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How Do I Extend the bootable partition on my Hard Drive
Just bought a SeaGate 320gb and did a fresh install of XP Home edition,
downloaded all updates (including SP3). Unfortunately, Windows only partitioned the first 128GB of the drive as the bootable sector, leaving 170gb unpartitioned. Now, I understand that I can easily partition the last 170gb as a SEPARATE partition using the that the computer management tool within Windows XP. However, I think I'd prefer to extend the original partition (if possible) so that the entire C volume shows the full capacity of the drive. I know that there are pros and cons to extending the original boot partition vs. creatind a secondary partition and I'd be open to hearing from more knowledgeable people on this matter. And, assuming I go ahead with extending the bootable sector to the maximum of the drive's capacity, I would also be soliciting recommendations from any respondents for RELIABLE utilitities/software apps that will help me achieve this ONE SECTOR goal of mine. Thanks to all in advance... Best, Mark D. |
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#2
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How Do I Extend the bootable partition on my Hard Drive
"Mark D." wrote in message ... Just bought a SeaGate 320gb and did a fresh install of XP Home edition, downloaded all updates (including SP3). Unfortunately, Windows only partitioned the first 128GB of the drive as the bootable sector, leaving 170gb unpartitioned. Now, I understand that I can easily partition the last 170gb as a SEPARATE partition using the that the computer management tool within Windows XP. However, I think I'd prefer to extend the original partition (if possible) so that the entire C volume shows the full capacity of the drive. I know that there are pros and cons to extending the original boot partition vs. creatind a secondary partition and I'd be open to hearing from more knowledgeable people on this matter. And, assuming I go ahead with extending the bootable sector to the maximum of the drive's capacity, I would also be soliciting recommendations from any respondents for RELIABLE utilitities/software apps that will help me achieve this ONE SECTOR goal of mine. Thanks to all in advance... Best, Mark D. Mark: Your original problem was that you installed the XP OS onto your HDD without the OS containing SP1 and/or SP2 at the time. Because of that you ran into the 137 GB (approx 128 GB binary) disk capacity limitation which is imposed by the XP OS when it does not contain either SP1 or SP2. After you installed SP1/SP2 the system would recognize the total capacity of your HDD but the remaining disk space above that 128 GB was "unallocated" disk space, which, of course, you could partition/format using XP's Disk Management utility. At this point you really have two options if you want to have a single partition encompassing the entire drive... 1. You need a third-party disk management utility such as Partition Magic which will non-destructively merge your two current partitions into a single one, or... 2. You can simply start over. Now that you have installed SP1/SP2 you can make a fresh install of the OS and create a single partition if that's what you want to do. Of course, by so doing you will be deleting all the updates (including SP3??????) and will have to install them. Anna |
#3
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How Do I Extend the bootable partition on my Hard Drive
I know that there are pros and cons to extending the original boot
partition vs. creatind a secondary partition and I'd be open to hearing from more knowledgeable people on this matter. Not sure I have more knowledge. :-) But it's a matter of personal preference. I like to think it's safer to keep my data on a separate partition, including My Documents. I also like the organization of a separate drive for 'stuff,' and the system partition for the OS and apps. The idea is that I can lose the C: drive and it'll cost me a just few hours to rebuild. The E: drive is the one that needs regular backups. Easy to remember. (new Intel mobos (e.g. DG965SS) are smart about CDs...they get called D: no matter how many other hdd partitions you throw at XP.) And, assuming I go ahead with extending the bootable sector to the maximum of the drive's capacity, I would also be soliciting recommendations from any respondents for RELIABLE utilitities/software apps that will help me achieve this ONE SECTOR goal of mine. Partition Magic, or maybe these guys: http://terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html If the partition you are resizing contains valuable data, be certain you have a backup before you start. Sometimes things go wrong, and if they do with a resize there's generally no way back. -John O |
#4
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How Do I Extend the bootable partition on my Hard Drive
