, by resizing the existing single partition. To do this, I select Disk2, my external drive, and click Resize/Move. A window pops up that allows me to change the size and position of the selected partition.


windows hard drive partition manager


Grab one of the ball-shaped handles on the left or right of the partition and move it or grab the partition in its center to move it as a whole. The latter only works if there is unallocated space to its left or right. Note how the disk map at the bottom updates, showing the result of your changes.



I don’t want my data to be moved, so I create unallocated space on the right side of the existing partition and click OK. The disk map now shows unallocated space for my external hard drive.



I can select the unallocated space and click Create under Operations or in the toolbar to create a new partition. A window will pop up where you can select a partition label, file system, drive letter, cluster size, and how much of the unallocated space should be dedicated to the new partition. Again, you can drag the ball-shaped handles to change the location and size of your new partition.



Now I have a smaller partition with my data and a new partition flanked by unallocated space. Try to grab the partitions and move them around in the disk map. That is what I call intuitive software!



Now if you tried this yourself, you may have noticed that all of this went pretty quick. Did EaseUS Partition Master really create a new partition in a matter of milliseconds. No, it didn’t. None of the operations are immediate. They are all parked in Pending Operations in the bottom left.


hard drive partition software


You can undo changes via the toolbar or General menu and once you are ready, hit Apply. In other words, you can safely play around, without making any actual changes.


Conclusion


EaseUS Partition Master has a very clear interface, yet offers many advanced features. It is easy and intuitive to use and protects the novice from making hasty mistakes. It is superior to Windows’ native disk management because it is more flexible. For example a partition can be extended, regardless of where unallocated space sits, simply by dragging everything into place.


We have covered other drive partition tools in the past, including GParted. Do you have a favorite third party partition manager or are you completely satisfied with Windows’ native disk management?


The post Manage Your Hard Disk Partitions Like A Pro With EaseUS Partition Master [Windows] appeared first on MakeUseOf.



So, You Think You Can’t Write? Let’s Get You Back On Track



writer tipsStumped? Lost for words? Are you often in the position of being unable to get yourself to write anything, even though the deadline is fast approaching? Yeah, writer’s block sucks – and it happens to all of us. Most writers, after suffering a few days where it got really bad, make plans to get around the problem as best as possible. Now is your time to do the same.


There are lots of great ideas anyone can try, regardless of your writing needs. It doesn’t matter if you’re a student writing essays, a casual writer doing NaNoWriMo, or a professional author writing a new novel. In this list of writing tips there are bound to be a couple of ideas which will make a huge difference to the way you approach your writing. So, read on!


1. Get Comfortable


If you’re fussing around trying to avoid back-ache and eye strain, you’re not writing. Set up your desktop or laptop so that you’re actually comfortable, then every future attempt to write will only be thwarted by you not knowing what to write.



writer tips


2. Stop Procrastinating & Write


Sometimes, you just need to open up a blank page and get writing. It doesn’t matter what the subject is, really. Once you’ve written a few pages, you’ll be ready to get stuck into the important stuff. So, get yourself a random writing prompt and see how quickly you can get a few words out:



3. Ensure Your Desktop is Distraction-Free


Get rid of email notifications, turn off anything that beeps or pops up, ensure your digital writing space is clear and uncluttered, and make sure your real-world environment is clean, quiet and peaceful too. Serenity brings creativity with it & many writers swear by ensuring they have a neat and peaceful place to write, both digitally and physically.



writer tips tricks


4. Dictate When Possible


If you find your typing speed slows you down, or that getting free time with your hands ready for typing isn’t likely, you might be better off using some dictation software. This is great if you’re out and about with a tablet often.



5. Read & Listen To Creative Inspiration


If you get a daily dose of inspiration and advice on creating characters and other writing devices, you’ll be perpetually coming up with great ideas you can use. This is the state you want to be in! It’s better to forget a handful of half-formed ideas than to never have them in the first place. So, subscribe to creative podcasts, read blogs on writing, install brainstorming software, use free web tools, and take time to immerse yourself in decent literature. Every bit helps.


Here’s some recommendations from MakeUseOf staff:



6. Make Notes Of Any Great Ideas


It doesn’t matter what you use: Evernote, OneNote, RememberTheMilk or a spreadsheet. What matters is that whenever you have a great idea for an article, story, character or plot you jot it down somewhere where you can refer to it when you need some inspiration later. Nothing is better than realising that you already came up with the ideas and all you need to do now is write. Dictating your notes is also a great idea if you’re pressed for time.



writer tips


7. Keep Synced Backups


Nothing is more annoying than wanting to work on a particular piece you are writing, only to find that you don’t have a current version with you. Oh wait, yes there is – losing your work altogether. To avoid this issue, and to protect your writing from digital or real-world disasters, keep organised backups of your writing that are synced between your devices. MakeUseOf staff recommend numerous ways to do great backups, but here’s a few dedicated to writing backups:



What are your best tips for getting your writing back on track? How do you overcome procrastination? Where do you get your inspiration? Let us know in the comments!


Image Credit: Shutterstock, Shutterstock, Shutterstock, Shutterstock


The post So, You Think You Can’t Write? Let’s Get You Back On Track appeared first on MakeUseOf.



How To Open Folder Options In Windows 8



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In Windows 8, Microsoft has introduced Ribbon in Windows Explorer. Because of this, the new file explorer or Windows Explorer looks drastically different from previous versions of Windows. The new Ribbon Explorer helps quickly access various files and folders options. Many advanced settings are located under Folder Options in Windows. Options such as show drive [...]