If I use PartitionMagic (or something similar) to resize a drive...

[Sqube]

A simple question, hopefully I'll get a straightforward answer. I've got a 250 in my computer and the PC is only recognizing about 127 gigs worth (can't remember the exact number, I'm at work right now).

I used PartitionMagic to take a look, and it saw the whole 250; if I resize the partition so that it uses all of the available space, will I have to re-format the drive or will it just recognize the extra space without having to do anything?

Also, if any of you are aware of any shareware/freeware alternatives to PartitionMagic, or even a program that's better, I'd appreciate it.

 

[QD]

pm is the best one, if you want to save current file system, just tell it to make the free space into a seprate partition and it won't touch your C partition. you don't want a 250 hd to be on one partition anyway

 

[Sqube]

Originally posted by: QD
pm is the best one, if you want to save current file system, just tell it to make the free space into a seprate partition and it won't touch your C partition. you don't want a 250 hd to be on one partition anyway

Why not? That's exactly what I was planning on doing. I've got 2x250 (one with Windows and programs, one for storage of all the other stuff) and I don't have a single good reason to separate them into multiple partitions.

Will I have to re-format if I resize the partition???

 

[QD]

to be on the safe side don't do that... yes, pm has an option of resizing a partition and most of the time it works *most of the time*

now, for the reasons why i think partitions are good:

i always have at least fat32 and an ntfs partition on my 250 storage drive so that different os have access to it. also, sometimes, your drive gets f*** up (due to bad sectors, various internal errors, and other non critical errors) and it's not always possible to recover the data. With multiple partitions if something like that happens, your data on other partitions is saved. if the whole drive fails, that's another story, but that's not what i'm talking about. i also do "search for file" a lot and it really cuts down on search time. also some viruses will only infect files on the partition that they start on and dont jump to other partitions.

 

[Jordynamite]

No, you don't have to reformat if you're re-sizing the partition. btw, how many programs and operating systems are you going to be filling up with 250gb? I'd take the previous suggestion of partitioning that 250gb, having one acting as two virtual drives has many advantages. The obvious of taking care of virus infections, secondly, you could install a secondary operating system on that secondary partition (if you're into benchmarking your system, see what windows 98 will get you for scores on 3dmark2000 vs. later systems that aren't so lean!) Leaving yourself with one operating system on that huge drive isn't a great plan for sheer reliability of a secondary o.s. and partition combo.

 

[Sqube]

I probably won't be installing so many programs... but I have a lot of game ISOs, CD/DVD rips and things of that nature, so it's in the interests of my sanity that I keep the storage 250 as one drive.

If I were to create another partition out of that space on my C: drive, I don't know what I'd do with it. That has a lot to do with why I don't partition; I never get the sizes right and then I get driven crazy.

 

[PlasticJesus]

I don't know anything about PM so I can't give you that straightforward answer.

I am all about a 250 gig partition if that's what you want. I'm the same way.

It strikes me that a really roundabout way to do it would be to use TrueImage 8.0 to create an image and place it on the presumably good 2nd drive, format the 1st drive, and then restore the image to the first drive and re-size at the same time. This is something I've never done and I imagine it would take a bit of time.

Of course TI 8.0 isn't free.