Best Free Alternative to Norton Symantec PartitionMagic -AOMEI Partition Assistant

• About Symantec PartitionMagic
• Why need an alternative to Symantec PartitionMagic?
• Best free alternative to Symantec PartitionMagic

About Symantec PartitionMagic

Partition Magic is a computer program for hard disk drive partitioning. It was originally made by PowerQuest Corporation, but acquired by Symantec on December 5, 2003. PartitionMagic 8.0.5 was released under Symantec and the software name was changed to Norton PartitionMagic. That was also the last release.

This software is capable of resizing NTFS, FAT16 or FAT32 partitions without data loss, copying partition or moving partitions to other drive or disks. It also allows you to convert between FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS, and modify the cluster size of FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS file systems. But for ext2 and ext3 partitions, it has limited support.

Why need an alternative to Symantec PartitionMagic?

PartitionMagic, while under PowerQuest, was updated regularly, adding new and useful features for users to manage their disk partition well. However, since it was acquired by Symantec in 2003, there has not been a new release, and Symantec has stated that it has no plans on releasing a new version. On October 13, 2011, the Symantec website states, “Sorry, we no longer offer Norton Partition Magic”.

Besides that, the PartitionMagic Symantec is compatible with Microsoft Windows operating systems including Windows NT, 95/98, ME, 2000 and Windows XP desktop editions, but it cannot run on Windows Vista and later versions. Moreover, it is not compatible with Server editions of Windows NT, 2000, 2003. Although the ServerMagic can solve the capability issue, they don’t run on Windows Vista and later versions, either.

But today most users have installed Windows 10 or Windows 7 on their computer, so they will need a Symantec PartitionMagic alternative to manage their disk partitions on their Windows PC.

Best free alternative to Symantec PartitionMagic

There is countless disk partition software for Windows PC that works similarly with Norton PartitionMagic. Considering the compatibility and functions, I would like to recommend a free partition manager called AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. This freeware works well on 32-bit/64-bitWindows 10/8/7 and Windows XP/Vista (all editions).

To manage partitions on Windows PC, you can try the following functions:
▸Format partition to NTFS, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, Ext2, Ext3 and Ext4 file system;
▸Resize/Move volume: change NTFS, FAT16, FAT32 partition and BitLocker partition size, and move partition to another location;
▸Merge partitions: combine two adjacent partitions or add the unallocated space into an existing partition;
▸Copy partition to unallocated space on the same disk or another disk;
▸Convert partition between Logical and Primary without losing data;
▸Change partition label or cluster size;
▸Convert file systems between FAT32 and NTFS without formatting or losing data;
▸Wipe partition to erase all data from it;
▸ …

For disk operations, it offers the below functions:
▸ Convert MBR disk to GPT disk without deleting partitions and vice versa;
▸ Clone disk to migrate everything from one disk to another without reinstalling everything;
▸Wipe hard drive by filling sectors with zero, random data, DoD 5220.22-M and Gutmann;
▸Initialize brand new disk;
▸Surface test to check whether there are errors on the selected disk;
▸Delete all partitions on the hard disk to remove inside data conveniently;
▸Rebuild MBR on the hard drive;
▸Migrate OS partition from MBR disk to MBR disk;
▸...

If you want to get an alternative to PartitionMagic Symantec, which is compatible with both Windows PC and Servers, you can try AOMEI Partition Assistant Server. No matter your computer is running on Windows Server 2019, 2016, 2012 (R), 2008 (R), 2003 (R), Windows SBS 2003, 2008, 2011 or Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP, this software can satisfy all your needs. Besides, compared with the free Standard Edition, you can unlock more advanced functions such as:

▸ Split a large partition into two smaller ones;
▸Quickly partition a large hard disk within two clicks;
▸Change partition serial number;
▸ Align partitions on HDD or SSD drive to optimize the performance;
▸Allocate free space from one partition to another directly;
▸Extend NTFS system drive without rebooting computer;
▸Securely erase solid-state drives from all popular brands;
▸Move boot partition between MBR disk and GPT disk.
▸Convert dynamic disk to basic without losing data;
▸Manage dynamic disk volumes flexibly;
▸…

All in all, AOMEI Partition Assistant Server is an all-in-one utility - it is a partition manager, disk tool, OS migration, and cloning software. Definitely a great alternative to Symantec PartitionMagic. You can download the freeware and have a try now!