"Mark D." wrote in message ... Just bought a SeaGate 320gb and did a fresh install of XP Home edition, downloaded all updates (including SP3). Unfortunately, Windows only partitioned the first 128GB of the drive as the bootable sector, leaving 170gb unpartitioned. Now, I understand that I can easily partition the last 170gb as a SEPARATE partition using the that the computer management tool within Windows XP. However, I think I'd prefer to extend the original partition (if possible) so that the entire C volume shows the full capacity of the drive. I know that there are pros and cons to extending the original boot partition vs. creatind a secondary partition and I'd be open to hearing from more knowledgeable people on this matter. And, assuming I go ahead with extending the bootable sector to the maximum of the drive's capacity, I would also be soliciting recommendations from any respondents for RELIABLE utilitities/software apps that will help me achieve this ONE SECTOR goal of mine. Thanks to all in advance... Best, Mark D. "Anna" wrote in message ... Mark: Your original problem was that you installed the XP OS onto your HDD without the OS containing SP1 and/or SP2 at the time. Because of that you ran into the 137 GB (approx 128 GB binary) disk capacity limitation which is imposed by the XP OS when it does not contain either SP1 or SP2. After you installed SP1/SP2 the system would recognize the total capacity of your HDD but the remaining disk space above that 128 GB was "unallocated" disk space, which, of course, you could partition/format using XP's Disk Management utility. At this point you really have two options if you want to have a single partition encompassing the entire drive... 1. You need a third-party disk management utility such as Partition Magic which will non-destructively merge your two current partitions into a single one, or... 2. You can simply start over. Now that you have installed SP1/SP2 you can make a fresh install of the OS and create a single partition if that's what you want to do. Of course, by so doing you will be deleting all the updates (including SP3??????) and will have to install them. Anna Mark: Just to clarify my "option 2" above... I assume you're working with the XP installation CD that does not contain SP1 and/or SP2. So it would be necessary to "slipstream" SP2 with the XP so that the service pack would be integrated with the XP OS installation CD. If you don't know how to do that, do a Google search on "slipstream xp sp2". Also, take a look at http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=223562 for a download of the Autostreamer program which simplifies the slipstreaming process. Anna |
#5
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How Do I Extend the bootable partition on my Hard Drive
"Mark D." wrote in message
... Just bought a SeaGate 320gb and did a fresh install of XP Home edition, downloaded all updates (including SP3). Unfortunately, Windows only partitioned the first 128GB of the drive as the bootable sector, leaving 170gb unpartitioned. Now, I understand that I can easily partition the last 170gb as a SEPARATE partition using the that the computer management tool within Windows XP. However, I think I'd prefer to extend the original partition (if possible) so that the entire C volume shows the full capacity of the drive. I know that there are pros and cons to extending the original boot partition vs. creatind a secondary partition and I'd be open to hearing from more knowledgeable people on this matter. And, assuming I go ahead with extending the bootable sector to the maximum of the drive's capacity, I would also be soliciting recommendations from any respondents for RELIABLE utilitities/software apps that will help me achieve this ONE SECTOR goal of mine. Thanks to all in advance... Best, Mark D. Ran into the problem recently. 200GB connected to onboard PC ide connector. Used a 3rd party partition software to make 2 FAT32 partitions, used the entire hard drive space. Later, had to move it to make room for my clone (hidden) of my boot drive. Moved to a Promise Ultra100 ide connection, recognized by the Promise bios. I wanted to go ahead and make one NTFS partition. While using disk manager of XP w/sp2, deleted the 2 FAT32 partitions. Requested disk manager to use the entire space for NTFS logical drive. It turned out 128GB in size. Found out later, despite the Promise bios display of the proper mfr etc of the drive, it was limited to 132GB drive capacity (128GB formatted). Lesson learned by myself. XP w/sp2 can see partitions beyond 128GB threshold, but cannot create them if the bios that controls that drive does not do so properly. Dave |
#6
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How Do I Extend the bootable partition on my Hard Drive
Dave,
Thanks for the info... I'm not sure about the proficiency (or lackthereof perhaps) of my BIOS. However, the partitioning question I originally posed stemmed from an entire system rebuild which included a very new design mother board (and I'm assuming the BIOS is current as well). I have gotten a few good responses and suggestions. Now I must discern whether it's better to keep two separate partitions (one for boot/os and other for data) or to merge the two partions into one. Again, there are pros and cons to both approaches and that's what I'm in the midst of deciding on. Nonetheless, just wanted to acknowledge your suggestion and express my appreciation. Regards, Mark DiRollo "Lil' Dave" wrote: "Mark D." wrote in message ... Just bought a SeaGate 320gb and did a fresh install of XP Home edition, downloaded all updates (including SP3). Unfortunately, Windows only partitioned the first 128GB of the drive as the bootable sector, leaving 170gb unpartitioned. Now, I understand that I can easily partition the last 170gb as a SEPARATE partition using the that the computer management tool within Windows XP. However, I think I'd prefer to extend the original partition (if possible) so that the entire C volume shows the full capacity of the drive. I know that there are pros and cons to extending the original boot partition vs. creatind a secondary partition and I'd be open to hearing from more knowledgeable people on this matter. And, assuming I go ahead with extending the bootable sector to the maximum of the drive's capacity, I would also be soliciting recommendations from any respondents for RELIABLE utilitities/software apps that will help me achieve this ONE SECTOR goal of mine. Thanks to all in advance... Best, Mark D. Ran into the problem recently. 