|
|
|
NT on a large, partitioned HD
|
Original Message
|
Name: Geoff
Date: March 5, 2001 at 05:02:51 Pacific
Subject: NT on a large, partitioned HD |
Comment: Hi, I've recently tried to install NT on a 20gB HD. I partitioned the drive (with partition magic), hid the other partitions and installed NT at the start of the disk. This worked OK. But when I tried to unhide the other partitions (with WinME). To make matters more complicated, this problem only reveals itself when I have partitioned the top of the drive (for Linux, data, applications and a back-up) and can't easily hide these partitons. My first guess is this is to do with the HD driver -- the problems NT has recognising a drive over 8.4 Gb. When I use the Install CD to try to install the service pack HD driver that should fix this, it simply refused to load this driver. This has left me with NT installed on a 2 Gb partition that I can't access without re-partitoning and hiding most of the HD. Any help on this would be very much appreciated. Thanks,
Geoff.
Report Offensive Message For Removal
|
|
Response Number 3
|
Name: lm-s
Date: March 6, 2001 at 01:08:24 Pacific
|
Reply: (edit)SP4 or later handles the HD size problem. You provide the updated atapi.exe during installation. Check that issue out with John Savill at: http://www.win2000mag.com - FAQ's at: http://www.windows2000faq.com - Instalations section - specifically: http://www.windows2000faq.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=13894 If you had ME on the HD initially (FAT32) then John Savill also details a work-around for FAT32 '98 that should also work for ME (as FAT32); again hunt/browse his site? How was the HD configured before you started out: and how is it now - Primary/Primaries/Extneded etc..? You can set up NT/ME and NT/ME/Linux without the use of a third-party add-in boot-manager...; and, again, most of the info can be cobbled together (assembled/gathered together) from John Savill's site - and probably the Linux forum here as well for the NT/Linux items.
 Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal
|
|
Response Number 4
|
Name: Geoff
Date: March 6, 2001 at 02:13:53 Pacific
|
Reply: (edit)Thanks for the replies. The initial set up was with a single FAT32 partition containing ME (for which I don't have install disks). I put the NT partition at the start of the HD (2Gb NTFS), installed and ran it without any problems. I used bootmagic to switch between the set-ups. When I encountered trouble was when I took the rest of the HD and turned it into an extended partition which has a Linux system and swap, and a series of FAT16 partitions for data, applications and the like. It was when I add the extended partition that NT stopped booting. I used John Saville's FAQ to try and install the atapi.exe driver -- this failed without giving any reason. It was meant to be the driver from SP4. This problem has me completely confused. None of the associated faq's I've been able to find deal with it or even hint that this can happen. Geoff.
Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal
|
|
Response Number 5
|
Name: lm-s
Date: March 7, 2001 at 03:55:36 Pacific
|
Reply: (edit)Post back with exact config of your HD - order of partitions (drive letters too?) - file formats - both as it is now, and as it 'was' before the problems started... I think there is little bit of essential info missing in your posts to date. I'm thinking that if your active Primary was NTFS... then you created the Extended partition/installed other OS's (Linux etc) then you 'may' have overwritten the NT boot-loader... though quite how? Other possibilities... Boot-code boundary: finding a clear well defined discussion on this item is well nigh impossible. The NT boot/start-up files have to be within the first 2gig of the HD; I think I'm correct in understandng that if this (system) partition is larger than 2Gig, then again, NT will not boot (unless it also includes the system files, i.e. the whole OS). If the boot partition starts further than 4Gig (physically) into the HD, NT will not boot (i.e total used/unused space on drive before NT boot-partition exceeds 4Gig then NT cannot boot). http://www.win.tue.nl/math/dw/personalpages/aeb/linux/partitions/partition_types-2.html is a link all about assorted partition issues... Trawling around found the following general (Multi-boot info) site that may also be of interest? http://www.webteknology.com/W2KMultiBoot.htm Post back?
Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal
|
|
Response Number 6
|
Name: vivah8t
Date: March 9, 2001 at 09:13:31 Pacific
|
Reply: (edit)Actually you are slightly off on what the NT partition can be. The primary partition that NT is installed on can be up to 7.875gb. But, if you want to do that you have to install NT on a 4gb partition, then use partition magic to increase it to 7.875gb. This is because problems will occur if you install it on a partition bigger than 4gb even though the partition is supposed to be bootable = or < 7.875 If you can start from scratch I would do it that way. Get NT on @ 4gb, then extend to 7.875gb
Then create the other partitions and load the other OS.
Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal
|
Use following form to reply to current message:
|
|
|
