Resizing partition with Partition Magic 8

[My View]

I have an 80Gb harddrive (NTFS), partitioned as C drive - 12Mb and D drive -
remainder.

I now want to increase C drive to say 20Gb.

I have partition magic 8 and Windows XP Pro is installed on C drive.

I have noticed a warning in PM8 saying "this partition crosses the 1024
cylinder boundary and may not be bootable".

Is there anything I should be aware of before proceeding to increase the
size of C drive?

regards

PeterH

 

[Badger]

Hi MyView
That is a standard warning from PM based on older file systems (Fat 16)
you could make C drive 80 Gigs and it will boot.

 

[Harry Ohrn]

Yes make certain you backup important data before you run PM.

 

[CS]

On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 12:33:11 GMT, "My View" <reply to

I have an 80Gb harddrive (NTFS), partitioned as C drive - 12Mb and D drive -
remainder.

I now want to increase C drive to say 20Gb.

I have partition magic 8 and Windows XP Pro is installed on C drive.

I have noticed a warning in PM8 saying "this partition crosses the 1024
cylinder boundary and may not be bootable".

Is there anything I should be aware of before proceeding to increase the
size of C drive?

regards

PeterH

As you've already been told, that warning is there for older file
systems. One more thing to add: I strongly recommend you use the
PM 8.X boot disks to do the partition resizing. PM is going to boot
to a virtual boot disk anyway (since you're resizing the boot drive).
If you've got imaging software (Drive Image, Ghost, etc.) make a
complete image backup of your entire drive first.

 

[R. McCarty]

Good Advice. Also, When doing this with PM, manually resize the
D: drive leaving unallocated space between C: & D:. Reboot the PC
and rerun PM and then resize C: to include the unallocated space.

 

[Peter Wilkins]

On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 12:33:11 GMT, "My View" <reply to

I have an 80Gb harddrive (NTFS), partitioned as C drive - 12Mb and D drive -
remainder.

I now want to increase C drive to say 20Gb.

I have partition magic 8 and Windows XP Pro is installed on C drive.

I have noticed a warning in PM8 saying "this partition crosses the 1024
cylinder boundary and may not be bootable".

Is there anything I should be aware of before proceeding to increase the
size of C drive?

Yes!
Backup your data!
But NOT onto the second partition!!!!
Do it onto another HDD, across a network, onto DVD or CD, anywhere but
on the local HDD.
Highly recommended is a full system image backup using Ghost or
Acronis True Image - the latter is better.

I've done what you are proposing with PM8 several times without any
problems, but there is always a first time - it you trash your HDD
with no backup, then you can't come crying to the user group for help
- there is nothing it can do to help except refer you to a
professional recovery service at megabucks.

BTW, I don't remember seeing that warning with PM 8 - I thought it
would only show if you were using FAT, not NTFS.

Also, if you put all your programmes onto C:, then I suggest that you
make it closer to 30G rather than 20G. With 20G you will soon start
to fill up the partition, and partitions/HDD work better when not too
full. I try not to have any partition filled more than 60%. If it is
too full, files can be saved very fragmented and saving can be slower
as the drive hunts for free spaces, and you may not be able to defrag
either, as there won't be enough working space for temporary storage
of files being moved.

I say this because I've been there and done that - I told you I've
done it several times, I didn't make my C: big enough each time.

 

[My View]

I need a little educating here.

I have just completed a backup of C and D drives using Drive Image 7.
I backed up onto a second harddrive.
I presume this type of backup is data only. If I had to restore those images
would I be restoring the installed software and registers etc as well or is
that what a system image backup only does?

Also if there is a stuff-up of the harddrive how can a restore be done using
the same software - I presume I would have to re-intal Drive Image to C
Drive again (as well as W XP etc) and then carry out the restore.

Good to know these answers beforehand.

regards

PeterH


On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 12:33:11 GMT, "My View" <reply to

I have an 80Gb harddrive (NTFS), partitioned as C drive - 12Mb and D drive -
remainder.

I now want to increase C drive to say 20Gb.

I have partition magic 8 and Windows XP Pro is installed on C drive.

I have noticed a warning in PM8 saying "this partition crosses the 1024
cylinder boundary and may not be bootable".

Is there anything I should be aware of before proceeding to increase the
size of C drive?

Yes!
Backup your data!
But NOT onto the second partition!!!!
Do it onto another HDD, across a network, onto DVD or CD, anywhere but
on the local HDD.
Highly recommended is a full system image backup using Ghost or
Acronis True Image - the latter is better.

