Overview
Disk layout decisions made at install time stop fitting eventually. The system partition fills up, a second drive arrives, an old mechanical disk needs to become a solid state one, or a drive that was set up in the wrong partition style has to be converted without starting over. Partition Master handles all of that, and it does it as a queued list of operations you can review before anything is committed rather than acting the moment you click.
The archive holds the installable program and a bootable environment image covering the operations that cannot run while Windows is using the volume. Editions are selected during setup, with the Professional, Unlimited, Server and Technician tiers all present and the licensing settled ahead of time. Every operation is available with no size limit and no feature held back.
Partition operations
Resizing and moving are the core, and they work on volumes with data in place. Space can be taken from one partition and given to another even when they are not adjacent, since the program will move the intervening partition as part of the queue. Splitting one partition into two, merging two into one, and creating, formatting, deleting or wiping a volume are all present.
Beyond that there are the conversions that would otherwise need a reinstall: partition style conversion between the older and newer table formats, converting a basic disk to dynamic and back, and changing a partition between primary and logical. The file system conversion between the older and newer Windows formats runs without reformatting, preserving the data on the volume.
Cloning and migration
Disk cloning copies an entire drive to another one, and the system migration mode does the same for just the operating system, moving Windows to a new drive with the boot configuration adjusted so it starts correctly afterwards. This is the most common reason people install the program, since it turns a solid state upgrade into a one hour job instead of a reinstall and a weekend of reconfiguration.
Cloning to a smaller target works provided the used space fits, with the partitions scaled proportionally or adjusted manually during the setup. Sector by sector cloning is available for the cases where an exact copy is required, including copying a failing drive before attempting recovery on the image.
The bootable environment and safety
Operations on the system partition cannot complete while Windows is running on it. The program will normally handle this by queueing the work and performing it during a restart, but the bootable environment is the more reliable route, particularly for cloning or converting the drive Windows lives on. The image writes to a USB drive and includes the storage drivers most machines need.
Everything is queued rather than immediate, so a plan can be assembled, reviewed and discarded before anything touches the disk. That said, partition work carries real risk: a power cut during a move operation can leave a volume unreadable. Back up anything you cannot lose before starting, and use a machine on mains power rather than a laptop running on battery.
What you get
- Resize, move, split and merge partitions with data in place
- Allocate free space between non adjacent partitions
- Partition style conversion between the older and newer table formats
- File system conversion without reformatting the volume
- Full disk cloning and operating system migration with boot configuration fixed
- Cloning to smaller targets with proportional or manual partition scaling
- Sector by sector cloning for exact copies and failing drives
- Queued operations with a preview before anything is committed
- Bootable environment included for system volume work
Inside the archive
- Partition Master installer with the Professional, Unlimited, Server and Technician editions
- Bootable WinPE environment image
- Media writing tool for USB drives
- Readme covering the bootable route and the risk warnings
- Interface language packs
System requirements
| Operating system | Windows 7 or newer for the installed version |
|---|---|
| Processor | 1 GHz x64 processor or faster |
| Memory | 2 GB minimum, 4 GB for the bootable environment |
| Storage | 1 GB free for the program |
| Media | 8 GB or larger USB drive for the bootable environment |
| Power | Mains power required, not battery, for any move or clone operation |
Installing it
- Back up anything on the affected drives that you cannot afford to lose. This is not a formality.
- Unpack the archive, suspend real time protection and run setup as administrator.
- Pick the edition at the selection screen. Professional is the right choice for a single personal machine.
- For work on the system drive, write the bootable image to a USB drive and boot from it rather than working inside Windows.
- Queue your operations, review the preview carefully, then commit and do not interrupt the machine until it reports completion.
Mirrors
| Route | Region | Note | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct, primary | Europe | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Direct, secondary | North America | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Torrent magnet | Global | Optional at this size | Online |
Release history
- Migration now rewrites the boot configuration correctly on machines with multiple existing entries
- Bootable environment updated with newer storage controller drivers
- Fixed the queue preview misreporting free space after a merge
- Partition style conversion reworked for disks above 16 terabytes
- Clone to smaller target scaling made adjustable per partition
- File system conversion made non destructive on volumes with bad sectors
- Media writing tool added to the archive
Questions about this release
Can it move Windows to a new drive?
Yes, that is the migration mode, and it adjusts the boot configuration so the new drive starts correctly. It is the most common reason people use this program.
Do I need the bootable environment?
For work on the system volume it is the reliable route. For a second drive the installed version is fine.
Is it safe to resize a partition with data on it?
Generally yes, and the operations are queued and previewed first. But a power interruption mid operation can leave a volume unreadable, so back up first and stay on mains power.
Which edition should I choose?
Professional for a personal machine. The Server and Technician tiers exist for server volumes and for working on multiple machines.
Comments
Converted the partition style without wiping the disk. That would have been a full reinstall otherwise.
Used the bootable USB for the system drive as the readme says. Went through with no drama.
Comments are read before they appear. If a build stops working, say so here and it gets rebuilt rather than quietly left up.
Migrated an old install onto a new solid state drive in about forty minutes and it booted first time. No reinstall needed.