How do I get my partition sizes back to the correct sizes

  • Thread starter Thread starter Blair
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Blair

I used Partition Commander to make 4 partitions but had a problem trying to
create the 3rd one and was told by PC Technical help to carry out a certain
proceedure, This resulted in loosing all my mails atc on Internet Explorer.
I used XP restore to go back to the previous day and restored my mail.
Unfortunately this co-incided with me changing the size of one partition.
This has resulted in XP showing the unmodified partition size and Partition
Commander showing the mofified size.
Technical Help tell me that Partition Commander is correct as it is based om
the BIOS settings and XP is wrong but they did not know how to alter the
settings on XP
Can anyone help please
Blair
 
I've used Partition Commander for over 10 years.

How did you try and create the partitions. Are they all on the same drive?
If so, are you trying to create them all as Primary Partitions?

My system is setup this way:

1. C: - Windows XP OS
2. D: - Documents ans Settings for all profiles
3. E: - Third-Party/Additionally installed Software (software not part of
basic Windows out-of-the-box XP OS)
4. F: - Backup

All this was done after I installed Windows XP Pro. Here is what I did:

1. Cleaned C:
2. Defrag C:
3. Using Partition Commander, resize C: partition
4. Reboot, test everything is still OK
5. Using Partition Commander, create each of the three new partitions
6. Reboot, using Computer Management | Disk Management, format each new
partition and assign drive letter to each.

I normally, re-assign my CD/DVD drives to the farthest upper Drive Letters,
Y and Z. This leaves me plenty of room to add new drives and removable
devices.
I re-assign removable drive letters as well, if shown in Disk Management.

Once this is completed, I reboot and check through Windows Explorer if
everything is showing up.

I have tried using Partition Commander 8.???, to format partitions as NTFS,
and no matter how I tried, Windows XP had problem recongizing the partitions
and I had to either repartition/reformat anyway. It doesn't matter, as long
as Windows XP Pro reboots, you can do the partitioning/reformating/drive
letters from Disk Management with no problems.
 
Please do not use my e-mail address ... it goes through my company router.

Don't completely understand. Did you use a restore point prior to any
partitioning?
What technical help? Microsoft? Partition Commander? Sorry, PC = Partition
Commander.

What was the procedure they told you to carry out?

Losing all e-mail ... ONLY ... or everything on the partition E:?

Unless you have a need for the other partitions to be FAT32, you really
should convert to NTFS.
Windows XP will do this for you.


Blair said:
I used Partition Commander to make 4 partitions but had a problem trying to
create the 3rd one and was told by PC Technical help to carry out a certain
proceedure, This resulted in loosing all my mails atc on Internet Explorer.
I used XP restore to go back to the previous day and restored my mail.
Unfortunately this co-incided with me changing the size of one partition.
This has resulted in XP showing the unmodified partition size and
Partition Commander showing the mofified size.
Technical Help tell me that Partition Commander is correct as it is based
om the BIOS settings and XP is wrong but they did not know how to alter
the settings on XP
Can anyone help please
Blair
Click to expand...
I am most grateful for your reply and it was instructive to hear of your
experience.

My setup is
1 C Windows XOP Home OS NTFS
2 D Additional Programmes FAT32
3 E My own documents FAT32
4 F Backup FAT 32
all shown on the one cylinder
My real problem is that when I used XP Restore to reverse the instruction I
received fromTechnical Help which deleted all my mail, the size of the
partition reverted to the origional size and I seem to remember it said that
this was not reversible.
So I seem to have a size in XP which is not correct. I don't think I can
change the size in XP management ?
Blair
 
I apologise, I did not intend using your email address and was baffled where
my reply had gone. I must have pressed Reply instead of Reply Group
The technical help was from Partition Commander'
I used a restore point after partitioning
I lost only mail etc in Outlook Express and not everything on Partition E
They told me to get rid of the boot error and at the same time this will
update the partition table which will hopefully get XP reporting the
partition the same size as what the BIOS/Start-up is detecting them at.
Boot on XP cd to the Repair Console , at the prompt, the FIXMBR and enter
Then reboot and have a look
This resulted in all my mail etc disappearing from Outlook Express and I
took the panic action of restoring to the previous day.
But yesterday I decided to take my own action and I used Partition Commander
to revert to the sizes which were shown on My Computer and start again.
It was tedious but it worked and I now have both settings the same.
I obviously don't understand the difference between NTFS and FAT 32. and why
the difference?
Perhaps you could clear up the problem I also had in understanding
partitioning on my newest PC
I started partitioning by reducing the basic C to allow for 3 more
partitions, In the space I created the second partition(FAT32) but when I
tried to create the 3rd partition the create was greyed'
I was given the following instruction by Partition Commander Technical
Support
Delete the 2nd partition and start again.
" Drive Dynamics only allows up to 4 primary partitions. Which you now
have with two system partitions, one NTFS and one FAT32.

