| Need help with disk partitions |
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coaster
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| Need help with disk partitions |
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Over the weekend I installed a new hard disk drive in my computer because the old one had started making a whining noise. The disk setup & file migration software provided by the manufacturer was less than 100% - corrupting some files and causing problems with Windows and a couple applications. So I reformatted and restored from an ASR backup I had done previously. Now everything works fine, except that the new hard disk consists of a primary boot partition equal in size to the old disk drive and the remaining space unallocated. There is a way to expand the single primary boot partition to take in the unallocated space. I've done it once before, but I forgot how. Can anybody point me in the right direction to figure out how to do it? Thanks.....
I'm using Windows XP SP 2 and NTFS.
~Tim~
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Mon Apr 24, 2006 1:31 pm |
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Kiaser
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| Re: Need help with disk partitions |
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quote:
Originally posted by coaster
Over the weekend I installed a new hard disk drive in my computer because the old one had started making a whining noise. The disk setup & file migration software provided by the manufacturer was less than 100% - corrupting some files and causing problems with Windows and a couple applications. So I reformatted and restored from an ASR backup I had done previously. Now everything works fine, except that the new hard disk consists of a primary boot partition equal in size to the old disk drive and the remaining space unallocated. There is a way to expand the single primary boot partition to take in the unallocated space. I've done it once before, but I forgot how. Can anybody point me in the right direction to figure out how to do it? Thanks.....
I'm using Windows XP SP 2 and NTFS.
Partition magic will do, you'll need an updated version that can modify NTFS partitions.
The other option is to get a copy of Norton Ghost. Ghost can completely clone one hard drive to another, and resize the partition correctly to use the bigger one to it's full potential. Of course if you have changes made to the new drive you would have to clone the new drive to the old, then back from the old drive to the new.
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Mon Apr 24, 2006 11:55 pm |
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coaster
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I was hoping to do it without buying any additional software. 
I know I've done this once before, but I think it was Windows 98. So far, it appears that if I can create a bootable CD, then I can run DISKPART and use the EXTEND command.
I tried making a bootable floppy, but for some reason it rejects my boot.ini file. 
~Tim~
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Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:22 am |
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Rolo
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| Re: Need help with disk partitions |
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quote:
Originally posted by coaster
Over the weekend I installed a new hard disk drive in my computer because the old one had started making a whining noise.
Hey! Andy just did that with his moderators! ROFL! 
Partition Magic will do it...see if the trial version will do it (fully functional with a time-limit).
I believe the extend command will only tack an additional partition onto the current one...hokey for what you are doing.
Try this: Copy the partition to the new drive by mirroring it. Next, break the mirror. Reboot so the new partition isn't a system partition. Now you should be able to resize it within Windows since it isn't the system partition. Yank out the old drive and FIXMBR from CD or use BOOTPART and MBRTOOL (two great free utilitites).
"Expect me when you see me."
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Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:33 am |
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coaster
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Thanks Rolo -- I'll check into that tomorrow. So I don't want to use the extend command, eh? It says it extends the active partition into unallocated disk space (if the unallocated space is contiguous and follows the active partition), which is exactly what I want to do.
I could boot from the setup CD, but I'm leery of that thing. If you hit the wrong key it formats the hard drive. I guess I'm too used to the "are you sure you want to do that?" prompts for computer dummies.
~Tim~
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Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:53 am |
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Safora
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quote:
Originally posted by coaster
I guess I'm too used to the "are you sure you want to do that?" prompts for computer dummies.
LOL...Even those don't help me...
The computer asks several times some "are you sure" question and in my usual frustrated state at dealing with those boxes, I click yes repeatedly. Then several seconds after permanently deleating something, I come to the sinking realization that I didn't really want to do that. Uggg...
"True strength lies in submission which permits one to dedicate his life, through devotion, to something beyond himself." ~Henry Miller
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Tue Apr 25, 2006 1:07 am |
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Rolo
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quote:
Originally posted by coaster
It says it extends the active partition into unallocated disk space
I think it expands the VOLUME, not the PARTITION.
quote:
Originally posted by coaster
I could boot from the setup CD, but I'm leery of that thing.
