partitioning hd w/o reformating

[buffboy]

hello there anandtechers, i was just wondering if there was an application(s) for partitioning your hd with out reformating it, and if you could tell me what it is and kinda how to use it that'd be great, thanx

 

[Windogg]

Partition Magic 5.0

 

[interchange]

Partition magic is really simple to use. All you have to do is click and expand/contract/move partitions. If you understand partitioning (i.e. logical partitions, active partitions, primary partitions) then you can have a blast with it. If you don't, then the wizards are very simple.

In any event, a couple of things to remember:
1) moving partitions is a very painstaking process
2) any partition after the cylinder limit will not be bootable (PQMagic should warn you)
3) be absolutely certain with your drive changes, and if PQMagic tells you anything that you know is wrong, don't use it.

 

[randypj]

Or, PM 6.0.

interchange--excellent comments. Actually, IMO, Powerquest has made it so easy, people could very easily get confused now. Not like back in the days when I had to walk 2 miles to school in the snow, uphill, just to get a 1 gig hard drive that wasn't low level formatted.

Yes, be certain that you are moving/changing the partitions you really want to change. A lot of it can be redone, for instance if you resize the wrong partition. But, hiding/unhiding, working with multiple partitions on multiple physical drives can be a challenge.

When using it in conjunction with Drive Image, I've often found it necessary to actually write down the pre and post diagram (because the drive letters can change, if you add, etc.). Sometimes, I even write down the sizes as a double check. But, I have thru O partition, across 2 to 4 physical drives.

Does anyone know if 6.0 has corrected some of the bogus error messages in PM?
--Randy