Avanquest Partition Commander 11

If your computer appears to have more than one hard disk, it may in fact just have a single physical disk that’s divided into two or more partitions.

Any disk can be divided into several partitions – they’re not physical divisions, but the computer sees them as completely separate disks.

Avanquest’s Partition Commander 11, as the name implies, lets users work with partitions, change their sizes, creating new ones, removing old ones and it can even help with installing different operating systems on each.

The program has been designed for use by both beginners and more advanced users, and includes a number of wizards to carry out the most common tasks. So, for example, if you want to change the size of a partition, select the disk in question and drag a slider on screen to choose the new size. It would be good to have been able to type in an exact figure, but this isn’t an option.

If you’re confident with this type of software, the full version of the interface is easy to use and well organised. Once you’ve set up what you want to do, the program restarts Windows to complete the process. You can also run it from the CD itself which is less pretty but makes for quicker operation.

Partition Commander 11 is compatible with Windows 7, as well as with Vista and XP, and can handle a variety of filing systems, including the Apple HFS system that’s found on current Mac computers. Although the program only runs under Windows, it can work on a Mac through the appropriate software. It can also help make a Windows computer into what’s called a dual-boot PC, so that it can load either Linux or Windows, for example, with the user choosing each time the computer starts.

The program can also handle backup of single partitions or full hard disks and Avanquest has included a basic version of its Autosave 2 backup utility, which automatically duplicates every file you save in a second backup location, such as on another partition.

The real snag with Partition Commander 11 is that you’re rarely likely to use it. While it’s very useful when you need to change the partitions on a disk, most people don’t need to do this regularly, if ever. The program is only good for one installation, too, unlike many utility and programs which come with licences to use them on three or five computers.