CNET Editors' review
A full-featured disk management utility is something most experienced Windows users need, whether it's to add and format a new hard drive, configure a USB drive, or copy partitions or whole drives and move them to new drives. MiniTool Partition Wizard is a powerful but easy-to-use partition manager that does all that and much more, and it's free, too. It supports FAT, NTFS, EXT, and Linux Swap file systems, and all hard-disk types recognized by Windows, including RAID arrays. It's also compatible with both MBR and GPT partition tables. Partition Wizard supports hard disks of up to 2TB in capacity and up to 32 individual drives. New features include one-step partition extending and improved partition splitting as well as Windows 8 compatibility.
Partition Wizard's user interface is good-looking and also intuitively configured, with a layout resembling many similar tools, including Disk Manager. Bar graphs and tables displayed the capacity and status of all our system's drives, including its three logical partitions and USB thumbdrive. Even if you're familiar with disk-managing utilities, it's not a bad idea to start with Partition Manager's Help file, which does a great job of explaining each feature. And this program has features, starting with four Wizards: Copy Partition, Copy Disk, Partition Recovery, and Free Data Recovery. Each of these tools walks you through the steps necessary to perform these tricky operations. Speaking of Operations, Partition Wizard lists no fewer than 21 of them, everything from Align Partition to Surface Test. We could format, delete, copy, merge, split, explore, hide, and wipe partitions; set Active and Logical partitions; change serial numbers; and much more. You can also create a bootable CD that lets you use Partition Wizard during reboot to perform operations that you can't do when Windows is loaded.
Step 1 when making changes to your disk drives is always backing up your system, especially if you're making changes to your primary drive. All the tools we tried worked well, including the Move/Resize Partition Wizard, which let us set the partition by dragging it into place. MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition is a keeper.
Partition Wizard Home Edition - Perform hard disk partition operations - Download Video Previews:Publisher's Description
From MiniTool:
Working as partition magic, Partition Wizard Home Edition is a free partition manager designed by MT Solution Ltd. This partition software supports 32/64 bit Windows Operating System. Home users can perform complicated partition operations by using this powerful but free partition manager to manage their hard disk partition such as Resizing partitions, Copying partitions, Create partition, Delete partition, Format partition, Convert partition, Explore partition, Hide partition, Change drive letter, Set active partition, Convert Dynamic Disk to Basic Disk, Surface Test, Change Partition Serial Number, Change Partition Type ID and Partition Recovery.
What's new in this version: Version 7.8 adds support to copy UEFI boot disk and enhances ability to handle memory card & flash drive.
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All versions:
4.4 starsout of 542 votes
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Current version:
4.5 starsout of 22 votes
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My rating:
Write review
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"Works verey well for me"
Version: MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition 7.8
Pros
I have used it to split partitions in Win Xp, Win 7 32 bits and Win 8 64 bits and works fine and easy.
Cons
I don't need it, but the Merge partitions it's only in the pro version.
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"Wow, amazing software, saved me so much time. Must Have"
Version: MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition 7.8
Pros
- quick
- easy
- efficient
- safe
- functionalCons
none thus far
Summary
I was able to resize a partition and create a new one while preserving 1.2 TB, and it did this in like 4 minutes! Now i have the partitions I need and didn't lose any data! it also has amazing tools like MBR rebuild and data recovery, partition recovery, etc!
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"good program"
Version: MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition 7.8
Pros
does what it is suppose to do
Cons
none to date
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"Best free disk/partition manager/copier/fixer"
Version: MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition 7.8
Pros
Handles all sorts of partitions including many unix file systems.
Available download of a free self booting .iso or usb version to access systems that no longer boot.
Has most features I need including move, copy, change size, delete, repair, set active, primary, logical and an MBR repair.
You can also look at the the file system and file names in a partition,Cons
The Boot record repair may or may not work. It would be nice to have a tool to look at and help manually repair boot sectors. I took off 1/2 a point on earlier versions, because restoring boot partitions may not always leave a drive able to boot. That said version 7.8 has not had that problem for me yet.
Summary
Nice interface, easy to see and use and has an available standalone version from a bootable media. If you are a Linux user or you need to upgrade an older Linux based NAS (like Buffalo's) to a larger drive this product can do that.
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"utter crap"
Version: MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition 7.8
Pros
Nothing Nothing Nothing
Cons
you need to pay, you download a non working version
Summary
These people need to state on the main page that this program doesn't until you've payed for it. Screw them.
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"Recovered my MBR after being overwritten by GPT"
Version: MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition 7.8
Pros
Worked well to recover the overwritten MBR...didn't have to read any manuals
Cons
Was a 500GB USB3 (seems to be running in USB2 mode) and MPWHE seemed to crash when running Partition Recovery...10 minutes later I could recover my MBR;
then I used GPT Disk to delete the GPT remnants;
so that I could take the recovered volumes online in Windows Disk Management.
Disk recovered!! -
"I am very impressed with this program"
Version: MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition 7.8
Pros
After trying many ways to find the lost partitions on two 500 Gig drives after having windows 8 as a secondary OS, the Hard drive decided to prevent me having control over it due to this accursed MBR Partition Table. Mini Tools soon sorted it out and I was able to regain the partitions on two drives and re install window 7 without any problem
Cons
There were no cons, and I would grade it far above my paid for version of partition magic that was no help at all
Summary
If you want an all singing all dancing Partition manager this is the boy. There are a few item you will not get with the free version, but you will certainly be able to do all the basic things and more, and that includes sorting out the lost partition problem with the MBR Partition Table on EFI systems
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"Does a good job aligning partitions."
Version: MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition 7.8
Pros
I works and its easy to use menu interface.
I had to align may partitions after clone to a new HD put them all out. This fixed them without data loss. Great tool.
RecommendedCons
Non that I am aware of at this time
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"Absolutely Outstanding !"
Version: MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition 7.8
Pros
Does what it says on the tin. Very easy to use, once you get the hang of it. Lighter footprint than similar tools. Excellent help guides.
Cons
GUI can be a little confusing at first since there are often several ways to perform any given function. (Eventually you'll find which you prefer - I'm of the "when in doubt, right-click" school of thought.)
Summary
I've been using this tool for around 3 years now, except for a brief period when I experimented with the EaseUS Partition Master, which is also a very capable tool. In contrast, it has a lot of extra baggage ('takes up over 90MB as compared with around 46MB for the MiniTool), and uses somewhat more cluster space. I could live with either one, but find the MiniTool more to my liking. CNET has always pushed the EaseUS, and I have to wonder why. Smart users will try both, and if you check the numbers, MiniTool has way more downloads. Check it out for yourself. I bet you'll be as pleased as I am with this fine software.
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"most capable one"
Version: MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition 7.8
Pros
recovered a missing partition that other tools could not.
Cons
i don't see any cons.
Summary
recovered a missing partition that other tools could not.
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