Hi,
Here's the pasted text from Partition Magic on merging and mapping
partitions. Ebay often has Partition Magic 8 for less than $20.
Merge Partitions Wizard
The Merge Partitions wizard helps you merge two adjacent FAT, FAT32,
NTFS partitions. You can merge FAT and FAT32 partitions with each other,
and you can merge an NTFS partition with another NTFS partition. You
cannot merge FAT/FAT32 partition with an NTFS partition. You choose two
partitions, and one will be expanded to include the second. The contents
of the second partition are added as a folder inside the first partition.
PowerQuest recommends that you run DriveMapper to update drive letter
references after you merge partitions. The wizard will prompt you to run
DriveMapper automatically.
To merge a partition
1 Select a disk and a partition that you want to merge with another
partition.
2 Click Partition > Merge.
3 Click the Merge option you want.
Do not merge two operating system partitions or two compressed partitions.
4 Type a name for the new folder that will be created in the partition
you are keeping, in the Folder Name text box.
5 Click the file system type you want to use for the partition you are
keeping. The NTFS option will automatically be selected if you are
merging two NTFS partitions.
6 Click OK.
Tips
· If you are using Windows NT 4.0, you should not merge two FAT
partitions that will result in a FAT32 partition. Only Windows 95b or
later, Windows 98/Me/2000/XP can access FAT32 partitions.
· If you plan to merge two adjacent NTFS partitions, they must be the
same version type and have the same cluster size. If the cluster sizes
are different, you will not be able to merge the partitions. See
"Converting FAT/FAT32 Partitions to 4K Aligned" in the "About Convert"
Help topic.
To view the version type and cluster size of a partition, right-click
the partition in the disk map, select Properties, then click the NTFS
Info tab.
· In step 2, the contents of one partition will be moved into a folder
within the other partition.
· Once you apply the merge operation to your system, there is no method
for undoing a merge.
About DriveMapper
When you create, delete, hide, and unhide partitions, your drive letters
can change, causing applications not to run because application
shortcuts, initialization files, and registry entries refer to incorrect
drives. DriveMapper is a wizard that lets you easily update drive letter
references.
Important: DriveMapper does not change drive letter assignments; it only
changes references to the drive letters, which are assigned by your
operating system.
You can run DriveMapper from the PartitionMagic main window. DriveMapper
also runs automatically if the following conditions are all met:
· You apply changes to your system that affect drive letter assignments
· You are running Windows 95 or Windows 98
· Your hard disk contains only FAT or FAT32 partitions
· You have no more than one CD-ROM drive and no more than one removable
drive.
If you are using Windows NT or Windows 2000/XP Professional as your only
operating system, we recommend using the Change Drive Letter operation
(Operation > Advanced > Change Drive Letter) rather than DriveMapper.
Change Drive Letter lets you permanently set the drive letters for your
partitions so that adding and removing partitions does not affect drive
letters. Note that if you merge or split partitions, drive letters will
change even if you are using Windows NT and the Change Drive Letter
operation.
If you have installed an alternative desktop on Windows 3.11 or Windows
95 with the desktop files residing on a different drive than the Windows
system files, DriveMapper may not be able to adjust your paths. Because
DriveMapper is a Windows program, it must have Windows loaded to run. If
the drive letter has been changed for the drive that holds your desktop
files, you may not be able to start Windows.
Using DriveMapper with Multiple Operating Systems
If you run multiple operating systems, you should reinstall applications
rather than use DriveMapper. The following issues make using DriveMapper
in a multiple operating system environment difficult and error-prone:
· Drive letter assignments are based on the file systems supported by an
operating system. If you do not put all FAT32, and NTFS partitions after
all FAT partitions, drive letters will change depending on the operating
system currently running, and DriveMapper may be unable to correctly
identify which changes should be made.
· Registry settings are changed for the current operating system only.
If you manually run DriveMapper from another operating system,
references in files will already be changed in the current operating
system and further changes will introduce errors in the other operating
systems.
· When DriveMapper is running, files contained in hidden partitions are
not updated. If you are using multiple primary partitions for different
operating systems, only the active primary partition may be visible.
Thus, only files in that primary partition will be updated.
Changing Drive Letters in the Correct Order
You must change drive letter in the correct order to avoid destroying
original references before they are used to make changes for other drive
letters.
For example, assume you have two partitions on your hard disk (a primary
partition assigned the drive letter C: and a logical partition assigned
D
and a CD-ROM drive assigned E:. Suppose you create a logical
partition between C: and D:. The drive letter of D: changes to E:, and
the drive letter of E: changes to F:; however, references in certain
files continue to reflect the old drive letter assignments. Using
DriveMapper, you must first change the drive E: references to F: and
then change the drive D: references to E:.
When you make a change to your hard disk that adds drive letters, always
change the highest affected drive letter first (drive E: in the previous
example). Likewise, when you make a change to your hard disk that
decreases the number of drive letters, always change the lowest affected
drive letter first. Changing them in a different order changes source
references needed to modify other drive mappings.
Copyright © 1994-2006 PowerQuest Corporation. All rights reserved.
---==X={}=X==---
Jim Self
AVIATION ANIMATION, the internet's largest depository.
http://avanimation.avsupport.com
Your only internet source for spiral staircase plans.
http://jself.com/stair/Stair.htm
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
Technical Counselor
