[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] How to Partition a Hard Drive?

izslc19@discg1.UUCP (james cook) (09/05/90)

I want partition my hard disk so I can have a additional logical drive.  
Currently I have 7,892,992 bytes available on my C: drive.  I would
like to have a logical drive D: with 2-3M.

I tried to use the DOS command PART (Adding a MS-DOS hard disk partition)
(Add an extended or logical MS-DOS partition) but I get a message that
no space is available.

I'm running under MS-DOS 3.3.

I am a novice with MS-DOS so any hints/help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.


Jim Cook
izslc19@discg1.UUCP
Phila., PA
(215) 697-0607
AV 442-0607


-- 

Jim Cook
izslc19@discg1.UUCP     (215)697-3405     AV 442-3405
Philadelphia, PA    

yee@edison.seas.ucla.edu (John Yee/;093090;eegrad) (09/07/90)

I am no great wizard, but it looks to me like you are attempting 
something dangerous.  Before proceeding, you should back up
your hard disk completely and then use fdisk (from a floppy) to 
make an active partition and an extended partition, within
which more logical drives can be assigned.  You will have to approx.
or look up the data to find out how many cylinders/meg your disk is, but
I think that is a minor point.  The thing I think you should avoid doing
is changing the partition data on the disk while valuable data is on it.
While this may still be folklore, I think it wise to do this stuff only
after your hard disk is warmed up.
Hope this helps, 
jy, yee@ee.ucla.edu

browns@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com (Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems) (09/07/90)

In article <4342@discg1.UUCP>, izslc19@discg1.UUCP (james cook) writes:
> I want partition my hard disk so I can have a additional logical drive.  
> Currently I have 7,892,992 bytes available on my C: drive.  I would
> like to have a logical drive D: with 2-3M.

You can't partition a drive that has any files on it--not without losing
the files.  So your procedure would be:

1. Perform a full backup from C:.  If you're nervous, perform a second
full backup.  (Be sure to use a program that backs up by files rather
than by sectors, because the sector addresses will be different at the
end of this procedure.)

2. Put your original DOS disk in A: and boot.

3. Run the FDISK program.  (I can't remember if it's on the main DOS
disk or the supplemental programs.)  Follow the instructions to
partition your drive.

4. FORMAT C: /S

5. FORMAT D:

6. Restore your files to C.
-- 

Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.         (216) 371-0043
The opinions expressed are mine. Mine alone!  Nobody else is responsible for
them or even endorses them--except my cat Dexter, and he signed the power of
attorney only under my threat to cut off his Cat Chow!