I've done what you are proposing with PM8 several times without any
problems, but there is always a first time - it you trash your HDD
with no backup, then you can't come crying to the user group for help
- there is nothing it can do to help except refer you to a
professional recovery service at megabucks.

BTW, I don't remember seeing that warning with PM 8 - I thought it
would only show if you were using FAT, not NTFS.

Also, if you put all your programmes onto C:, then I suggest that you
make it closer to 30G rather than 20G. With 20G you will soon start
to fill up the partition, and partitions/HDD work better when not too
full. I try not to have any partition filled more than 60%. If it is
too full, files can be saved very fragmented and saving can be slower
as the drive hunts for free spaces, and you may not be able to defrag
either, as there won't be enough working space for temporary storage
of files being moved.

I say this because I've been there and done that - I told you I've
done it several times, I didn't make my C: big enough each time.

 

[Peter Wilkins]

On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 23:24:56 GMT, "My View" <reply to

I need a little educating here.

Doesn't sound like it - you've done the right thing already!

I have just completed a backup of C and D drives using Drive Image 7.
I backed up onto a second harddrive.
I presume this type of backup is data only. If I had to restore those images
would I be restoring the installed software and registers etc as well oris
that what a system image backup only does?

If you took images of the two partitions C and D you would have backed
up all your programmes, operating system, settings and data, (although
not anything you might have had on the 2nd HDD). You could restore
those images and have your computer set up exactly as it was when you
took the images. Exactly the right thing to do.

Also if there is a stuff-up of the harddrive how can a restore be done using
the same software - I presume I would have to re-intal Drive Image to C
Drive again (as well as W XP etc) and then carry out the restore.

It's not that bad! Not too sure about Drive Image but both Ghost and
Acronis provide several means to boot up into the backup programme and
do the restore even if the boot HDD is totally scrambled. I'm pretty
sure Drive Image would have the same capability - you would have to
check in the handbook or on-line (Drive Image is owned by Symantec
now, so you would have to go to their site).

I use Ghost - it lets me boot up from a floppy (provision in the
programme for making a bootable set of floppies), I can make backup
image DVD's bootable, or I can boot from the Ghost CD itself.

Good to know these answers beforehand.

Nice to see someone who checks things out beforehand.
I try to do that too, but I still stuff up sometimes!!!

 

[My View]

Thanks for all that.

PM8 has created 2 rescue floppies, so I presume that will get me back up and
running if any problems.

Drive Image doesn't have a rescue disk option so I presume the PM8 disks
would be OK.

I couldn't find a system backup option under Drive Image so I did one using
the Windows XP backup utility (ie Veritas).

What is the difference between a normal backup and a system backup?

Hopefully that will suffice.

regards

PeterH


On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 23:24:56 GMT, "My View" <reply to

I need a little educating here.

Doesn't sound like it - you've done the right thing already!

I have just completed a backup of C and D drives using Drive Image 7.
I backed up onto a second harddrive.
I presume this type of backup is data only. If I had to restore those images
would I be restoring the installed software and registers etc as well or is
that what a system image backup only does?

If you took images of the two partitions C and D you would have backed
up all your programmes, operating system, settings and data, (although
not anything you might have had on the 2nd HDD). You could restore
those images and have your computer set up exactly as it was when you
took the images. Exactly the right thing to do.

Also if there is a stuff-up of the harddrive how can a restore be done using
the same software - I presume I would have to re-intal Drive Image to C
Drive again (as well as W XP etc) and then carry out the restore.

It's not that bad! Not too sure about Drive Image but both Ghost and
Acronis provide several means to boot up into the backup programme and
do the restore even if the boot HDD is totally scrambled. I'm pretty
sure Drive Image would have the same capability - you would have to
check in the handbook or on-line (Drive Image is owned by Symantec
now, so you would have to go to their site).

I use Ghost - it lets me boot up from a floppy (provision in the
programme for making a bootable set of floppies), I can make backup
image DVD's bootable, or I can boot from the Ghost CD itself.

Good to know these answers beforehand.

Nice to see someone who checks things out beforehand.
I try to do that too, but I still stuff up sometimes!!!

 

[Alex Nichol]

I have an 80Gb harddrive (NTFS), partitioned as C drive - 12Mb and D drive -
remainder.

I now want to increase C drive to say 20Gb.

I have partition magic 8 and Windows XP Pro is installed on C drive.

