how to multi-partition HDD?

[Beanstine3]

In my computer I'm currently using a single 250GB drive for windows 8.1, I have another 250GB drive that I plan on using for another OS, I also have a 2TB drive that I plan on having 1TB for storage for both OS's and 2 500GB of space for back-ups of the two smaller drives.

How would I go about setting the 2TB drive to do that?

 

[SchizTech]

Is this 2TB drive already installed in the PC and formatted? Is there data stored on it now? If so, how much?

The drive can be partitioned using the Disk Management console in Windows. You can get there by moving your mouse pointer to the lower right-hand corner and RIGHT-clicking, which should bring up a menu of commands. In this select "Disk Management." The answers to the questions above will determine what steps to take from there. If There's data, but less than 1TB, use the option shrink the volume to create 1TB of space, then create two new volumes, one at a time, setting each to 500MB. The wizard will let you format each new partition. What other OS will you use? Linux can read and write to NTFS, the standard Windows filesystem but doesn't support Linux file permissions on it. The shared drive could be NTFS, which should be compatible with Windows and whatever other OS you use. If one of the smaller partitions is to be used by a non-Windows OS as a backup, leave that blank and format it in the other OS to let it use whatever filesystem it prefers.

*I'm using round numbers here but keep in mind Windows doesn't see a 2TB drive as 2 full TB but 1.81TB. Adjust the amounts above either to evenly distribute the sizes as 1/2, 1/4 and 1/4 or however you wish.

 

[Beanstine3]

The 2TB drive is new, nothing on it nor formatted yet just installed it. The other OS i will be installing will be Mac OSX.

 

[SchizTech]

OK, then you can go into Disk Management the same way, and select the blank drive. When you right-click the drive and select "new partition" the wizard by default uses the entire free space but you can change the value to anything you wish. So cut the first partition to roughly half the number that appears, then do the same for the second in the remaining free space. You can leave the third slice free to let Mac OS format that (in Disk Utility) later, in it's own HFS+ filesystem. As to the first two partitions, the first small backup partition can be left NTFS (Windows' filesystem) since it's going to back up Windows alone.

The big partition gives you a few options if it's going to be shared. Mac OS by default can read NTFS but not write to it. There are hacks to make OSX write to it, either changing the OS settings in a terminal or using a third party utility to do the heavy lifting.

As to setting up the hackintosh, good luck. I've done it for a customer but it can be a PITA.

 

[popatim]

If this 1tb partition will be backed up to one of the 500gb partitions .. well backing a drive to itself is rather pointless and I suggest you grab two 1TB drives instead.

If the 500gb partitions are only backing up the os drives then thats fine.

I'm just trying to avoid having you lose your 2tb drive and your backups with just one drive failure.

 

[Beanstine3]

The big partition gives you a few options if it's going to be shared. Mac OS by default can read NTFS but not write to it. There are hacks to make OSX write to it, either changing the OS settings in a terminal or using a third party utility to do the heavy lifting.

Is there any other format that windows and mac both can read and write to? Do you know how to do the hack? Or know of a tutorial?

As to setting up the hackintosh, good luck. I've done it for a customer but it can be a PITA.

Thanks.

 

[SchizTech]

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57588773-263/how-to-manually-enable-ntfs-read-and-write-in-os-x/

 

[Beanstine3]

Do I need 500GB of space for each 250GB drive to be backed-up on?

 

[SchizTech]

No; 500GB is twice the size of that. Plus you don't really need to back up the OS files and program files. User files on those systems could be backed up with less space.