Nono! Boot to the recovery console (command line).
"Expect me when you see me."
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Tue Apr 25, 2006 2:04 am |
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coaster
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The recovery console is accessed by booting from and running the setup CD. Is there another way to do it, without booting and running from the hard drive?
You're correct about diskpart -- it says "extend the current volume...." but since the current partition and the current volume are one and the same, would not extending the current volume do what I want: C:\ consisting of and making use of the entire physical disk?
~Tim~
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Tue Apr 25, 2006 2:18 am |
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Rolo
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quote:
Originally posted by coaster
The recovery console is accessed by booting from and running the setup CD. Is there another way to do it, without booting and running from the hard drive?
Build an interface and boot from a tape drive? 
quote:
Originally posted by coaster
You're correct about diskpart -- it says "extend the current volume...." but since the current partition and the current volume are one and the same, would not extending the current volume do what I want: C:\ consisting of and making use of the entire physical disk?
I think it just adds a partition to the volume (just like JBOD).
"Expect me when you see me."
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Tue Apr 25, 2006 2:44 am |
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coaster
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Well, then, that won't work because I'll end up with two logical drives.
I KNOW I did this once before I just can't remember how!! And it was very easy once I figured it out. GRRRRRRRRR 
I'll check that other stuff you mentioned tomorrow. Too late now.
~Tim~
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Tue Apr 25, 2006 2:58 am |
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Kiaser
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quote:
Originally posted by coaster
I was hoping to do it without buying any additional software.
I know I've done this once before, but I think it was Windows 98. So far, it appears that if I can create a bootable CD, then I can run DISKPART and use the EXTEND command.
I tried making a bootable floppy, but for some reason it rejects my boot.ini file.
Most of those commands are gonna be old dos based utilities or FAT file type utilities. I haven't heard of an easy to use command for NT kernels to resize partitions.
If you can't come up with a copy of Ghost (which is pretty easy to find *wink*) there are free linux kernel partition resizers. It would boot off a CD and load up the linux kernel and it can also see and modify NTFS file systems. We use this on Windows based servers sometimes in extreme situations with RAID setups and that Ghost doesn't always work too kindly with.
Really, though, the easiest and simple method is to get Ghost and use it. A bootable floppy or CD, select source and destination drive, press OK, done. Simple, resizes partitions, done.
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Tue Apr 25, 2006 3:19 am |
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coaster
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| Question about Partition Magic |
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Ehhhhhhh......I tried booting to the Recovery Console this morning, just for the heck, and diskpart doesn't work the same way. Instead of a command line, you get just two menu choices: created partition and delete partition.
If I get the trial version of Partition Magic, I'm wondering, does this software need to stay memory resident to manage the partition(s) it creates? Or to put it another way, can I use it once to extend/resize like I want to and then uninstall/discard the software?
I really can't see buying software to do just one thing one time.
Thanks for your help, guys......
~Tim~
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Tue Apr 25, 2006 2:30 pm |
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Rolo
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| Re: Question about Partition Magic |
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quote:
Originally posted by coaster
I'm wondering, does this software need to stay memory resident to manage the partition(s) it creates?
No. You just boot from a couple of floppies, it retools the partition, and you are finished.
DriveCopy is another example and made by the same company.
"Expect me when you see me."
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Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:17 pm |
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Kiaser
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| Re: Question about Partition Magic |
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quote:
Originally posted by Rolo
quote:
Originally posted by coaster
I'm wondering, does this software need to stay memory resident to manage the partition(s) it creates?
No. You just boot from a couple of floppies, it retools the partition, and you are finished.
DriveCopy is another example and made by the same company.
I second this, you can do the partition changes in windows or from a bootable source. Either way, once it's done, the program won't have to stay loaded to keep it that way.
Good luck!
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Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:58 pm |
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coaster
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Thanks, Rolo & Kiaser. I found the free trial download, so maybe I'll attempt that tomorrow.
~Tim~
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Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:59 pm |
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