Confused About 4 Partition Limit?

[jim evans]

I have three "real" primary partitions on my C: drive. But, there's
also some free space. This free space is also identified as a
"primary" partition, when in fact it's not a partition at all -- it's
simply unused space.

Must this free space be counted toward the four primary partition
limit?

-- jim

 

[Rod Speed]

I have three "real" primary partitions on my C: drive. But, there's
also some free space. This free space is also identified as a
"primary" partition, when in fact it's not a partition at all -- it's
simply unused space.

Just a quirk of whatever is displaying the partitions.

Must this free space be counted toward the four primary partition limit?

Nope, the limit is imposed by the number of entrys available in the partition table.
So you can certainly have 4 real partitions and some free space as well if you want.

 

[jim evans]

Just a quirk of whatever is displaying the partitions.

Thanks.

I've looked at them in two different programs and both identify the
unused space as primary.

Is there a utility that lets me view what you call the "partition
table?"

-- jim

 

[Rod Speed]

I've looked at them in two different programs
and both identify the unused space as primary.

fdisk doesnt.

Is there a utility that lets me view what you call the "partition table?"

The old dos norton's diskedit will, and allows you to edit it too.

Plenty should turn up using google and "partition table"

 

[John Hensley]

I've looked at them in two different programs and both identify the
unused space as primary.

Is there a utility that lets me view what you call the "partition
table?"

-- jim

Jim,

If you are running Windows XP you can find DskProbe.exe on the setup
CD in the Support\Tools directory. DiskProbe will allow you to view
the hard disk at the sector level and understands the layout of the
partition table and boot records to allow viewing their individual
fields.

John Hensley
www.resqware.com

 

[Aidan Karley]

Is there a utility that lets me view what you call the "partition
table?"

Use a disk editor to read (IIRC) the second 512-byte sector of the
disk. It's been a long time since I did it "by hand", but with the
assistance of one of the early chapters of the "Pink Shirt Book", the
partition table in a PC-ocmpatible hard drive is perfectly
comprehensible. Don't ask me what the format of the data is - that's
what reference books are for and I've loaned my Pink Shirt to
PeetThePervert - but it's perfectly comprehensible.