Creating a New Partition

Installing OpenSolaris requires assigning it a unique partition. This process has two primary tasks, including shrinking an existing partition and creating a new partition with the newly unallocated space.

Shrink an Existing Partition

1. Open the Control Panel.
   The Control Panel window opens.
2. On the left side of the window, click Classic View.
   Depending on the computer's settings, either a list or a set of icons appears.
3. Double click on Administrative Tools.
   A list of system tools is displayed.
4. Double click on Computer Management.
   The Computer Management program starts.
5. Double click on Storage.
   A link to the Disk Management tool is displayed.
6. Double click on Disk Management.
   A list of storage drives and partitions is displayed.
7. Right click on the partition you plan to shrink and click Shrink Volume.
   The program takes a few moments to determine how much room is available on the partition. A new window is then displayed.
8. Adjust how much to shrink the size of the partition, and press Shrink.
   The partition shrinks and an unallocated storage section is created.

Create a New Partition with the Newly Unallocated Space

Warning: many Vista computers are shipped with an unallocated storage section of between one and two gigabytes. Accidentally formatting a partition over this section, which might contain system files, could sabotage your system.

1. Right click on the new section of unallocated space and select New Simple Volume.
   The New Simple Volume Wizard appears.
2. Move forward by clicking Next.
   The window changes, allowing you to adjust how much of the unallocated space to assign to the new partition. The new partition should be at least 10 gigabytes.
3. Specify volume size by clicking Next.
   The window changes, allowing you to assign a drive letter to the partition.
4. Assign a drive letter by clicking Next.
   The window changes, allowing you to adjust the partition format.
5. In the text box next to Volume label, give a short name to the new partition, so you can easily identify it later.
   Write the name down.
6. Format the drive by clicking Format this volume with the following settings.
   A summary appears.
7. Click Finish to create the partition.
   Allow a few minutes for the previously unallocated space to be formatted. The creation of the partition is now complete.