So in Manual Partitioning.
Select the FAT32 partition at the top, Tools and Delete, hit ALT and F12 to
bypass the volume label.

Now select the Free space and Create, select an Extended partition, next.
Use the full default size, next.

You will then be prompted to create your first logical partition.
Label this one Spare D.
Enter the size you want for it, 5000 megs.
Check 'custom partition', next.
Select NTFS, next.
Select Start of free area, next and Proceed.

This will create an extended partition on the left hand cylinder and a new
cylinder to the right of it will have your first logical at the bottom and
the remaining free space.
Select the free space and create your additional logical partitions."

My point is on my old PC I created 4 partitions on one cylinder. C NTFS and
the other 3 FAT 32
Sorry to be so tedious but I obviously still have a poor understanding of
the basics.
Reading the help file hasn't helped me either
Regards
Blair
 
There is nothing wrong with you scenario. You should be able to create 4 Primary partitions.

I have 2 physicals drives

Drive 1 has C:
Drive 2 has D:, E:, F:

Drive 1 also has hidden partitions placed on there by my PC manufacturer, Dell.
Do you have any hidden partitions (they will show in Disk Management).

Good article to read: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/multiboot.mspx

Excerpt:
You can divide your hard disk into multiple partitions, and each partition can function as a separate logical drive. For example, logical drives C: and D: can both exist on the same hard disk, but function as separate disks. You should install each operating system on a different partition. Then install applications on the same partition as the operating system with which you run them. If an application is used with two different operating systems, install copies on both partitions. Placing each operating system in a separate partition ensures that it will not overwrite crucial files used by the other OS.
A basic disk can contain up to four partitions. Each partition can be formatted for use by a file system, such as FAT32 or NTFS.

So I don't know what they are talking about.

Here is what I'd do:

1. Resize C: to size you want and gain free space.
2. Reboot and setup all your partitions from Windows XP Disk Management.
3. Right Click on Free Space and pick Create Partition.

First determine how many partitions you have.
 
Thanks Larry you have clarified a lot for me.
I had not realised that XP could enable the making of partitions.
It's not every day that I will be creating partitions. The chances are that
I will only be modifying the sizes in future.
However it is better to understand the system.
The only remaining point I have is when I look at my networking I find the
partitions are described in a different way which initially caused me some
bother. Sometimes they use the Partition Commander letter which is usually
one behind and sometimes they use both or sometimes they use the XP letter.
I don't know how to fix that?
Blair


There is nothing wrong with you scenario. You should be able to create 4
Primary partitions.

I have 2 physicals drives

Drive 1 has C:
Drive 2 has D:, E:, F:

Drive 1 also has hidden partitions placed on there by my PC manufacturer,
Dell.
Do you have any hidden partitions (they will show in Disk Management).

Good article to read:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/multiboot.mspx

Excerpt:
You can divide your hard disk into multiple partitions, and each partition
can function as a separate logical drive. For example, logical drives C: and
D: can both exist on the same hard disk, but function as separate disks. You
should install each operating system on a different partition. Then install
applications on the same partition as the operating system with which you
run them. If an application is used with two different operating systems,
install copies on both partitions. Placing each operating system in a
separate partition ensures that it will not overwrite crucial files used by
the other OS.
A basic disk can contain up to four partitions. Each partition can be
formatted for use by a file system, such as FAT32 or NTFS.

So I don't know what they are talking about.

Here is what I'd do:

1. Resize C: to size you want and gain free space.
2. Reboot and setup all your partitions from Windows XP Disk Management.
3. Right Click on Free Space and pick Create Partition.

First determine how many partitions you have.
 
Blair:

Do you have Windows XP PowerToys TweakUI? There is an option to setup how
to arrange drive letters:

1. Open TweakUI
2. Open My Computer branch
3. Click on Drives

Choose your option.
And make sure your Network Drives have Labels. Right-click on a drive,
choose Properties, Enter a Volume Label.
 
I opened TweakUI but there was no Drives shown
On the left was My Computer with Control Panel and Templates shown
And on the right was Control Panel, Files stored on Computer and My digital
camera
There was no means of opening the Files stored on the Computer
Blair
 
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