Partition Magic

[Guest]

I am trying to resize two partitions using Norton Partition Magic 8.0. The
disk I am working with is a basic disk that has two partitions: C: which is
about 14 GB & D: which is about 60 GB. I am making D: smaller to create
unallocated space adjacent to C: so I can make C: bigger. The first
operation (making D: smaller) froze at 27% for about 2.5 hours and I had to
cancel it. Fortunately, I was able to recover the D: partition using the
recovery disks so I am now back to the beginning. Norton support says this
type of operation can hang due to driver conflicts and they suggested that I
do a clean boot and start over.

This is the first time I have tried to resize partitions. The entire ordeal
was stressful and one I don't care to repeat. Before I do the suggested
resolution from Norton, I want to ask everyone if any of you has had this
same or similar situation happen and how did you resolve it? Do you think the
clean boot suggestion will work?

Thx for your help.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I am trying to resize two partitions using Norton Partition Magic
8.0. The disk I am working with is a basic disk that has two
partitions: C: which is about 14 GB & D: which is about 60 GB. I am
making D: smaller to create unallocated space adjacent to C: so I can
make C: bigger. The first operation (making D: smaller) froze at 27%
for about 2.5 hours and I had to cancel it. Fortunately, I was able
to recover the D: partition using the recovery disks so I am now back
to the beginning. Norton support says this type of operation can hang
due to driver conflicts and they suggested that I do a clean boot and
start over.

This is the first time I have tried to resize partitions. The entire
ordeal was stressful and one I don't care to repeat. Before I do the
suggested resolution from Norton, I want to ask everyone if any of
you has had this same or similar situation happen and how did you
resolve it? Do you think the clean boot suggestion will work?

What do you mean by "clean boot"? This is not a commonly-used term.

 

[Richard Urban]

Create the two floppy disk set and boot from disk #1. Insert disk #2 when
instructed to do so. Do all of your partition resizing from there.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[R. McCarty]

I'm not sure if the current version of PQMagic allow it, but I use it
from a Bootable CD-R, not within Windows. Seems like there was
a utility within PQMagic to build a boot disk (Floppies>?).

Reallocating space seems to have a pretty high failure/issue rate.
I would always do a Chkdsk on the volumes before trying to resize
them. That being said, I've had failures several times with resizing
and at least a few cases of the Partition table becoming damaged.

I'm slowly replacing old PowerQuest/Symantec utilities with those
from Acronis. I believe they (Acronis) offer a Disk Management
program. I beta tested a version a few years ago and it was capable
of most everything PQMagic will do for you.

 

[churin]

I am trying to resize two partitions using Norton Partition Magic 8.0. The
disk I am working with is a basic disk that has two partitions: C: which is
about 14 GB & D: which is about 60 GB. I am making D: smaller to create
unallocated space adjacent to C: so I can make C: bigger. The first
operation (making D: smaller) froze at 27% for about 2.5 hours and I had to
cancel it. Fortunately, I was able to recover the D: partition using the
recovery disks so I am now back to the beginning. Norton support says this
type of operation can hang due to driver conflicts and they suggested that I
do a clean boot and start over.

This is the first time I have tried to resize partitions. The entire ordeal
was stressful and one I don't care to repeat. Before I do the suggested
resolution from Norton, I want to ask everyone if any of you has had this
same or similar situation happen and how did you resolve it? Do you think the
clean boot suggestion will work?

Thx for your help.

"Clean Boot" probably means "Clean Install". Before you resort to this,
I would run the following then try Partition Magic again:
1)spyware remover(Adware, Spybot, etc)
2)virus remover.
3)Error-checking of hard drive(WXP built-in utility)
4)Defragmentation of hard drive(WXP buit-in utility)

 

[Ground Cover]

Means booting with minimum drivers - a selective start up - in some
circumstances I suppose "Safe Mode" qualifies:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=clean+boot

 

[Guest]

Clean boot is described here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353/en-us

 

[Guest]

Hi Rfips:

Contrary to the other replies, i have had fantastic success with Partition
Magic. I wish all my programs worked as well. Having said that, I would
never alter any parition(s) without completely backing up first. This is a
must when doing any partition shifting. WORTH REPEATING: If you don't have
backups, do so now before making any more attempts at re-sizing.

I'm a bit confused when you say you are making unallocated space next to C:.
Are you doing each step manually? The resize command in PM will
automatically take all the steps necessary to resize both partitions by
writing batch files and then executing them sequentially the next time you
re-boot. Because PM does its magic from batch files which will be executed
during your next re-boot, it shouldn't really matter whether you have a
"clean boot" during set up of the re-size operation as long as you shut down
any extraneous programs running in the background. For the same reason, it
shouldnt' matter whether you set up the resize from WinXP, the PM CD, or the
floppies. In any case, the actual operations are not performed until the
next re-boot and before any drivers, O/S or programs are loaded.

PS: I always thought that "clean boot" means powering down completely
(rather than doing a "restart").