200GB connected to onboard PC ide connector. Used a 3rd party partition software to make 2 FAT32 partitions, used the entire hard drive space. Later, had to move it to make room for my clone (hidden) of my boot drive. Moved to a Promise Ultra100 ide connection, recognized by the Promise bios. I wanted to go ahead and make one NTFS partition. While using disk manager of XP w/sp2, deleted the 2 FAT32 partitions. Requested disk manager to use the entire space for NTFS logical drive. It turned out 128GB in size. Found out later, despite the Promise bios display of the proper mfr etc of the drive, it was limited to 132GB drive capacity (128GB formatted). Lesson learned by myself. XP w/sp2 can see partitions beyond 128GB threshold, but cannot create them if the bios that controls that drive does not do so properly. Dave |
#7
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How Do I Extend the bootable partition on my Hard Drive
Anna,
Thank you so much for the thorough and insightful response. I would definitely classify you as one of the "more knowledgeable people" I referred to in my original posting. As for your suggestions...well, as you'd probably guess, the idea of starting over and reinstalling the OS (XP) doesn't exactly rank high on my "stuff I really wanna do" list. So, instead I am going to consider looking at third party software...such as the Partition Magic program you suggested as well BootItNG, another app that was suggested by a couple of respondents. Or...I may just keep two separate partitions...the benefits of which are apparent to me. Anyway, thanks again to you for taking the time to share your knowledge. Much appreciated... Best wishes, Mark DiRollo "Anna" wrote: "Mark D." wrote in message ... Just bought a SeaGate 320gb and did a fresh install of XP Home edition, downloaded all updates (including SP3). Unfortunately, Windows only partitioned the first 128GB of the drive as the bootable sector, leaving 170gb unpartitioned. Now, I understand that I can easily partition the last 170gb as a SEPARATE partition using the that the computer management tool within Windows XP. However, I think I'd prefer to extend the original partition (if possible) so that the entire C volume shows the full capacity of the drive. I know that there are pros and cons to extending the original boot partition vs. creatind a secondary partition and I'd be open to hearing from more knowledgeable people on this matter. And, assuming I go ahead with extending the bootable sector to the maximum of the drive's capacity, I would also be soliciting recommendations from any respondents for RELIABLE utilitities/software apps that will help me achieve this ONE SECTOR goal of mine. Thanks to all in advance... Best, Mark D. "Anna" wrote in message ... Mark: Your original problem was that you installed the XP OS onto your HDD without the OS containing SP1 and/or SP2 at the time. Because of that you ran into the 137 GB (approx 128 GB binary) disk capacity limitation which is imposed by the XP OS when it does not contain either SP1 or SP2. After you installed SP1/SP2 the system would recognize the total capacity of your HDD but the remaining disk space above that 128 GB was "unallocated" disk space, which, of course, you could partition/format using XP's Disk Management utility. At this point you really have two options if you want to have a single partition encompassing the entire drive... 1. You need a third-party disk management utility such as Partition Magic which will non-destructively merge your two current partitions into a single one, or... 2. You can simply start over. Now that you have installed SP1/SP2 you can make a fresh install of the OS and create a single partition if that's what you want to do. Of course, by so doing you will be deleting all the updates (including SP3??????) and will have to install them. Anna Mark: Just to clarify my "option 2" above... I assume you're working with the XP installation CD that does not contain SP1 and/or SP2. So it would be necessary to "slipstream" SP2 with the XP so that the service pack would be integrated with the XP OS installation CD. If you don't know how to do that, do a Google search on "slipstream xp sp2". Also, take a look at http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=223562 for a download of the Autostreamer program which simplifies the slipstreaming process. Anna |
#8
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How Do I Extend the bootable partition on my Hard Drive
Mark:
