BoaterDave said:
I've a 'rogue' PC and decided to start afresh - format and re-install
XP. This I have done, but did not create any partitions on my 80GB
disk.
First, note that you already have one partition on the drive (presumably
C
. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to usethe drive at all. Presumably what
you want is to create a *second* partition.
I've now discovered that I cannot do so retrospectively
............ or *can* I ?
Unfortunately, no version of Windows 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.
I want somewhere to store Norton Ghost images other than on a CD.
If you are planning this second partition as a place to store backups, I
urge you to reconsider that backup strategy. That's better than no backup at
all, but just barely. I don't recommend backup to a second non-removable
hard drive because it leaves you susceptible to simultaneous loss of the
original and backup to many of the most common dangers: severe power
glitches, nearby lightning strikes, virus attacks, even theft of the
computer. Backup to a partition on your only physical drive (which is
apparently waht you want to do) is even worse, isnce head crashes can be
added to the list of possible problems,.
In my view, secure backup needs to be on removable media, and not kept in
the computer. For really secure backup (needed, for example, if the life of
your business depends on your data) you should have multiple generations of
backup, and at least one of those generations should be stored off-site.
My computer isn't used for business, but my personal backup scheme uses two
identical removable hard drives,I alternate between the two, and use Acronis
True Image to make a complete copy of the primary drive.
