Eliminate Recovery Partition_Recover Main Volume

[mark4man]

So...

My (recently new) audio workstation...mfg.'d by ADK...came w/ Paragon *Drive
Backup* (8.1)...which I can utilize to backup my entire local drive content
(OS/programs/files & folders) to a dedicated recovery capsule...(which I
believe is located on a dedicated partition).

What I would like to do...(because I have 2 external hard drives, capable of
backing up everything I have)...is:

1st; ELIMINATE that recovery capsule.

Then...I would like to recover that partition to the volume...so as to add
it's space to the available, writable area of the entire local drive (i.e.,
only have one main partition). I DO have the XP bible (Bott & Seichert)...&
I suppose the sequence is detailed in there somewhere...but I thought also
that someone here might have some practical experience w/ this task.]

Then...I want to back up my entire local drive to one of my external drives
(since I am going to install SP3...& a complete back-up is recommended
prior). [This... I believe I already know how to do...since it is listed as
one of the main options on the mail Paragon interface.]

Thanks,


mark4man


ATTN: PA Bear...please refrain from help or comment...I'll just wait for the
regulars.

 

[sgopus]

leave it alone, you will need it later trust me!
if you are that desperate for space, get another HD, they are not that
expensive.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

So...

My (recently new) audio workstation...mfg.'d by ADK...came w/ Paragon *Drive
Backup* (8.1)...which I can utilize to backup my entire local drive content
(OS/programs/files & folders) to a dedicated recovery capsule...(which I
believe is located on a dedicated partition).

Recovery "capsule"? I'm not sure what you mean here. The word
"capsule" is not normally used here at all.

Ignoring the word "capsule" for the moment, I assume that what you
have is a partition that your computer's manufacturer has used to
contain an image of the operating system. It is *not* there for you to
back anything up to it.

What I would like to do...(because I have 2 external hard drives, capable of
backing up everything I have)...is:

1st; ELIMINATE that recovery capsule.

No, do not do this. This is what you have in place of a Windows CD. If
you lose it, you have no means of reinstalling Windows, if it ever
becomes necessary. Do *nothing* with that partition except following
the manufacturer's instructions for creating a CD from it (assuming
that they provided such instructions; check your documentation).

Then...I would like to recover that partition to the volume...so as to add
it's space to the available, writable area of the entire local drive (i.e.,
only have one main partition). I DO have the XP bible (Bott & Seichert)...&
I suppose the sequence is detailed in there somewhere...

No, it's not.

but I thought also
that someone here might have some practical experience w/ this task.]

Again, do not do this. The following is provided for reference only:

Unfortunately, no version of Windows before Vista provides any way of
changing the existing partition structure of the drive
nondestructively. The only way to do what you want is with third-party
software. Partition Magic is the best-known such program, but there
are freeware/shareware alternatives. One such program is BootIt Next
Generation. It's shareware, but comes with a free 30-day trial, so you
should be able to do what you want within that 30 days. I haven't used
it myself (because I've never needed to use *any* such program), but
it comes highly recommended by several other MVPs here.

Whatever software you use, make sure you have a good backup before
beginning. Although there's no reason to expect a problem, things
*can* go wrong.

Then...I want to back up my entire local drive to one of my external drives
(since I am going to install SP3...& a complete back-up is recommended
prior).

Good plan. You should *always* have a current backup of anything
important to you, and *especially* just before taking a major step
like installing a service pack.

[This... I believe I already know how to do...since it is listed as
one of the main options on the mail Paragon interface.]

I don't know anything about Paragon *Drive Backup*, what its
capabilities are or how to use. If it works for you, fine, but the
backup program that I recommend is Acronis True image

ATTN: PA Bear...please refrain from help or comment...I'll just wait for the
regulars.

??? Why do you say that? PA Bear *is* one of the regulars, and one of
the most knowledgeable and helpful folks around here. Turn him off and
you are turning off a valuable resource.