hard drive dramatically smaller after xp install ! help!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter zapzapzapzap64
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zapzapzapzap64

I really need help here...

Okay, so my hard drive was 40GB... and I was running a
manufacturer-installed windows xp home edition. It worked fine but
decided to install windows xp pro, which is when iy went horribly
wrong. Did a clean install and got a 'can't load operating system'
error, or words to that effect. Ended up having to use my windows 98 cd
just to get access to the pc and format the hard drive. Did that,
installed windows 98, and after a few problems managed to upgrade this
to win xp pro. Which should have been the end of it, but I've got a
really weird problem.

My 40GB hard drive was NTFS and when formatting via win 98 this had
been confirmed and I'd said 'yes' to all the prompts about catering for
that. But now, in win xp pro I'm rather alarmed to see that my hard
drive is listed as being FAT32 and only 4.99GB !!

I've gone into the windows disk managing tool, hoping to find a huge
unallocated space I could partition or something, but instead I'm
contradictory info... on the one hand I'm being told there's a whopping
149GB there, on the other hand the C drive is only 4.99GB and somehow
takes up all this space. I'm really confused and don't know what to do
next.

The disk manager info is as follows:
the lower half of the screen
------------------------------------
* disk 0 basic 149.05 GB Online

*Volume C: 149.05 GB FAT32 Healthy (System)
no unallocated space is listed

* right click>properties I see partition style as master boot record
mbr, capacity 152625GB
Hard drive is named ST3160021AS with Microsoft drivers

the upper half of the screen
------------------------------------

* describes C as partition basic fat32 Healthy (System) 4.99GB Free
Space 1.02GB 20% Free Fault Tolerance-no overhead 0%
* below it is my CD drive described as partition basic cdfs healthy etc

I'm at a complete loss... any ideas (preferably not involving floppy
disks as I don't have a floppy drive) would be *very* much appreciated
!
 
Here is what I figure happened.Since your XP was a factory preinstalled
version(NTFS) they also gave you a "recovery" partition formatted in
FAT32.Since 98 cant see NTFS partitions it just formatted the "recovery"
partition and installed into it.So now C is a partition on Disk 0 and the OS
somehow is not seeing the NTFS thats still there.
this is a partitioning program,read the instructions on how to extract to a
floppy and run from the floppy.When it starts from the floppy do not install
but run directly from the floppy. This will let you check and format
partitions that excist on your HD.
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html
peter
 
thank you.. that certainly sounds plausible... in fact there *was* a
partiion labeled 'J' which must have been the recovery partition.

Just one question - can you extract this partitioning program to a CD
instead of a floppy (I don't have a floppy drive)... and if so are
there any disadvantages in doing so?
 
Hi Peter - I was just wondering if I could run my plan of action past
you, to see what you think. I've not done anything with hard drives
other than simple formatting, and haven't yet had a chance to read the
documentation of the software you mention (apart from seeing apparently
contradictory info on whether a floppy is needed or a CD is okay), but
how does this sound?

Assuming my 'J' drive (ie. recovery partition) has been renamed to C:
by the win98 install, and what used to be C is now 'invisible' I'm
still hoping to be able to see both using the software. If so I'm going
to re-format the FAT 32 5GB drive (ie. simply wipe windows and
everything off it), and then somehow format what used to be the C:
drive (the NTFS partition) which presumably must have the old win xp
installation still on it. Then I'll try and install win xp on this NTFS
drive... and if that doesn't work (seeing as my previous attempt to
format the drive and install win xp with the xp disc failed)...
re-install windows 98 on the smaller FAT 32 partition and upgrade to
win xp... ie exactly what I did before, but with a newly formatted and
possibly renamed NTFS partition that will hopefully now be visible to
win xp....
 
BootitNg should work off a CDr/w if that is 1st boot device listed in the
BIOS.
You need to have a retail bootable copy(they all are bootable) of XP so that
you can do a fresh new installation.
Boot with the XP CD in place and follow the instructions for a new
install.It should show you the 2 partitions and you should be able to tell
which is which by the size.Pick the smallest partition and format it but do
not install.
Boot with the CD again and go thru the install procedure this time pick the
larger partition....format NTFS and install your XP pro.
Here is a website with more details and picturer
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp

Boot itNg can merge those 2 partitions into one.But you will need to undo
the small partition 1st from within Bootit and then expand the larger
partition to include the smaller one.............back to one partition on
one HD.
Some people like having more than one partition.That way they can install
the OS on one smaller partition and all programs into the other partition.
When they upgrade/change OS/Crash....their work and other programs are safe
if they need to format in order to install a new OS.
peter
 
Thanks for all this advice - its much appreciated. I've had one idea
that I'd like to ask your opinion of, and then I'll leave you in peace
!

To avoid re-installing win xp would it be possible to use Boot itNg to:
1) delete the 35GB NTFS partition that windows can't see
2) re-size the 5GB FAT32 partition (the one with win xp and all files
etc on it) to 31GB
3) Ideally convert this new 31GB partition from FAT32 to NTFS within
boot it or win xp. (although if I have to leave it at FAT32 then that
would be okay)
4) At a later date create an 8GB partition with the rest of the space
(I can live without it for now!)

It seems plausible to my inexperienced eyes, but I was wondering if
there might be problems enlarging the FAT32 partition when the space it
would be claiming had previously been formatted NTFS. I'm guessing it
wouldn't make any difference seeing as the NTFS partition would have
been deleted, but I just wanted to make sure!

Thanks
 
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