Windows® 7 Resource Kit

Working with Volumes

In earlier versions of Windows, your choices for resizing volumes and partitions after they have been created are limited. If you need to add space to a volume, your only choice is to make the disk a dynamic disk and then create a spanned volume. If you want to expand or contract a partition, your only choice is to use third-party tools. In Windows Vista and Windows 7, however, you can now expand and contract volumes without data loss and without requiring a reboot.

How to Create a Simple Volume

In Windows Vista and Windows 7, the term simple volume has been expanded to include both partitions on basic disks and simple volumes on dynamic disks. If your only need is a simple volume, your best choice is a basic disk because a ...