The likely reason that PM hung is not a driver conflict but the fact that,
in order to resize D:, some data has to be moved. If you have alot of data on
D:, it will take a very long time and PM will hang if there is any indication
that the data is not being moved with integrity (PM by default does it's own
error checking). CAUTION: if you are asking PM to re-size D: to a point
that allows less than +/- 15% or so free space on the newly sized partition,
PM will have a very hard time indeed. You might even lose data or worse--
corrupt the partition.

Also, resizing partitions with two different file systems can increase the
liklihood of hanging. Are both existing partitions NFTS?

One suggestion: if you can easily reconstitute all the data on D from
reliable, recent backups, you might consider deleting all info on D: before
re-sizing. PM will then sail through the re-sizing with hardly a burp since
it need not move any data and continuously check it's integrity.

By "recovery disk" I assume you meant "emergency disks" that PM asks you to
create? Remember to create new ones after completing any partition-altering
operation-- the old ones won't work anymore because the partition table has
changed.

Hope this helps.

Mark

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Clean boot is described here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353/en-us

Thank you. The term is new to me. I've never run across it before. But
despite the way iit's used on this page, it is certainly not in common
usage.

 

[Roberto]

I am trying to resize two partitions using Norton Partition Magic 8.0. The
disk I am working with is a basic disk that has two partitions: C: which
is
about 14 GB & D: which is about 60 GB. I am making D: smaller to create
unallocated space adjacent to C: so I can make C: bigger. The first
operation (making D: smaller) froze at 27% for about 2.5 hours and I had
to
cancel it. Fortunately, I was able to recover the D: partition using the
recovery disks so I am now back to the beginning. Norton support says this
type of operation can hang due to driver conflicts and they suggested that
I
do a clean boot and start over.

This is the first time I have tried to resize partitions. The entire
ordeal
was stressful and one I don't care to repeat. Before I do the suggested
resolution from Norton, I want to ask everyone if any of you has had this
same or similar situation happen and how did you resolve it? Do you think
the
clean boot suggestion will work?

Thx for your help.

Having used PM and BootITNG extensively to resize partitions without
issues, I can tell you providing you follow the usual sensible
precautions you will also find it a breeze, here's what I do :

1. backup all important data first - just in case....
2. make sure the OS is stable /virus free
3. . clean out all temp files
4. defrag the volumes

* I only once had problems using PM that was in the early days on a
machine with FAT32, changing NTFS based volumes in my observations is
bullet proof, never a problem in 100s of uses.

rgds
Roberto

 

[churin]

"Clean Boot" probably means "Clean Install". Before you resort to this,
I would run the following then try Partition Magic again:
1)spyware remover(Adware, Spybot, etc)
2)virus remover.
3)Error-checking of hard drive(WXP built-in utility)
4)Defragmentation of hard drive(WXP buit-in utility)

Add one more checking item
5) memory(RAM) testing utility(memotest86, etc)

 

[Guest]

Ken, the term was new to me as well; I had to ask someone.

 

[Guest]

Thank you, Churin. Please see my note above re: clean boot. I usually do most
of these before doing anything major with the exception of the RAM testing
utility; I've never done that before. Is it simple to run?

 

[Guest]

Roberto, your reply gave me a little confidence to try again. I researched
this product before using it and talked to others, as well. Everyone said it
was easy and straightforward. So, when complications arose, I was surprised.

 

[Guest]

Hi Callmark1, thanks for replying to my post. I've inserted my
comments/answers below:

Hi Rfips:

Contrary to the other replies, i have had fantastic success with Partition
Magic. I wish all my programs worked as well. Having said that, I would
never alter any parition(s) without completely backing up first. This is a
must when doing any partition shifting. WORTH REPEATING: If you don't have
backups, do so now before making any more attempts at re-sizing.

rf: thank you. my mistake was not doing the bu myself. the other person told
me he was going to do it and he didn't do a complete bu. :-\

I'm a bit confused when you say you are making unallocated space next to C:.
Are you doing each step manually? The resize command in PM will
automatically take all the steps necessary to resize both partitions by
writing batch files and then executing them sequentially the next time you
re-boot. Because PM does its magic from batch files which will be executed
during your next re-boot, it shouldn't really matter whether you have a
"clean boot" during set up of the re-size operation as long as you shut down
any extraneous programs running in the background. For the same reason, it
shouldnt' matter whether you set up the resize from WinXP, the PM CD, or the
floppies. In any case, the actual operations are not performed until the
next re-boot and before any drivers, O/S or programs are loaded.

rf: sorry, should have gone in to more detail. the instructions said a
partition could not be resized (bigger) unless adjacent, unallocated space
was next to it. Since D: is right next to my C: drive and is completely
allocated, I had to make D: smaller. i carried out the operations in the PM
application by selecting the partition and grabbing/dragging on the side I
wanted to create the unallocated space. i rebooted as you mentioned above and
the first operation hung at 27%. i finally stopped it after 2 hours. i agree
with you on your comment about it running before anything else is booted into
the system. symantec said to do a clean boot and start over. maybe the batch
file that is written comes out different? i have no idea.

