Hi there.
can anyone help? I feel a bit stupid with this one.
I recently upgraded my computer and re-installed XP (it wouldn't boot with the New MB/CPU and Old System Etc) Now, I bought 2 ATA serial Hard-drives and I'm running them on the SART mode in the BIOS. The boot config is all set up ok and all has worked well so far. When I first installed XP, the partition window came up asking my which drive I wanted to install Win XP etc and both drives came up to be partitioned etc. I partitioned the first drive (C) and installed win XP. NoW, I have no idea how to partition the second drive!! I can't get any of the diskpart command to pick up the drive or anything and the Windows XP help is nothing short of comedy.
What am I doing wrong??
Or should I ask. how do I do it??
Thx a mill.
Dave W.

right click my computer and select manage. there is a disk management feature in there which should do everything you want.

Simon

You can also use Partition Magic, which is a program that lets you partition your hard drives (hence the name.) You can partition it to be pretty much any filesystem, from FAT16 to NTFS to any linux filesystem. You can buy it at http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic/ or download a free trial from http://www.soft32.com/download_151.html

\/3$$ \/\/i7h 7-3 B3$7 Di3 1i{3 7h3 R3$7

Use a program called Partition Magic. A lot easier to work with, and a lot more options on creating and managing partitions.

XTC

Thx a mill people.
what a thick"o" I am!
D.

1f not using the Disk Admin approach (#1/Simon's advice) - save the pennies... and simply use '98 bootdisk Fdisk/format utils to same end. Just be careful to address (deal with) the second drive - not the first!

Download a '98 SE bootdisk image (with CDROM support) at:

bootdisk.com

Expand it to a floppy; use that floppy.

Fdisk/format tutorial:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q255/8/67.ASP

Yeah, but the 98SE way does not support NTFS, it only supports Fat32, and you are still very limited on your options when managing your partitions.

Use Partition Magic.

XTC

'98 bootdisk would allow to configure the second drive; afterwhich Disk Admin tools to format as ntfs. Also if '98 used to format the drive/partition(s)it as fat32, again it(they) can be reformatted as ntfs via Disk Admin tools.

Why spend pennies on things one doesn't need, when one can save those pennies for other toys/treats?

Partition Magic has a 30 day free trial period. And it does everything for you at one time. Rather then creating a partition in Fat32 then formatting in NTFS in windows.

In Partition Magic, you can create partitions to a specific size. Why spend the time to do all this System config, when you can take advantage of a 30 Free Trail, and get your system set up the way you want.

It’s nice to know that there are other ways of doing this, but the easiest, best, and less time consuming way is with Partition Magic. You have a 30 day free trial. Use it.

Use Partition Magic.

XTC

If there is a freebie period for PM - and the known bug between XP and PM doesn't crop up... then fine use PM (probably a similar period for SC and it has no known bugs re' XP).

One would use it (either) to create a fat32 Primary "ahead" of the current ntfs Primary - i.e. physically first on the drive. This becomes (and remains) the active Primary and '98 goes in there. Then an XP repair routine (modified slightly) is run to establish the XP boot loader etc. in the new '98 Primary and complete the dual-boot arrangements.

Anything that avoids the need to start completely afresh (i.e. reconfigure the drive and install both OS accordingly) is to be welcomed? Also there are variations on (re)configuring a drive for a dual/multi-boot...

Otherwise I tend to favour a second drive... much less messing about with the current XP OS, drive partitions etc.; consequently safer - especially for the novice? A second drive approach leaves the original drive installation unchanged; but the drive becomes Slave to the new ('98) drive. Thus the XP drive could be restored to its present (Master drive) state at any time, and the '98 drive removed or reset as Slave to it (but no longer bootable to '98); '98 drive would then be as data area etc?

Endless possibilities.

What is the bug with PM? I've used it for almost 6 years on all operating systems I've had including XP and have had absolutely NO problems EVER with creating or maintaining all of my partitions.

I'm very curious to find out what the problem is with PM.

