Which Partition Is the One That Contains the Hardware-specific Files Needed to Load Windows?
Hard Disks and Partitions
How to division, format, or wipe your hard drive
Before a difficult disk can be used it must be partitioned and formatted.
Segmentation determines how many drives you will end up with, and how big they are. In the DOS/Windows earth, this is done with a programme called FDISK.EXE.
Formatting encodes the disk with the information necessary for data to be stored on it: the Principal Boot Record and the File Allocation Tables. This is done with a program called FORMAT.COM.
You might retrieve of the procedure every bit something like this: you take a very large piece of paper, which you determine to cut into 8.5" ten 11" sheets (sectionalization); then you add lines and margin rules to each canvas (formatting).
Concrete vs Logical drives
Any hard disk may be partitioned as a single large drive, or carve up into two or more than smaller drives. For case, a 10 gigabyte hard deejay may be divide into 3: 1 4G drive, and two 3G drives. They will announced as drives C:, D:, and Due east: (if you have a CD-ROM information technology will become bulldoze F:). In this case, you accept one physical difficult disk (bulldoze), but three logical drives. Audio simple enough? Too bad. It isn't e'er that way. If you take two difficult disks, things get complicated (run into below).
Primary and Extended Partitions
You lot must have a principal partitioning, which is normally the one the operating organization (Windows) will kicking from. The primary partition may apply the unabridged disk, or merely part of it. If the primary partition does not use the entire disk, then y'all tin either get out the residual of the hard disk blank, or you tin can create an extended partitioning. The extended partitioning, in turn, can utilise upwardly the residual of the hard deejay or not, equally you lot wish. And then, after creating the primary and extended partitions, yous then define logical drives within the extended partition. Finally, in order to exist bootable, the chief partition must be made active. In summary, information technology's a four-footstep process:
ane. Create the Primary partition,using as much of the hd every bit you wish
ii. Brand the Chief partition agile (this doesn't have to be pace 2)
3. Create an Extended sectionalization, using every bit much of the remaining space as you wish (optional)
4. Create a Logical drive (or several), within the Extended sectionalization
Why would I want to go out part of the hd blank?
In instance you want to install another operating arrangement, similar Linux, or Windows NT, or something else, and brand a dual boot machine. With NT and Linux, you demand to install Windows 95/98 get-go.
Using FDISK
Ane final warning, and I can't emphasize this enough: FDISK is a program that WIPES hard disks. EVERYTHING on the deejay will be erased, and you volition NEVER be able to get information technology dorsum.Starting with a new, blank hard disk
You will need a boot disk for your system (run across how to create a boot disk)
With your calculator off, insert the boot floppy into the floppy disk bulldoze, and turn the automobile on. When the machine boots, you will see a command prompt, like this:
A:\>
Type "fdisk" (upper or lower case - it doesn't matter), and press Enter. Yous volition see a screen with a lengthy and nerdy message (meet Fig. 1), with a question, to which you answer Y or Northward; but brand sure to choose Y. Yous will not see this bulletin if you lot take a difficult disk smaller than 512Mb.
The next screen gives you lot a list of options:
Fig. 2
Y'all desire to select choice ane. Create DOS division or Logical DOS Drive.; then y'all will see the following screen:
Fig. 3
Again, you want to select choice 1. Create Master DOS Partition.
Next, yous will be asked how big you desire the Principal DOS Partition to be. Yous can specify it in either megabytes, or a percentage of the total disk space. Personally, I observe information technology easier to use a percentage figure.
(imitation screen capture)
Electric current stock-still disk drive: 1
Total deejay space is 10* Mbytes (1 Mbyte = 1048576 bytes)
Maximum infinite available for partition is X* Mbytes (100%)
Enter sectionalization size in Mbytes or percent of deejay space (%) to
create Primary DOS Partition..............................[Ten*]
Press Esc to return to FDISK options
Take the default option to create one segmentation with 100% of the bachelor space.
Y'all volition then see a message at the bottom of the screen well-nigh "verifying drive integrity", and a number counting upwardly from 0% to 100%
Then yous will see a screen like this:
Create Principal DOS Partition
| Segmentation | Status | Type | Volume Label | Mbytes | Arrangement | Usage |
| C:1 | PriDOS | 3565* | UNKNOWN | 34% |
Principal DOS Sectionalisation Created
Press ESC to continue
What does this hateful?
Partition C:i
That is, bulldoze C:, partition one.
Status
Whether the partition is active or not; if it were agile, there would exist an "A" under "Status".
Type
PriDOS means Primary DOS division. Even in Windows 95/98, FDISK calls it a DOS partitioning.
Volume Label
This is merely a name for the drive. Y'all can give a drive a proper name, or not, every bit you lot wish (run across FORMAT).
Mbytes
The size of the drive, in megabytes.
System
What type of File Resource allotment Table is on the bulldoze. Since this drive is all the same unformatted, FDISK can't tell nevertheless.
Usage
What percentage of total hard disk drive space this drive is occupying.
Making the Chief DOS partition agile
Press Esc until you get dorsum to the main menu (Fig. 2). Choose option 2, Set active sectionalization. In that location volition just be 1 partition available (C:1). Make it agile, and press Esc again to return to the primary menu.
Using FORMAT
If you survived partitioning your hd (and were successfull), using FORMAT volition be easy.Later partitioning the hard drive, y'all must reboot the auto in order for the changes to take effect. You will then run across the A: prompt over again.
At the A:\> prompt, type:
format c:
You will be warned that this operation will erase all data on the drive, and are you lot SURE you want to proceed. As long as you are sure, type "Y".
When the format is consummate, you will exist asked if y'all want the bulldoze to have a volume label, which is no more than a "name" for the drive. Blazon one if you wish, or exit it blank. You can ever add together or change the book characterization later.
If you have successfully partitioned and formatted your hard disk drive, CONGRATULATIONS! You have only accomplished two things that very few computer users know how to do.
As I said at the get-go of this document, things get a fiddling more complicated if you accept two hard disks. That state of affairs is covered in Part 10.
FOR MUCH LATER REFERENCE:
If you lot had wanted to create more than one partition, you could have chosen a size for your DOS sectionalisation and then created 2 partitions. Much of this depends on your hard drive size. After yous create the Primary DOS division with, for example, 50MB of infinite--you create an extended DOS partition that y'all may leave whole or further subdivide into logical drives.
Creating the Extended DOS Sectionalisation
At the main FDISK menu (Fig. 2):
1. Choose option i, Create DOS partiton or Logical DOS drive.
2. Cull option 2, Create Extended DOS partition.
You now have a screen similar to when yous created the Chief DOS sectionalization; you are asked how many megabytes, or what percentage of the remaining hard disk space, is to exist assigned to the extended DOS partition. If you lot have the default (which is in megabytes), or specify 100%, ALL the remaining infinite on the disk will be assigned to the extended DOS division.
NOTE: the percentages in this section represent the percentage of space in the Extended DOS Partition; this is Not the percentage of total hd infinite.
Since nosotros desire to assign all the remaining space to an extended DOS sectionalisation in this practise, just press Enter. You will over again see the "verifying bulldoze integrity" bulletin, then you will be asked to ascertain logical drives in the extended sectionalisation (next).
Creating Logical Drives in the Extended DOS Partition
For the starting time drive, specify 50%; you lot will come across a line appear at the pinnacle your screen, like to what you saw when you created the primary DOS partition, showing bulldoze D:, its type, size, etc.
Adjacent, you can simply printing Enter for the size of bulldoze E:. Whatever the size is (it will be in Mbytes), that will be the other 50% of the extended DOS Partition.
Done!
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