Partition Magic - Partition Manager Software

Resize/Move partition without data loss. Extend system partition easily and safely. Create, delete and format partion with simple steps. Copy partition and disk to transfer data with ease. Support disk and partition size larger than 2 TB. Keep your data safe even in case of power outages or hardware failure.

About Create

Use Create operation to create primary partitions, extended partitions, and logical partitions. On a single hard disk, you can have up to four primary partitions, or three primary partitions and one extended partition. Within an extended partition, you can create unlimited additional subdivisions called logical partitions.

Before You Create a Partition
Generally, you should create primary partitions to install operating systems and logical partitions for all other purposes, such as storing data and applications. If you have multiple hard disks, you can improve speed by installing operating systems and applications on separate disks. If you do not know what type of partition you want to create, it may help you to read the topic Understanding Partitions. However, you can install Windows NT, 2000, and XP to logical partitions as long as their boot files are in a primary partition.
In Windows 95, 98 and Me, creating a new partition can make your drive letters change, causing applications not to run because application shortcuts, initialization files, and registry entries refer to incorrect drives. DriveMapper, a utility included with PartitionMagic, helps you easily update drive letter references. Under certain conditions, DriveMapper runs automatically after you create a partition. While you can use DriveMapper to update references to files, for the least impact on your system, consider creating all new partitions on the highest disk (for example, disk 3 in a three-disk system) and to the right of existing partitions.

Creating Bootable Partitions
Before creating a partition where you plan to install an operating system (a bootable partition), you should understand the information outlined in the following table.

Operating System	Boots from Primary or Logical	Supported Partition Types	Boot Code Boundary	Space Required
DOS 6.22 (and earlier)	Primary	FAT	2 GB	8 MB
Windows 95a	Primary	FAT	2 GB	90 MB
Windows 95b	Size Type 1250	Primary FAT or FAT32	8 GB	90 MB
Windows 98	Primary	FAT or FAT32	8 GB	175 MB
Windows 98 SE	Primary	FAT or FAT32	8 GB**	190 MB
Windows Me	Primary	FAT or FAT32	8 GB**	300 MB
Windows NT	Primary*	FAT or NTFS version 1.2	2GB	120 MB
Windows 2000	Primary*	FAT, FAT32, or NTFS version 3.0	8 GB**	650 GB
Windows XP	Primary*	FAT, FAT32, or NTFS version 3.1	8 GB**	"1 GB
Linux (LILO)+	Either	Linux Ext2, Ext3? and Linux Swap	8 GB	"250 MB

* Windows NT/2000/XP must boot from a primary partition on the first drive. However, only a few Windows NT/2000/XP files must reside on that partition; the remaining files can reside on a logical partition, which can be located on the first or a subsequent drive. The Windows NT/2000/XP boot partition can be shared with another operating system. When a second OS shares a boot partition with the first OS, it is called bootstrapping.
** Having an LBA-compatible (Logical Block Addressing) MBR (Master Boot Record) will make the boot code boundary null with Windows Me/2000/XP.

1. If you install LILO to a logical partition, it must be the first logical partition in the extended partition.
2. Linux also supports the partition types FAT, FAT32, and NTFS (read-only) if Linux is installed to a Linux Ext2 partition.

Important: When you create, move, or resize a bootable partition, the partition must begin below the boot code boundary specified in the above table in order for the operating system to boot. With the exception of DOS 6.22 (or earlier) and OS/2, partitions beyond 8 GB are visible to the current operating system. For more information, see Understanding the BIOS 1,024 Cylinder Limit and Understanding the 2 GB Boot Code Boundary. The disk map in the PartitionMagic main window displays indicators for the 2 GB boot boundary and the 1024 cylinder (8 GB) limit.

PartitionMagic displays a warning if you attempt to create, move, or resize a bootable partition outside of the 2 GB boot code boundary. If you continue with the operation, you may not be able to boot or see the partition. In either case, you can resolve the problem by moving the partition back within the boot code boundary with the PartitionMagic rescue disks.
If your system includes SCSI disks and you create a partition before a bootable Linux partition, Linux may no longer be bootable. In this situation, you may need to create Linux rescue disks, boot from the rescue disks, and repair the Linux boot information on the Linux partition.
Some I/O cards (typically older RAID cards) only provide access to the first 8 GB of a disk under DOS. Consequently, if you resize the operating system partition beyond 8 GB and it becomes unbootable, the PartitionMagic rescue disks may not allow you to manipulate partitions on that drive. You should be cautious about resizing any older operating system partition beyond 8 GB (Windows 95, 98 (pre-SE), NT).
1. To create a partition
2. Create Scenario: To create a logical partition on a secondary hard disk
3. Create Scenario: To create a Linux logical partition
4. Create Scenario: To create a primary partition for Windows NT

Partition Manager Help

About Partition Magic

Getting Started