Let me leave you with one final thought... If you decide to retain the two current partitions, fine. There's really no "one size fits all" concept in determining what's the best partitioning scheme. For the most part it comes down to what the individual user finds most comfortable in his or her day-to-day computing operations. When all is said & done these multi-partitioning schemes have as their basic objective a kind of safety net. For the most part there's the notion that separating the OS from programs & applications as well as user-created data affords a significantly greater degree of security in the event of some catastrophic event affecting the PC. My own feeling is that too many users are overly-concerned with these multi-partitioning schemes and don't pay nearly enough attention to what (at least to my mind) is the truly crucial objective -- establishing & maintaining a comprehensive backup system that will be employed on a routine basis. It seems to me that there is where our focus should be. So by all means consider a partitioning management program such as the ones you mentioned. Both are fine programs. But may I suggest that you also consider employing a comprehensive backup program such as one of the disk imaging programs, e.g., Acronis True Image and use that program on a routine basis to "clone" the contents (or create a disk image) of your new Seagate HDD to your former HDD? The result will be the kind of security you truly need. Anna "Mark D." wrote in message ... Anna, Thank you so much for the thorough and insightful response. I would definitely classify you as one of the "more knowledgeable people" I referred to in my original posting. As for your suggestions...well, as you'd probably guess, the idea of starting over and reinstalling the OS (XP) doesn't exactly rank high on my "stuff I really wanna do" list. So, instead I am going to consider looking at third party software...such as the Partition Magic program you suggested as well BootItNG, another app that was suggested by a couple of respondents. Or...I may just keep two separate partitions...the benefits of which are apparent to me. Anyway, thanks again to you for taking the time to share your knowledge. Much appreciated... Best wishes, Mark DiRollo "Anna" wrote: "Mark D." wrote in message ... Just bought a SeaGate 320gb and did a fresh install of XP Home edition, downloaded all updates (including SP3). Unfortunately, Windows only partitioned the first 128GB of the drive as the bootable sector, leaving 170gb unpartitioned. Now, I understand that I can easily partition the last 170gb as a SEPARATE partition using the that the computer management tool within Windows XP. However, I think I'd prefer to extend the original partition (if possible) so that the entire C volume shows the full capacity of the drive. I know that there are pros and cons to extending the original boot partition vs. creatind a secondary partition and I'd be open to hearing from more knowledgeable people on this matter. And, assuming I go ahead with extending the bootable sector to the maximum of the drive's capacity, I would also be soliciting recommendations from any respondents for RELIABLE utilitities/software apps that will help me achieve this ONE SECTOR goal of mine. Thanks to all in advance... Best, Mark D. "Anna" wrote in message ... Mark: Your original problem was that you installed the XP OS onto your HDD without the OS containing SP1 and/or SP2 at the time. Because of that you ran into the 137 GB (approx 128 GB binary) disk capacity limitation which is imposed by the XP OS when it does not contain either SP1 or SP2. After you installed SP1/SP2 the system would recognize the total capacity of your HDD but the remaining disk space above that 128 GB was "unallocated" disk space, which, of course, you could partition/format using XP's Disk Management utility. At this point you really have two options if you want to have a single partition encompassing the entire drive... 1. You need a third-party disk management utility such as Partition Magic which will non-destructively merge your two current partitions into a single one, or... 2. You can simply start over. Now that you have installed SP1/SP2 you can make a fresh install of the OS and create a single partition if that's what you want to do. Of course, by so doing you will be deleting all the updates (including SP3??????) and will have to install them. Anna Mark: Just to clarify my "option 2" above... I assume you're working with the XP installation CD that does not contain SP1 and/or SP2. So it would be necessary to "slipstream" SP2 with the XP so that the service pack would be integrated with the XP OS installation CD. If you don't know how to do that, do a Google search on "slipstream xp sp2". Also, take a look at http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=223562 for a download of the Autostreamer program which simplifies the slipstreaming process. Anna |
#9
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How Do I Extend the bootable partition on my Hard Drive
Anna,
Once again, thank you. . You are a wealth of knowledge and, to your credit, you are willing to share it and and have the talent to do so clearly and concisely. I share in your opinion that regardless how a volume is partitioned, the important thing (as with anything, but computers in particular it seems) is the care one puts into the MAINTENANCE of ones machine. And, in regard to this particular issue, you are spot on...all too often we overlook the importance of backing up our data. Unfortunately, I am selling my old hard drive to my friend (actually, it's not old at all...I bought it a couple of months ago). It's a Maxtor 80gb IDE hard drive. The machine I'm rebuilding is for my sister and I thought the 80gb hard drive would suffice...until I found (after I bought the Maxtor) that I had to replace the motherboard...which is when I decided to go with 'the latest and greatest' SATA drive (320gb). Hey...hard drives are like closets...they can NEVER be too big. I still haven't made a decision on how to partition my sister's new hard drive. But, whatever I decide to do, I can assure you...I will set up an automatic backup of the drive for her. