4 primary 1 logical need help

[mozartella]

I need to know, why, since I have reformated, my first hard disk on 3 primary and one logical..............., back to FAT 32 I am not able to see, only on the C: root, all my harddisks, but, where I had installed a second windows XP on the second primary partition, I can only see my first harddisk of 80 gig, and not the 2 others...mind you the 2 others are still under NTSF format, and the first hard disk is now, all under Fat32

. I mean, the last one was formated like this, one primary, and 2 logical... on the first one, I had, win XP sp2 on NTSF format, mainly for surfing the net, and virus companie, the logical I had it loaded with the same Win XP sp2, and just for audio and music purpose, I use keyboards and Midi and audio and, because of latency, the leaner, the better, then on the second logical, mainly for data storage... , at this time, I had all my puter under NTSF format, the first harddisk of 80 gig, the second one of 20 gig, and the last one of about 10 gig,but using it why a drawer...

Now, because I am stell feeling better with DOS., not understanding well, why I tried so many times, to FDISK, Format command, from Dos, but, I know, win XP or Win 2000 can't be acceeded anymore from Dos, but, I always affraid, not to be able to boot anymore my machine and, if I let windowXP, to boot and to install by itself, I really do not know, if it is going to truly make 3 Primary partition, that I could eventually hide...

I love to try news softwares, and my love for them, put me always under the hood of windows... Now, I am sick and tired to again reformat, re reboot, and so one...

I would dream, to make 3 primary partition on my 80 gig harddisk, to have a messy windowsXP for surfing, a second Primary WindowsXP, for exclusif use of Audio and Midi, this with a EMU 1820 sound card..., and, eventually try a Linux , but, maybe apart of the main Harddisk... and, not the last one, to either use Gohst or Acronis true Image, then if I make a boubou, then I can go back to the start point...


Thanks for your clever and best advise... my setup:

Time of this report: 3/4/2005, 20:48:29
Machine name: HOME-FNQF3DEF5X
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
System Model: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
BIOS: BIOS Date: 09/24/04 19:41:11 Ver: 08.00.09
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 1024MB RAM
Page File: 204MB used, 2257MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode

[Tex]

Your problem is your inability to give up fat32/dos.

Get over it. Its a terrible solution and XP/NTFS is a much more reliable and robust answer. You really need to just learn to do stuff the new way that is provided with XP and NTFS to solve the old problems you used to use a boot floppy for with fat32.

You need to boot or repair an installation? Boot from the cd and either do a repair install or use recovery console.

You should almost never ever ever EVER have to format again. You can repair a corrupted filesystem or a corrupted install using the NEW methods. Your killing yourself mucking around with stuff from a boot floppy and DOS.

And I don't mean to be critical. I am just trying to pull ya kicking and screaming into the modern way to deal with your problems. Your just shooting yourself in the foot using dos and a boot floppy or fat32.

Tex

[mozartella]

Thanks Mr. texas,

But, but, even if I switch deffinitively to NTSF, would it be better to have 2, maybe 3 primary partition, and a lots of logical partitions? says, one WinXP english, one WinXP french, and finally one for Linux....

and if I follow your advise, you said, I can repair a corrupted filesystem, or use recovery console, this is OK, but HOW ??

My only concern, since I had read the article to make one Primary partition, and a lots of logicals one, seems a very good idea, but, I truly feel, it would be good to have a very clean hard disk to start afresh and stable system, one and for all... :scratch:

Thanks...

[Tex]

primary partitons are bootable. I never ever make logical ones. You only need logical ones if you run out of primary ones. You get three primary ones. I disagree with many that feel you need to cut a disk into a bunch of tiny partitions. Just not needed and its a hassle.

How you would repair something would sorta depend on what was wrong. For instance to clean the filesystem you type chkdsk. Etc..
With xp if the operating system has missing or corrupt files you doa "repair" install and it keeps all your user files and settings and programs and repairs the OS install.

Tex

[mozartella]

Thanks Tex, going to try this one,

Now for the next question...

I have a 80 gig hard disk, an old 20 gig on a tray, I like to know, for the second one, this is for data storage, do I also have to format it like A primary partition, even if I am not going to use it with any OS ?

Also, why, when I take out the hardisk who is in the drawer, I when I reboot, the Bios is telling me stuff like Pri Master Teac CD, ultra DMA. mode-2.....
Secondary master Toshiba DVD rom ultra DMA Mode-2.....
third Master Samsung SPO, ultra DMA Mode-5,

then the Bios is asking me to reinitiate the setup?? sorry I do not understand, why It is telling me that, when the drawer is not inside, but, if I reinstall the drawer, It see it again....

thanks a Lot

then, from your advise it's better to have 4 Primary partition in an hard disk of 80 gig, without logical one? Them you would also make the spare hard disk Primary???

[Tex]

With NTFS you can have three primary partitons. With fat32 you get one and then have to go logical I believe. Been a while since I played with fat32. Hope its longer still till I do it again.

On the 20gb in the tray. I have 5 computers now at the house and have owned maybe another 8 or 10 dual cpu rigs in the last 2 years. Several were VERY frustrating as they demanded I go into the bios anytime ANY of the drives changed and verify the boot order. Which is what your computer is asking you to do. Which was a ROYAL pain in the arse when using stuff like a usb based cd burner, or even a friggin memory card from a camera on one of the box's because I shift parts around all the time. Some bios's are WAY better at not nagging at ya about changes in the drives. Some are a pain in the rump roast. But thats why they are bugging you to go into setup.
Hope that explains whats happening. The bios see's the installed drives change and sorta want you to reverify or even resetup the boot order. They think they are helping ya. And for nitwits that change stuff they are probably most of the time but many of us know what we are doing and the constant prompting and making us re verify the boot order is very frustrating.

Next.... No you do not have to format the 20gb as a primary and having it not be a primary might help your problem with the bios making you check the boot sequence when its removed or reinserted since only a primary is bootable. Depends on if the bios is smart enough to even check and only jack with you for a primary partition being added or removed. I do as many primary as possible because... I like the flexibility of having a OS on any of them and being bootable. So you can play and install an OS to any primary and make it bootable and shift stuff around. Its just more flexible and with ntfs I can't see a down side. You may not NEED it to be primary when you set it up but in a emergency you might want to install a OS to it later even for just a short time to repair another install etc... I do crap like that just playing or testing or installing something to help someone when I don't want to add doodoo to my main OS install etc..

Did we get al the questions answered good enough for ya?

tex