Partition external HD

[Len Gow]

Want to use external HD to back up a desktop (WinXPHome)
and a laptop (WinXPPro)and to hold other data. Should I
not partition the new drive and, if so, how?

 

[Harry Ohrn]

All hard drives must be partitioned before they can be formatted. When you
connect the drive is it being recognized in the My Computer window? If there
is an icon for it and you can open the drive then it is already partitioned
and formatted. If it is not appearing in My Computer then right click the My
Computer icon and select Manage. This will open the Computer Management
Console. The drive should be listed in the Disk Management section. Right
click that drive and select the option to Partition after which it can be
formatted. If the drive does not appear in Disk Management then it isn't
connected correctly.