XTC

I'm not too sure/clear about it. Nonetheless several posts here (and other fora/forums) have bemoaned about troubles with PM and XP; also allegedly acknowledged by PM to that effect. As I said earlier there are none reported with SC and XP...

There were known problems too with NT4 and earlier versions of PM - an M$ KB reflects on these.

I had a minor issue with SC in its early years; haven't used since then. PM likewise caused me minor grief - but nothing that couldn't be dealt with (again upto and including NT/W2K).

Likely as not many will find PM OK with XP; many may not?

If you could post some links in regards to the posts you have seen, that would be great. I'd really like to know what others have experienced with PM. I recommend it to everyone, including clients, and if there are known issues, I'm sure that not just me but others would be interested in this information.

XTC

If I can dig our the references I will pass them to you; probably message you via the system here.

Cool that would be great.

XTC

Hi Guys.
thx for the interesting thread. Sadly nothing seems to work. Even tried the Win-98 boot disk idea. (wanted to avoid it cos wanted all NTFS, but would have used PM after)(great idea!) But it won't boot cos I don't think Win-98 boot disks work with SATA drives. . . .?(is this true?) it didn't work for me. Even when I configured the BIOS to emulated mode.(you can tell the BIOS to force the SATA Drives to be seen as Primary IDE drives etc.)
Disk Manager didn't work. Win XP does not see the drive. PM does not see the drive! The only time (other than boot up) that I have seen the drive mentioned was when I first installed WINXP from CD. It asked me which drive did I wanna format/F-disk etc. Oh how I wished I'd done it then.
Anyway, Anyone got any other ideas, let me know.
Cheers.
D.

P.s. I'm not really a Thick"O". I just knew Win98 much better than XP.And I never used these SATA drives before. Kinda groovy but kinda annoying! Are there known bugs?

These drives need to have their own driver(s) installed and can this be done various ways; including (it would seem) during XP/W2K setup (much like a SCSI).

Also is the MoBo OK for this type of drive - or do you have an appropriate controller-card?

As I've no personal experience with SATA drives thus far... "I wuz a wunderin..." will they work with '9x; there have been a few references at this forum (and others) to SATA drives re' W2K/XP - often with some "minor" problems in geting it all to work....

So, in the interest of self-help (so I get to know a litle more about them I dun a brief trawl on the www.

I used the string:

windows 98 SATA drives

and got many hits; three are posted below.

http://www.winnetmag.com/Article/ArticleID/41058/41058.html

discusses the issue a litle - includes a link to more detailed input.

likewise:

http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,111654,00.asp

http://www.seagate.com/support/kb/disc/howto/sata_install_tshoot.html

There are many more via the above trawl...

Hi there.
Am kinda reaching dead-ends everywhere. the only thread of hope is that someone with the same gigabyte board as me and the same hard-drives (Maxtor 120Gb 8Mb cache ones) has had a similar problem. But, When I first installed WinXP, it showed both drives in the original partitioning window and asked whick drive to format etc and install to. I have even moved my CD-RW and DVD-RW to the other IDE port and still no good. . . .
Very frustrating indeed.
Cheers for the help anyway.
D.

I can appreciate the phrustrayshun...

If (when) you do resolve it perhaps you can/will post back with an update as to how?

Perhaps a fresh post with a reference back to the two you have already used for this problem? That way we all get to know something useful for (orsevles and) others in the future?

Good luck with it all in the meantime.

Hi Guys&gals
quick follow-up here also
Took drive back to retailer and get it tested. I figured it was faulty. It was, just replaced it and everything "A" ok.
cheers for the help.
Just used XP disk manager inthe end. Dead easy.
D.

Well it always was a possibility - just that none of us considered it...

There's a quote from Sherlock Holmes (and also StarTrek/Spock?) to the effect that when all "posssibilites/probabliities" have been explored only the impossible/improbable is left... I guess we were somewhere in the middle of all of that???

Thanks for posting back - useful for the future...