re: Win98 and Hard Disc Partitions
Friday, October 19, 2007 at 9:54 am
Windows 98 Annoyances Discussion Forum
Posted by Ed
(598 messages posted)
I strongly recommend copying the hard disk (e.g. using Norton's Ghost program) onto
a new hard disk, before making any changes.
Secondly, it is extremely dangerous to use FDISK.EXE for any function, where the
hard disk has data on it. I suggest using the program PARTITION MANAGER, or some
other non-Microsoft utility, to make any modifications to the disk structure.
Some computer manufacturers (e.g. Compaq) use small non-DOS partitions in their hard
disks, to store special utility programs, for data safety. It is unwise to delete
such partitions, because they contain the manufacturer's intended diagnostic tools
for the disk.
Therefore, do not simply assume that the partition is there by reason of some error.
Did you check for its presence before you started your alterations?
The PRI DOS (Primary DOS) partition is normally the main partition, and would ordinarily
be drive C:, but in your case Drive C: is a 2GB non-DOS partition.
So your existing Drive C: is a non-DOS partition? And you are planning to use FDISK,
a DOS utility, on it? Do you have a death wish??
Also, Seagate disk diagnostics should not be used on a Western Digital disk. Go get
yourself some Western Digital diagnostics programs, from their website, and see what
they report.
You will get no useful results on a FAT32 disk from the program "Readntfs", as there
are no NTFS partitions on a FAT32 disk (if it genuinely is FAT32). So whatever it
says is irrelevent.
In any case, most hard disks will have 8 MB of unused space, which is neither here
nor there on an 18+ GB disk. No partitioning ever fully uses up all the space. And
some software leaves the "test cylinder" unformatted anyway. So a tiny 8 MB of free
space is quite normal, even if it's being misreported as a partition.
I don't actually understand how Windows 98 can boot, if your Drive C: is a non-DOS
partition. Nor do I understand how you can have 18GB of data in a 2GB partition.
Presumably, you have "forgotten to mention" that you use disk compression software?
Given this morass of conflicting and incomplete information, it would certainly NOT
be safe to make any changes to your disk.
Ed
On Friday, October 19, 2007 at 9:01 am, Alan wrote:
>I have a similar problem to that recounted by Jonathan
>
>(see http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win98/t1189512931/)
>
>I too have an unwanted partition and wonder whether I can safely use FDISK to remove
>it.
>
>After an attempt to install Win98SE on top of a previous Win98 installation I find
>I have a second partition on one of my physical hard discs, a Western Digital 40GB
>drive. The disc now has a 1st partition which FDISK says is "non DOS", about 2GB,
>with no logical drive letter; and a 2nd partition which FDISK says is "PRI DOS",
>about 4MB, and assigned the logical drive letter D:.
>
>The Win98SE installation failed because the version I have is not for upgrade but
>new installation only so I re-installed Win98. Now Win98 lists a D: drive in Windows
>Explorer or My Computer but cannot access it. DOS cannot access it either.
>
>I have run Seagate disc diagnostic tools which find no error in the disc nor its
>file structure (FAT32) and correctly reports about 18GB used on the disc.
>
>I have also run a freeware utility called "Readntfs" which reports that there is
>an unused second partition of 8MB on my Primary Master drive! FDISK does not find
>this one.
>
>So, will it be safe to delete the unwanted partition on my Western Digital drive,
>and if I do this will I regain the ability to access the data on the second partition?
>Is it safer to use (say) Boot It Next Generation to delete the partition, rather
>than FDISK?
>
>Incidentally, to answer a question posed by gewg, 7Tools Partition Manager demo
version
>allows all functions to be tried out in a "virtual pre-execution" but not actually
>applid to make physical changes to the disc (according to the information shown
when
>dowloaded, installed and launched).
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