So, I opened up PArtion Magic 8.0 for the first time in ages and it gave me two errors:

1) That one of my drives "appears to have partitions created using a different drive geometry" and it cannot be fixed so I should format.

and

2) That there was some partition table error that could be fixed.

So, I fixed the partion table error and me E: drive went from showing up as BAD to showing up fine. However, my F: drive shows up as BAD.

Now, here's the REAL starnge and confusing part:

I go into the built in XP Disk Management tool and guess which drive it can't read? That's right, E: - the one I just fixed. However, according to that, F:, the unifxable one is healthy as a horse.

So, I have no idea what to do since both drives appear to be working perfectly and it's only the disk utitlities that show problems.

Does anyone have any ideas? What can I do?

I want to avoid reformatting as both drives have my most important data but I don't have anywhere to back it up without buying a new drive, which I can't really afford at the moment and even then, I wouldn't know which drive was truly "bad".

Thanks. :)

you need to go to cmd window in acessories
change to f: drive
f:\chkdsk /f
that windows utility will fix the driver upon reboot

OK, but I still don't know fi that's the actual drive with problem,as illustarted in my original post.

The thing is that PM class it "Disk 2", when it is actually (AFAIK) my 3rd disk. All that just futher adds to my confusion.

Also, PM siad not to use the OS to attempt to fix the problem, so I'm hesitant to run CHKDSK on it.

Partition Magic strikes again!! Remember, "With a name like Symantec it's got to be bad". (Thanks and a hat tip to Smuckers.)

Does it by chance have an 'undo' function?

Partition Magic 8.0 has lots of bugs, especially in it's Windows version, and some of those produce false error messages or cause other problems. Because of that, if you were not having any problems, you should ignore what Partition Magic 8.0 says in most cases.
(You can make a two floppy Dos bootable version of PM using a program that does that on the CD, that has most of the features of the Windows version, but you're supposed to use the Windows version to prepare an empty drive or a drive you want to re-configure partitions for, for use in 2000 or XP).

There is an large update available on the Symantec web site that fixes those bugs.

Partition Magic and other partition manipulation programs do not necessarily use the same drive letters for partitions as XP does. Windows 2000 and XP and up assign drive letters to partitions in Windows in the order they are detected when Setup was last run, or in the order they were created after Setup was run taking into account drive letters already assigned previously(e.g. a hard drive partition drive letter may be after a CD drive letter, if the CD drive was previously detected before that hard drive partition existed) unless you deliberatly change the drive letters assigned yourself in Disk Management. Partition Magic and other partition manipulation programs have no way of detecting what drive letter was assigned by Windows 2000 and XP and up. So it's quite possible the partition Partition Magic sees as F is what XP sees as E. You need to check the sizes of the partitions, and how much data is on them, in order to figure out whether you're actually seeing the same partition you see as that drive letter in 2000 or XP.

Partition Magic, and probably at least some other partition manipulation programs, and some other utilities and programs that can examine partitions, will find a problem with the last partition on a drive if the drive was not partitioned the same way as 2000 and XP do when you use then operating system to partition the drive - XP and 2000 leave about 8mb at the end of each physical drive un-partitioned - as free space. If that about 8mb un-partitioned free space is not there, they will find a problem with the last partition. If you wipe that partition in 2000 or XP, you cannot partition the whole available space - 2000 or XP will not allow you to do that - there must be about 8mb or unpartitioned free space at the end of the drive space for any give physical drive.

Yes, there is technically an undo function, but it's not available since I didn't actually do anything.

Tubesandwires, I checked the sizes as well as the custom names I have given each drive and the conflicting detection is still there. I'm baffled.

Would it be safe to run CHKDSK on each drive and see if that clears it up or should I go head PM's advice and leave it alone?

Please answer the ten numbered questions. Copy and Paste if you don't want to do a lot of typing.

"So, I opened up PArtion Magic 8.0 for the first time in ages..."

1. Why did you use Partition Magic in the first place?

2. Was there anything wrong with the partitions in Windows before you used it, or were you having other Windows problems?

"...it gave me two errors:
1) That one of my drives "appears to have partitions created using a different drive geometry" and it cannot be fixed so I should format.
and
2) That there was some partition table error that could be fixed.

So, I fixed the partion table error and me E: drive went from showing up as BAD to showing up fine. However, my F: drive shows up as BAD."

3. - For 1) - Are you using drive overlay software on that hard drive?
4. - What did you partition that drive with - XP, or something else, such as a drive preparation utility availble free from the maker of the hard drive?

5. - For 2) and after - was F: fine before in Partition Magic?

Take a look at the physical drive that has the partition Partition Magic shows as F: in XP (it may NOT be the same drive letter in XP - note the sizes of the partitions and the sizes of the data on them to make sure you are looking at the same one) in Disk Management.
6. Is there about 8mb of un-partitioned free space at the end of that physical hard drive?
7. Is there about 8mb of un-partitioned free space at the end of the other physical hard drive?

8. Exactly what does Disk Management say about E:?

9. Can you access E: fine in My Computer and Windows Explorer?
If you can, leave things as they are for the time being!

"Yes, there is technically an undo function, but it's not available since I didn't actually do anything."

Yes you did - you corrected the supposed partition table error. If there was an Undo available after you did that, it might not be available unless you use it in the same session - if you exited the program then went back in later, the ability to Undo what you did may be lost.

I don't think running chkdsk will do any harm, but you can't run it on any partition that cannot be seen in My Computer or Windows Explorer in any case. I doubt it will help. For the time being don't run it on any partition XP sees but has problems with, if applicable.
For that matter, running chkdsk without any switch after it only finds errors - it doesn't fix them - it can't do any harm. It's chkdsk /f that fixes errors.

"I don't have anywhere to back it up without buying a new drive, which I can't really afford at the moment...."

10. Do you have a CD or DVD burner and blank disks? There are freeware backup utilities on the web, or you could use the one built into Windows, and you don't need to back up anything you can easily re-install or download again.
Or for that matter, hard drives are cheaper than ever. If you don't already have enough blank disks, it may be cheaper and quicker to just buy a hard drive.

It would be a good idea to check the physical hard drive that has the supposed bad partition on it with it's manfacturers diagnostic utility, avalable free on the manufacturer's web site, to rule out the drive being defective.