Unanswered Questions Regarding Partitioning...

1) I've searched through related threads but really haven't been able to find an answer. I'm going to install a 74GB WD Raptor and i'm working out my partitioning format. I have an unpartitioned 120GB hdd with only 20GB remaining, which will only be used for storage. Is there any way to partition this drive without losing the data in the process, if so, what? Would a better or easier option be to just purchase another hdd?

2) I read the Sticky: A guide to re-partitioning, re-formatting, and re-installing and it referred to RADIFIED Partitioning Strategies (good info) which states...

"Personally, I prefer to format the first partition, and only the first partition, as FAT32. FAT32 is compatible with DOS, and you never know when you might need to load a DOS utility. NTFS is not compatible with DOS. I usually make this first partition 4-GB. You will still be able to use this partition just like any NTFS partition from Windows, so the space is not wasted."

Now I know the difference between FAT32 and NTFS but can anyone list any DOS utilities that might come in handy through your own experiences to justify utilizing the partition in that manner? Outside of the DOS prompt, I can't really think of any DOS utilities that I have utilized in the last few years. Are there some valuable ones that can save my butt in a sticky situation?

3) I've read about utilizing Partition Magic, Ranish Partition Manager and FDISK to partition hdds. Why not just utilize Windows Disk Management? What are the issues that drive users away from this utility?

Cheers,
Kawzman

Kawzman said:

1) I've searched through related threads but really haven't been able to find an answer. I'm going to install a 74GB WD Raptor and i'm working out my partitioning format. I have an unpartitioned 120GB hdd with only 20GB remaining, which will only be used for storage. Is there any way to partition this drive without losing the data in the process, if so, what? Would a better or easier option be to just purchase another hdd?

Click to expand...

If you use a utility such as partition magic you can grow the partition quite easily. Likewise, if the drive is a dynamic disk/volume, you could use windows disk manager to extend the volume. Either way take some serious time to think about backing up that data prior to making any changes. In all the years in this business it never ceases to amaze me how few people consider the ramifications of data loss, much less act to mitigate that risk.

Kawzman said:

Now I know the difference between FAT32 and NTFS but can anyone list any DOS utilities that might come in handy through your own experiences to justify utilizing the partition in that manner? Outside of the DOS prompt, I can't really think of any DOS utilities that I have utilized in the last few years. Are there some valuable ones that can save my butt in a sticky situation?

Click to expand...

Nothing that doesn't fit on a floppy or boot CD. The justification several years back was that it provided enough room for a *nix bootloader or small installation of something non-MS. I suppose you could still wind up in a jam and need to install *nix to attempt a recovery, though this will be a very rare situation indeed.

Kawzman said:

3) I've read about utilizing Partition Magic, Ranish Partition Manager and FDISK to partition hdds. Why not just utilize Windows Disk Management? What are the issues that drive users away from this utility?

Click to expand...

Windows disk management ties you to windows, similarly it demands dynamic disks to do much of anything useful. For those of us who come from a more paranoid perspective, that means closing off many options for recovery, simple platform/hardware migration, etc. It's also rather inconvenient to require a pre-existing installation of windows to initialize a disk; if I buy a new disk for a new machine I'd rather install it once and boot off a floppy or CD to partition it than install it in a windows box, partition, then install it in the other machine. Likewise, if I'm changing the partition structure of an existing windows box prior to reinstallation, I'm not going to be able to use disk manager to shrink or destroy boot and system partitions. In the interest of total disclosure, much of my own dislike for DM is also related to distrust in MS OS utilities; there have been far too many situations over the years where MS says something can't happen, then it does. Those little oversights cost a lot of money.

Just keep in mind these are all tools that need to be evaluated against your needs rather than flatly against each other. Some of them will offer features which I consider valuable, but you may consider pointless fluff, and the inverse.

Thanks for the info Snugglebear.

1. The 74GB WD Raptor hdd will be my master and I have already purchased a 250GB WD hdd for storage purposes from newegg (newegg rocks!)...nice hdd at a great price. I'll finally get to make use of SATA on my Asus A7N8X Deluxe. The WD 120GB hdd i currently have will serve me for backing up my system. I think it's better to have your backup on a separate hdd from the data your backing up in the event one of your data drives craps out. Just makes sense to me.

2. I grabbed both ghost v9.0 and v2003. I'm still reading on which to use. Lots of pros and cons in reviews out there for both individually and in comparison. I couldn't find any utilities to convince me to format the 1st partition FAT32 on my raptor for DOS-based recovery tools; however, I will create a 6GB NTFS C: partition to keep my OS off the C: partition.

3. I have already grabbed a copy of PartitionMagic and will make quick use of it. Never used it, so i hope it's user friendly so i can get my updated system up and running in short order.

Cheers,
Kawzman