Partition Magic is a famed hard disk drive partitioning software that aims to assist Windows users in resizing partitions, copying and moving volumes, and even converting file system file format between NTFS and FAT32. However, the original Partition Magic software is no longer available. Follow this page, and you'll get to know everything about Partition Magic and how to free download an alternative software to efficiently manage disk partitions on your own.
1. What Is Partition Magic
- by Wikipedia
According to Wikipedia, it's clear that Partition Magic is a disk partitioning software created by PowerQuest. It enables early Windows users to manage and create partitions on a hard drive with success. Follow here, and you'll get to learn more details about this software.
Who Makes Partition Magic
Partition Magic, also called PartitionMagic, was originally created by PowerQuest in 1993. It got 3 version updates from 1993 to 1997.
Then, in 2003, Symantec announced to purchase PowerQuest Partition Magic. From then on, Symantec changed the brand name of PowerQuest Partition Magic to Norton Partition Magic. This software continued to serve users worldwide until 2011.
What Can Partition Magic Do for You
Check the list of features of Partition Magic here:
- Create partitions with NTFS, FAT32/16 formats.
- Copy and move partitions.
- Convert FAT32/16 to NTFS.
- Change cluster size of NTFS/FAT32/FAT.
- Merge adjacent partitions on NTFS/FAT partitions.
- Support Ext2/Ext3 partitions.
Operating Systems:
- Windows NT
- Windows 95
- Windows 98
- Windows ME
- Windows 2000
- Windows XP
- Windows and Novell NetWare Servers (only available in Server Magic edition)
Versions & History:
- Version 1.0: 1993 by PowerQuest
- Version 2.0: January 1995 by PowerQuest
- Version OS/2: September 1995 by PowerQuest
- Version 3.02: 1997 by PowerQuest
- Version 8.0 by Symantec (changed name into Norton PartitionMagic)
- Version 8.05 by Symantec (with an additional DOS version)
- Notice:
- On October 12, 2011, the Symantec website announced that they were sorry and they no longer offer Norton Partition Magic.
License: Trialware, no free edition.
Final Release: Version 8.05
2. Why Partition Magic and Who Is Using Partition Magic
Why did Partition Magic gets so popular, and even the tech company Symantec purchased it? Check the benefits and advantages here, and you'll learn why was this software so popular back in time:
Benefits & Advantages of Partition Magic:
- Create partitions with simple clicks.
- Copy partition to a new volume, and secure data.
- Resize and move partition, no data loss.
- Convert FAT32 to NTFS, with no file loss or damage.
- Simplified the process of managing hard drive partitions.
- Easy to use.
Pros & Cons of Partition Magic
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Who Is Suitable for Using Partition Magic
Some of you may have the same question here, who are the target users of Partition Magic?
- Windows beginners: users who have no computing experience.
- IT service providers: users who provide disk management services.
- Old Windows users: users who stay with old Windows OS, like Windows XP.
According to the basic information of Partition Magic, it's not available for normal users to download and install to manage hard drive partitions. Also, Partition Magic is not compatible with most modern Windows operating systems.
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If you need reliable Partition Magic software for new Windows OSes, follow this guide to Free Download Partition Magic Full Version for Windows 11/10.
3. Important: Partition Magic Is No Longer Supported by Symantec
On December 8, 2009, the Symantec website officially announced:
"Sorry, we no longer offer Norton Partition Magic.
Dear Customers,
Thank you for your interest in Norton Partition Magic. Due to changing consumer usage trends and Symantec's desire to offer the highest quality and most innovative solutions for the latest operating systems, Symantec has discontinued Norton Partition Magic 8.0."
This means that there will be no new updates in Partition Magic, no version update, and no tech support.
What Happens When Symantec No Longer Supports PartitionMagic 64 Bit
Here we listed two common issues that many PartitionMagic users have encountered on their computers after Partition Magic gets the end of life:
Case 1. "I'd like to know when Partition Magic will be available that will support Windows 7 64-bit computers."
Case 2. "Hey, I cannot change my partition table on Windows 10, any partition magic tool recommend for me?"
Aside from this, you may also encounter the following issues with PartitionMagic:
- Software dead or crash
- Operating system compatible issue
- No tech support
- Malware or virus infection, etc.
What Can I Do Since Partition Magic Is End of Life
If you have the same question here, stay calm. You can still manage your hard drive partitions on old or new Windows computers without Partition Magic.
Here is a list of tips about what to do after Partition Magic stops serving users:
- For experienced Windows users, you can apply Disk Management or Diskpart to manage hard drives, extend, shrink, or merge partitions.
- For Windows beginners and new Windows system users, it's highly recommended that you turn to a reliable partition manager software to replace Partition Magic.
When you search Partition Magic or Partition Magic alternative online, you may get a long list of recommended software. It doesn't matter if you have no idea about how to define which is better.
BONUS TIP
Here we collected 6 top best disk management software, you can follow this link to pick one Top Best Partition Magic Freeware to manage your disk drives efficiently.