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge. I truly appreciate it... Best, Mark DiRollo "Anna" wrote: Mark: Let me leave you with one final thought... If you decide to retain the two current partitions, fine. There's really no "one size fits all" concept in determining what's the best partitioning scheme. For the most part it comes down to what the individual user finds most comfortable in his or her day-to-day computing operations. When all is said & done these multi-partitioning schemes have as their basic objective a kind of safety net. For the most part there's the notion that separating the OS from programs & applications as well as user-created data affords a significantly greater degree of security in the event of some catastrophic event affecting the PC. My own feeling is that too many users are overly-concerned with these multi-partitioning schemes and don't pay nearly enough attention to what (at least to my mind) is the truly crucial objective -- establishing & maintaining a comprehensive backup system that will be employed on a routine basis. It seems to me that there is where our focus should be. So by all means consider a partitioning management program such as the ones you mentioned. Both are fine programs. But may I suggest that you also consider employing a comprehensive backup program such as one of the disk imaging programs, e.g., Acronis True Image and use that program on a routine basis to "clone" the contents (or create a disk image) of your new Seagate HDD to your former HDD? The result will be the kind of security you truly need. Anna "Mark D." wrote in message ... Anna, Thank you so much for the thorough and insightful response. I would definitely classify you as one of the "more knowledgeable people" I referred to in my original posting. As for your suggestions...well, as you'd probably guess, the idea of starting over and reinstalling the OS (XP) doesn't exactly rank high on my "stuff I really wanna do" list. So, instead I am going to consider looking at third party software...such as the Partition Magic program you suggested as well BootItNG, another app that was suggested by a couple of respondents. Or...I may just keep two separate partitions...the benefits of which are apparent to me. Anyway, thanks again to you for taking the time to share your knowledge. Much appreciated... Best wishes, Mark DiRollo "Anna" wrote: "Mark D." wrote in message ... Just bought a SeaGate 320gb and did a fresh install of XP Home edition, downloaded all updates (including SP3). Unfortunately, Windows only partitioned the first 128GB of the drive as the bootable sector, leaving 170gb unpartitioned. Now, I understand that I can easily partition the last 170gb as a SEPARATE partition using the that the computer management tool within Windows XP. However, I think I'd prefer to extend the original partition (if possible) so that the entire C volume shows the full capacity of the drive. I know that there are pros and cons to extending the original boot partition vs. creatind a secondary partition and I'd be open to hearing from more knowledgeable people on this matter. And, assuming I go ahead with extending the bootable sector to the maximum of the drive's capacity, I would also be soliciting recommendations from any respondents for RELIABLE utilitities/software apps that will help me achieve this ONE SECTOR goal of mine. Thanks to all in advance... Best, Mark D. "Anna" wrote in message ... Mark: Your original problem was that you installed the XP OS onto your HDD without the OS containing SP1 and/or SP2 at the time. Because of that you ran into the 137 GB (approx 128 GB binary) disk capacity limitation which is imposed by the XP OS when it does not contain either SP1 or SP2. After you installed SP1/SP2 the system would recognize the total capacity of your HDD but the remaining disk space above that 128 GB was "unallocated" disk space, which, of course, you could partition/format using XP's Disk Management utility. At this point you really have two options if you want to have a single partition encompassing the entire drive... 1. You need a third-party disk management utility such as Partition Magic which will non-destructively merge your two current partitions into a single one, or... 2. You can simply start over. Now that you have installed SP1/SP2 you can make a fresh install of the OS and create a single partition if that's what you want to do. Of course, by so doing you will be deleting all the updates (including SP3??????) and will have to install them. Anna Mark: Just to clarify my "option 2" above... I assume you're working with the XP installation CD that does not contain SP1 and/or SP2. So it would be necessary to "slipstream" SP2 with the XP so that the service pack would be integrated with the XP OS installation CD. If you don't know how to do that, do a Google search on "slipstream xp sp2". Also, take a look at http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=223562 for a download of the Autostreamer program which simplifies the slipstreaming process. Anna |
#10
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Extend partition
shiny 521 wrote:
Hello , my friends, last days, I bothered by resize , extend partition problems so much, and On Tuesday, April 10, 2007 10:30 AM Anna wrote: That thread is from 2007. Verify the control settings on your Time Machine, and try again. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...oning_software Paul |
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