How to Hide Your Hard Disk Partition in Vista

 

Have you ever wished to hide one or more hard disk partitions in your Windows Vista due to whatever reason for free?

As for myself, I just installed Windows 7 Ultimate (build 7000) and I don’t any ‘pro-active’ software (let say TuneUp Utilities, Defragmenter etc) or curious user who is curious enough to access this partition and modify it contents which may compromise Windows Seven file integrity and stability.

 

There is a method (playing with local group policy but it can’t hide my partition completely) so I need to use a bit more aggressive one J

Doesn’t matter what is your motive to hide your hard disk partition (privacy, security or simply because you hate to see that partition there :p), this trick would make your wish come true. Well, at least my wish comes true.

 

Steps :

 

Note :

1. If you want to hide your C: drive, use this method instead. CLICK HERE
   
2. This method only best to hide partition that doesn’t contain any Vista volume information, page files or your vista related installation software.
   
3. This method work best to hide your other operating system partition (which you don’t want Vista to see it) such as Win7, Ubuntu or even WinXP
   
4. This method also work best to hide your partition that contain your sensitive documents, picture, video etc)
   

 

From start menu, right click on Computer and left click on Manage

 

Click on Device Management (as circled). Your hard disk mapping may different, but that doesn’t matter.

 

Right click on partition that you want to hide and left click on Change Drive Letter and Paths (as for my case, I right click on Seven (H:) hard disk partition.

 

A new window as below wills popup. Click on Remove button.

 

Ignore this warning and click Yes button (Please note that you can’t hide any hard disk partition that contain Vista System Volume Information. If you want to hide your C: drive for example, you need to use other trick which you can watch here).

 

Note that in screenshot below, my Seven hard disk partition no longer has drive letter (previously H:) assigned to it.

 

A quick check from Windows Explorer clearly show that, partition Seven (H:) no longer exist. Nice.

 

What if I try to access it thru command line?

Sweet. So now, Seven(H:) completely hidden.

 

Now I need to make sure that even TuneUp Utilities can’t access Seven (H) partition.

What a relief J

 

 

 

Un-Hide SEVEN(H:) partition.

 

To un-hide your hidden partition, simply right click on that partition, and click on Change Drive Letter and Paths

 

 

A window like screenshot below will appear. Click on Add button.

 

Assign a letter for this partition (H for my case) and press OK button.

 

A quick check from Disk Management, note that that hidden partition is assigned H letter.

 

Double check at Windows Explorer exhibit, Seven (H) appears as normal.

 

Credit : Me