PS: I always thought that "clean boot" means powering down completely
(rather than doing a "restart").

rf: see my reply to Ken Blake re: clean boot

The likely reason that PM hung is not a driver conflict but the fact that,
in order to resize D:, some data has to be moved. If you have alot of data on
D:, it will take a very long time and PM will hang if there is any indication
that the data is not being moved with integrity (PM by default does it's own
error checking). CAUTION: if you are asking PM to re-size D: to a point
that allows less than +/- 15% or so free space on the newly sized partition,
PM will have a very hard time indeed. You might even lose data or worse--
corrupt the partition.

rf: There is about 2 GB of data on the D: partition which has about 60GB
total. From your experience, how long should it take to resize the D: from
60GB to 30GB. I tried to get an answer from Symantec but all they said is "
it can take a while sometimes". I didn't think it should be stuck at 27% for
more than two hours.

Also, resizing partitions with two different file systems can increase the
liklihood of hanging. Are both existing partitions NFTS?

rf: yes, both are ntfs.

One suggestion: if you can easily reconstitute all the data on D from
reliable, recent backups, you might consider deleting all info on D: before
re-sizing. PM will then sail through the re-sizing with hardly a burp since
it need not move any data and continuously check it's integrity.

rf: this was a consideration before the first one but, unfortunately, it was
decided not to.

By "recovery disk" I assume you meant "emergency disks" that PM asks you to
create? Remember to create new ones after completing any partition-altering
operation-- the old ones won't work anymore because the partition table has
changed.

rf: thank you for the reminder.

Hope this helps.

rf: it did. thx!

 

[Guest]

Thank you, everyone, for your comments/suggestions. I did the defrag, backup,
dskchk, and a few other things. I started with making the D: partition
smaller; the first time the operation hung, I didn't let it go near as long
this time, I just canceled it and re-created it. It seemed to work fine the
second time and the entire operation took maybe 5 min.

 

[Tim Judd]

I am trying to resize two partitions using Norton Partition Magic 8.0. The
disk I am working with is a basic disk that has two partitions: C: which is
about 14 GB & D: which is about 60 GB. I am making D: smaller to create
unallocated space adjacent to C: so I can make C: bigger. The first
operation (making D: smaller) froze at 27% for about 2.5 hours and I had to
cancel it. Fortunately, I was able to recover the D: partition using the
recovery disks so I am now back to the beginning. Norton support says this
type of operation can hang due to driver conflicts and they suggested that I
do a clean boot and start over.

This is the first time I have tried to resize partitions. The entire ordeal
was stressful and one I don't care to repeat. Before I do the suggested
resolution from Norton, I want to ask everyone if any of you has had this
same or similar situation happen and how did you resolve it? Do you think the
clean boot suggestion will work?

Thx for your help.

Before I read all of the replies, I must interject:

I've had a friend with terrible support with Partition Magic. Every
time he used it, he had to reinstall the OS. It could have been the
user, but partitions were *NEVER* meant to be altered, only created or
deleted.

Block size allocations, bootloaders, end-of-disk definitions, and lots
of infrastructure for the filesystem table is always spread all over the
partition. Modifying or removing that generally leads to BAD results.

I know, pretty much with a sure fact, that a partition cannot be "moved"
to another part of the disk, to expand another partition. I will bet
you money (1c on the table) that you WILL have at least one problem.

If you need to change everything, you might as well get another HDD,
partition it the way you want, and then image the folder/file structure
over. DO NOT! try to use these socalled magic tools to do work that was
never meant to be done. They ripped you off.

I won't ever use it. I refuse.

Good luck to you, in whatever you decide to do.

 

[ByTor]

Before I read all of the replies, I must interject:

I've had a friend with terrible support with Partition Magic. Every
time he used it, he had to reinstall the OS. It could have been the
user, but partitions were *NEVER* meant to be altered, only created or
deleted.

It was the user..........

Block size allocations, bootloaders, end-of-disk definitions, and lots
of infrastructure for the filesystem table is always spread all over the
partition. Modifying or removing that generally leads to BAD results.

Interesting......I have been manipulating partitions for years with Pm &
never had an issue.......

I know, pretty much with a sure fact, that a partition cannot be "moved"
to another part of the disk, to expand another partition. I will bet
you money (1c on the table) that you WILL have at least one problem.

I don't think you fully understood what the OP described......Read it
again. Have you actually used the software before?

If you need to change everything, you might as well get another HDD,
partition it the way you want, and then image the folder/file structure
over. DO NOT! try to use these socalled magic tools to do work that was
never meant to be done. They ripped you off.

No, no ripoff, you seemed to have had some inexperienced experiences
before due to your inexperience with the software concepts
maybe?.........

I won't ever use it. I refuse.

Don't........I sure as hell wouldn't want you to touch my machine. And
if you don't ever use it why are you even commenting on it? Get another
HDrive? Great advice...........

 

[churin]

Sorry for this late reply. It appears that you have solved the problem
but it may be a good idea for you to have this utility around. It can be
downloaded from:

http://www.memtest86.com/

There are FD version and CD version, and you just let your PC boot to
either one of these to start running the utility.