I have noticed a warning in PM8 saying "this partition crosses the 1024
cylinder boundary and may not be bootable".

Is there anything I should be aware of before proceeding to increase the
size of C drive?

That only applies to some older BIOSes and operating systems. It should
cause you no trouble with XP - C will still be starting at the front of
the drive where the BIOS boot can find it, and XP will not mind the
other end going past that limit

 

[Al Smith]

I have just completed a backup of C and D drives using Drive Image 7.

I backed up onto a second harddrive.
I presume this type of backup is data only. If I had to restore those images
would I be restoring the installed software and registers etc as well or is
that what a system image backup only does?

Nope, it's the whole ball of wax. Drive Image mirrors everything
on the partition, making an exact duplicate. If your C drive only
has one partition, it duplicates the entire drive. That includes
all your operating system files, and your registery.

 

[Al Smith]

Also if there is a stuff-up of the harddrive how can a restore be done using

the same software - I presume I would have to re-intal Drive Image to C
Drive again (as well as W XP etc) and then carry out the restore.

Not so. You would boot from your Drive Image CD. That would load
drive image into memory, and would enable you to restore your
partition. No preparation to the target drive would be necessary.

 

[Peter Wilkins]

On Sun, 17 Oct 2004 00:55:41 GMT, "My View" <reply to

Thanks for all that.

PM8 has created 2 rescue floppies, so I presume that will get me back upand
running if any problems.

Well, no, not quite. That rescue set will get you back up and running
into Partition Magic, whereas you want to run Drive Image. You may be
able to fudge the rescue set by deleting the PM programs off the
second floppy, adding the Drive Image bits needed to run, and changing
the autoexec file on the first floppy to reflect the changes, but I
don't know for sure - I don't have or know Drive Image.

Drive Image doesn't have a rescue disk option so I presume the PM8 disks
would be OK.

See above. I'm surprised DI doesn't have a "DOS" version on the CD
that can be used if your HDD is scrambled and can't boot windows. The
Drive Image CD should also be bootable if your system can boot from
CD's. If there is a DOS version on your CD, you could boot to DOS
using floppies and then run the DOS version. (That's how Ghost does
it with it's rescue set of floppies).

I couldn't find a system backup option under Drive Image so I did one using
the Windows XP backup utility (ie Veritas).

Drive Image creates a full image of the partition or drive you select-
if you do an image of your boot drive/partition and also the one that
has windows on it (if they are different) then you have done a system
backup. If windows is on the boot partition, then a backup of that
partition will restore your "system" in that you can then boot to
windows, but it may not restore all your programmes and data if you
store them on another partition or disk. To do it all requires a
"full system" backup - ie an image of all partitions/disks that
contain O/S, settings, programs and data. Only you can know which
ones they are.

The XP backup you did I presume was by using the "automated system
recovery" wizard, which creates a floppy with system settings and then
another backup media that contains a backup of your local system
partition. It's probably OK, but I confess I have tried that option a
couple of times without success - it's probably me, but I have no
confidence in it. So I just use the XP backup for regular data
backups, and rely on Ghost for my full system backups.

What is the difference between a normal backup and a system backup?

Dunno. What is normal? You can backup everything on your computer,
do full data backups, which backup all your data files but not
programmes or O/S, incremental backups, which only backup files that
have changed from the last backup, and quite a few variations in
between, depending on the backup programme used.

A system backup is one that backs up the whole system: operating
system, programmes, settings and data. It can be a bit tricky - some
people call that a "full system" backup, and a "system" backup one
that only backs up the operating system, programmes and settings, not
data. I prefer the full monty.

Hopefully that will suffice.

Yeah. Why am I looking up the handbooks when you could do it, eh?

 

[Peter Wilkins]

snip

The XP backup you did I presume was by using the "automated system
recovery" wizard, which creates a floppy with system settings and then
another backup media that contains a backup of your local system
partition. It's probably OK, but I confess I have tried that option a
couple of times without success - it's probably me, but I have no
confidence in it. So I just use the XP backup for regular data
backups, and rely on Ghost for my full system backups.

I just remembered why I didn't succeed in using the "automated system
recovery wizard".

1. It only recovers operating system, not full system with data. Not
adequate IMHO.
2. It needs the original WinXP O/S CD to restore - Toshiba in it's
infinite wisdom does not provide me with an O/S CD - only a folder on
the HDD, which can't be accessed if I need to use the restore
function.....