Primary Partition vs. Extended Partition | Comparing Their Features and Management Methods

Introduction to Hard Disk Partitions

Before we discuss primary and extended partitions, it's essential to know what hard disk partition is. Hard disk partitioning refers to dividing the total storage space of a hard drive into several independent sections, i.e., primary and extended partitions. When using hard disk partitioning, one often considers the differences between primary and extended partitions, their functions, and whether it's possible to convert a primary partition to an extended one. Users who aren't very tech-savvy may get confused about these two types of partitions. Thus, this article will explore the differences between primary and extended partitions, hoping to help beginners understand and apply them better.

## Primary partitions: The essentials for booting

Before delving into extended partitions, let's first understand what a primary partition is. A primary partition is also referred to as a boot partition, which the operating system and the motherboard recognize as the first partition on a hard drive.

The primary partition is a relatively simple partition, usually located in the frontmost area of the hard disk and constitutes the logical C drive. It contains the main bootstrap program, which is used to check the correctness of the hard disk partition, identify the active partition, and transfer control to DOS or another operating system. If this program is damaged, the computer cannot boot from the hard disk, but it can still read and write to the hard disk after booting from a floppy disk or CD-ROM.

After primary partitions are set up, the remaining space can be designated as an extended partition. There is no fixed limit to the number of primary partitions, and one can be split into two. However, a hard drive can have a maximum of four primary partitions or three primary partitions plus one extended partition. Primary partitions can also be referred to as boot partitions since the operating system and motherboard recognize them as the disk's boot partition.

Gather information about all extended partitions

After explaining primary partitions, we'll discuss extended partitions and how many of them you can have. There can be only one extended partition per hard disk, but an extended partition can be divided into several partitions called logical partitions.

An extended partition serves as a container for logical partitions. The structure of the extended partition, including the logical partitions it holds, is described in the Extended Boot Record (EBR). Logical partitions within an extended partition become visible when we format them with a suitable filesystem. We can use extended partitions to store user data. This approach protects the data from corruption or loss in case the operating system fails.

We cannot use an extended partition directly; it is used to hold logical partitions, which can be divided into multiple logical partitions. There is a containment relationship between them, with all logical partitions being part of the extended partition.

[4] What is the difference between a primary partition and an extended partition? Which one is better?

【5】Questions and Answers about Primary and Extended Partitions

How do I create a primary partition?

Step 1: Right-click "This PC," then select "Manage" to open "Disk Management."

Step 2: Check the number of primary partitions on the disk. If there are already four, we cannot create another primary partition. If there are less than four, we can create a new primary partition.

Step 3: Select the unallocated space and create a primary partition.

Step 4: Select the unallocated space and right-click to choose 'New Simple Volume' to create a new primary partition.

The final step in creating a primary partition

< strong > 2. How can I convert a primary partition to a logical one?

Search and download a disk partition tool or similar software like AOMEI Partition Assistant. This will allow you to allocate the extra space from the logical drive to the system partition without damaging the system or losing important files.

Step 1. Download and install Partition Master Suite.

Step 2: Select the primary partition and click on 'Convert to Primary'.

Conclusion:

After reading this article, you should understand the difference between primary and extended partitions, and be able to make the right choice when partitioning a new hard drive.