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General discussion

Which PARTITION software is the best

Oct 6, 2006 2:52PM PDT

Looking for any opinions on what ever partitioning software is the easiest and best to use.
Thanks

Discussion is locked

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One more vote for Acronis
Oct 25, 2006 6:00PM PDT
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Partition Magic
Jul 23, 2008 6:21AM PDT

Partition Magic 8 has worked well for me, no problems here.

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Partition Magic 8.0
Dec 1, 2008 11:10AM PST

I have used Partition Magic for many, many years and never had a problem with it (until now)! They do not support partitioning Removable Media drives (by it's own admission (see page #9 of Partition Magic's Guide)).

I recently purchased a 1TB Seagate External (removable media) Drive and would like to partition it, but I can't use my Partition Magic 8.0

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Should be able to partition that external with your OS..
Dec 2, 2008 10:19AM PST

have you tried ?

VAPCMD

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Using FDIsk
Dec 2, 2008 11:42PM PST

NO, it's been twenty+ years since I used FDisk, feel a little leery retrying it now.... I may decide not to partition it since it is designed as a backup drive....

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What OS are you using?
Dec 3, 2008 9:41AM PST

Windows 2000, XP, Vista and even Windows NT didn't use FDISK.

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OS
Dec 3, 2008 1:05PM PST

Running XP with the latest update. I ended up purchasing Acronis Disk Director Suite #10.0....

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DiskGenius
May 8, 2010 2:16AM PDT
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Don't believe the hype...
Jul 21, 2010 12:57AM PDT

I realize this is probably too late of a post, but we all deal with partition issues so figured I'd post anyway. I've repartitioned many a machine since the 80's -- so may be able to help offer some useful info. First and foremost, PartitionMagic -- was great, now is not "valid" in today's newer environments. If you have an older machine / drive -- then it will probably work -- but keep in mind that software has been "retired" -- and Norton has basically let it sit in in the sun to fry (too bad). I'll give you an example -- it won't work with many newer drives / interfaces -- won't work on new ThinkPads, etc. -- so save yourself the time and unless it's an older machine, don't bother -- and definitely don't spend any money on it.

Next, first and foremost (and cheapest) -- if you can perform a wipe/reinstall -- that's the easiest way to go. First of all, starting "fresh" on an OS (any OS -- even Mac), will allow you to have a more reliable system without the legacy apps, drivers, etc. You should have your system recovery CD from Dell (or whatever vendor you have) -- and please note that some machines keep their "recovery" installation on a hidden partition, so there is no disc -- and typically a keystroke combination at post (when machine first boots up) will allow you to access it. Needless to say -- always, always backup data to two places -- backup to external device that is "local" -- and keep a backup offsite to protect against theft, fire, etc. There are finally a couple reliable remote backup solutions that are inexpensive, so there's no reason not to backup daily. Then start the system restore and when Windows Setup gets to the point asking you where you would like to install the operating system -- choose to delete the existing partition -- then create a new one -- IMPORTANT -- when you create a new partition, don't use the default value which would be the entire partition. Enter half (or whatever value you'd like). I recommend keeping at least 10GB for your "C" drive -- covers years worth of Windows patches, installations, etc. Also, we utilize Deep Freeze a lot (probably the one of the best unknown software apps out there -- it will save you hours/days/weeks of dealing with system problems -- have you ever thought Windows can be "worry free" -- well, it can -- just takes some education and config). Once you do that "partial" partition -- then create it using NTFS (not quick mode) -- and complete your Windows installation -- then once in Windows you can create a new partition (Extended - Logical -- this will be your D: drive). I recommend first going into Disk Manager in Windows and changing your CD/DVD drive letters to be "G" or later -- do that first before installation any software from CD -- and then create your new logical partition -- or your "D" drive -- as well as any other partitions you wish to create. Format with NTFS (make sure you remember to change the name to something like "DATA" -- makes it easier when viewing in Windows Explorer) -- and you're set. No cost, no fuss -- and will be as close to 99% reliable as possible.

Okay, now for dealing with existing Windows installations -- if you're not a technical person and your time means money -- or more time with the family -- then go with either Acronis Disk Director 11 or Avanquest Partition Commander 11 -- I recommend Partition Commander, but simply personal preference. Make sure you get the latest version -- very important -- and if you do an installation a year from now, do the same -- always make sure you have the latest version. This stuff is software just like anything else -- and missing a version/iteration could cause you hours of frustration.

Hope that's helpful.

Peace.

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Hard disk drive partition
Jul 22, 2010 8:20AM PDT

What is the best software to partitation windows 7 64-bit hdd?

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I would use
Jul 22, 2010 9:25PM PDT

Windows 7 own partition manager in Disk Management.

Mark

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DiskGenius
Jul 22, 2010 11:12PM PDT

DiskGenius has windows 7 64-bit version.

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partition utility
Aug 25, 2010 4:01PM PDT
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Partition Assistant which now I'm useing is nice
Feb 13, 2011 2:31PM PST

partition assistant done this job well ,and I also like the ntfs to fat32 converter which give me solve a big problem, you could read more detail from here
http://www.aomeitech.com/index.html

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Jesus Christ! Please backup first. I lost my partition...
Jan 16, 2013 11:00PM PST

I used one of these partition tools and it is really dangerous. If you do not know what you are doing even the professional version causes lost. So, you need to be very careful so that nothing should happen to you that you do not want. So the first thing is backup and you can enjoy experimenting later. If you do experiment, remember that it takes time to restore. My system takes 15 to 24 hours to restore the entire hard drive. So it is a lot of work.