4. Partition Magic (Alternative) Free Download with How-to Guide
How do I find a Partition Magic alternative software? And what criteria could be applied to determine if the recommended software on the search result page is qualified?
Tips to Pick Partition Magic Alternative Software
Here is a list of qualities that a standard partition manager software should meet so to replace the outdated Partition Magic:
- Support most modern Windows operating systems, including Windows and Windows Servers.
- Meet your basic needs in partitioning hard drives, such as creating, deleting, formatting, merging, resizing/moving, and deleting partitions.
- Can fulfill some advanced requests on disk drives, including disk/partition cloning, migrating OS to HDD/SSD, converting the disk to MBR/GPT, etc.
- Consistent version updates.
- Immediate and powerful customer support.
Partition Magic Alternative Software Free Download
You can apply these tips to test if the software that you picked is suitable for you. In case you get lost or feel frustrated with spending time and money testing an alternative software to replace Partition Magic, here we have some tips for you:
- To experienced Windows users, we suggest that you take Disk Management to execute some basic disk partitioning operations. Do remember to back up essential data in case you need to format or delete partitions.
- To Windows beginners, you can try EaseUS Partition Master, which can fulfill most of your needs in managing hard drives and resolving some complex issues on your computer.
Pros & Cons of Partition Matic Alternative - EaseUS Partition Master
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Why EaseUS Partition Master Exceeds and Replaces Partition Magic
So why EaseUS Partition Master? We'll compare EaseUS Partition Master and Partition Magic from target users, pricing, license, support, etc., angels, and you'll learn why it's a perfect tool to replace Partition Magic:
Target Users:
- Partition Magic: Old Windows users, Windows beginners.
- Partition Master: Modern Windows users, Windows beginners, geeks, and IT service providers.
Pricing:
- Partition Magic: Trial
- Partition Master: Free, Trial - $19.95 (monthly), $49.95 (yearly), $69.95 (lifetime), $159 (Server/1year), $399(Unlimited/1year), $599 (technician/1year).
License:
- Partition Magic: 1 PC, Trialware
- Partition Master: Free - 1 PC, Pro - 2 PCs, Server - 1 Server, Unlimited/Technician - unlimited Servers.
Support:
- Partition Magic: End support on December 8, 2009
- Partition Master: Self-reliance support, email support, contact support, live chat support, 24*7 technical support.
For the features, pros, and cons comparison, you can refer to this page to deeply learn the difference between EaseUS Partition Master and Partition Magic:
Guide to Use Partition Magic Alternative - EaseUS Partition Master
So how do I make use of the Partition Magic replacement software - EaseUS Partition Master on Windows 11/10/8 or even older computer? You may watch the video first:
Then, follow the brief guide here to learn how to partition the hard drive with it:
Step 1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master to check for free space at the Partition Manager section.
- If your hard drive has unallocated space, jump to Step 3 to create partition.
- If the hard drive has no unallocated space, continue with Step 2.
Step 2. Shrink a disk partition to create unallocated space.
Right-click on the target drive partition with a lot free space and select "Resize/Move".
Drag either end of the partition rightwards or leftwards to shrink the partition size so as to get ample unallocated space. You can visually know how much space you've decreased in the "Partition size" area. Click "OK".
Click "Execute xx Task" and then "Apply" to save all the changes.
Go back to Partition Manager, there should be unallocated space appearing on the same disk and you can continue with the next step to create new partition on your hard drive.
Step 3. Create a new partition with unallocated space on the target hard drive.
Right-click on the unallocated space and choose "Create".
Customize the partition size, partition drive letter, partition label, file system (NTFS, FAT32, EXT2/3/4, exFAT) and more in the Advanced Settings. Click "OK".
Finally, click "Execute * Task" and "Apply" to complete creating partition with the unallocated space on your disk. Repeat the steps to partition a hard drive and get many more partitions.
Moreover, if you need to execute some advanced operations with EaseUS Partition Master, you may follow these links here to learn more details:
- Convert Disk to MBR/GPT
- Migrate OS to HDD/SSD
- Convert NTFS to FAT32 without formatting
- Clone HDD to SSD
Conclusion
On this page, we shared complete information about Partition Magic software with you. You can directly learn what Partition Magic is, what this software can do for you and what to do when Symantec ends supporting Partition Magic.
Note: Though Partition Magic Is Not Available, You Can Still Manage Partitions with Alternative Software.
To find a perfect replacement software for Partition Magic, we also listed some tips that you can apply to pick a suitable disk management tool. Among these tools, you can always trust EaseUS Partition Master. It's not only newer than Partition Magic but also can satisfy most of your requests in disk partitioning and optimizing disk performance.
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Updated by Tracy King
Tracy became a member of the EaseUS content team in 2013. Being a technical writer for over 10 years, she is enthusiastic about sharing tips to assist readers in resolving complex issues in disk management, file transfer, PC & Mac performance optimization, etc., like an expert.
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