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title: Volumes on Windows
sidebar_position: 3
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# Make Your Volume Available for Use on Windows

After you attach a block storage volume to a Windows node, it appears as a **new disk** in the operating system.  
Before you can use it, you must **bring it online**, **initialize** it (if new), **create a partition**, and **format** it with a filesystem.

The steps below explain how to make an attached volume available on your Windows instance.

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### 1. Log in to Your Windows Instance

Connect to your Windows node using **Remote Desktop (RDP)**.

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### 2. Open Disk Management

1. On the Windows taskbar, **right-click the Start (Windows) icon**.  
2. Select **Disk Management** from the context menu.

This opens the **Disk Management** utility, which lists all connected storage devices.

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### 3. Bring the Disk Online

In the Disk Management window, newly attached block storage volumes may appear as **Offline**.

1. Locate the new disk (for example, “Disk 1” or “Disk 2”).  
2. Right-click on the disk label (not the volume area) and select **Online**.

Once online, the disk status changes from *Offline* to *Online*.

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### 4. Initialize the Disk (For New Volumes)

If the disk is new and unformatted, you must initialize it before creating partitions.

1. Right-click the disk label (e.g., *Disk 1*).  
2. Select **Initialize Disk**.  
3. In the prompt, choose one of the following partition styles:
   - **GPT (GUID Partition Table):** Recommended for modern systems and disks larger than 2 TB.
   - **MBR (Master Boot Record):** Suitable for disks up to 2 TB.

Click **OK** to initialize.

:::danger Initializing a disk that already contains data (for example, from a snapshot) will delete existing data. Only initialize **new, empty disks**.
:::

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### 5. Create a New Volume and Assign a Drive Letter

Once initialized, the disk space will appear as **Unallocated**.

1. Right-click the unallocated area of the disk.  
2. Select **New Simple Volume**.  
3. Follow the **New Simple Volume Wizard**:
   - Specify the volume size (use default to allocate full capacity).  
   - Assign a **drive letter** (e.g., D:, E:).  
   - Select a **filesystem type** (typically **NTFS**).  
   - Choose a **volume label** (optional).  
   - Complete the wizard.

The wizard automatically **formats** the volume and assigns a drive letter.

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### 6. Verify the New Volume

After formatting completes, the new volume will appear in both:
- **Disk Management** (as a “Healthy” volume), and  
- **File Explorer** (under “This PC”) with the assigned drive letter.

You can now use the volume for data storage.

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### 7. Persistently Mount the Volume (Optional)

By default, Windows automatically remembers and remounts volumes across reboots using their assigned **drive letters**.  
If you prefer to mount a volume to a **folder path** instead of a drive letter, you can do so:

1. Open **Disk Management**.  
2. Right-click the volume and choose **Change Drive Letter and Paths**.  
3. Click **Add**, select **Mount in the following empty NTFS folder**, and choose a directory.

This is useful for application data disks or when you want consistent paths (e.g., `C:\Data\Storage`).

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### 8. Safely Remove or Detach a Volume

Before detaching a block storage volume from your node:
1. **Close all files and applications** using the volume.  
2. In Disk Management, right-click the volume and select **Offline**.  
3. Then detach it from the node via your cloud platform’s console.

This ensures data integrity and prevents corruption during detachment.

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:::note
- Always ensure that you **do not initialize or format disks containing existing data**.  
- **NTFS** is recommended for most workloads due to its reliability and Windows compatibility.  
- For very large or high-performance workloads, **ReFS (Resilient File System)** may be used where supported.  
- Once formatted, the disk is ready for use and will automatically remount after reboot unless detached.
:::


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