Merging hd partitions problem

grimm2005

hey,

I created a 10gb second partition on my laptop several months ago so i could use vista and xp in dualboot. I've now decided to stick with XP. i deleted the xp partition a while ago so i had to reinstall it. i booted with the xp disc and formatted both partitions (i deleted the 10gb one assuming it would merge automatically with the primary partition, as i did summit along those lines with the pc before).
needless to say, that didnt happen so i now have my fresh xp install aswell as 10gb of unpartitioned space.
Using norton partition magic i've tried formatting it to different HD types to try and merge it with my 60gb NTFS C: Drive but norton keeps telling me i have no drives that can be merged.
Anyone have any ideas? and i dont mind if it involves a fresh xp install and format as ive pretty much just done that so i have nothing on it needing to be salvaged.
Thanks,
grimm2005

homerzero

delete the 10gb partition then expand the other partition to take up the unused space

grimm2005

ive deleted the 10gb partition (norton labels it as Unallocated) but when i select the resize/move option on my C: Drive it won't let me expand it higher than its current maximum (61gb). Am i doing anything wrong here?

Gadgetman496

Seeing as you don't mind reinstalling XP you'd be as well to boot from the XP disc & delete both partitions, then do a full format & you should have the full disk to install on.

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grimm2005

right i've tried that and it still isnt working, they still both come up as unpartioned space and it wont bring them together and when i try to create partition it will only let me make them 60 and 10gb respectivily. Could the fact that theres a FAT32 3gb partition between them have anything to do with it? I'm pretty sure that this was on the system when i got it and it probably contains Dell system utility stuff so i dont really want to delete it
Is there any way around this?
thanks

Gadgetman496

I can't recall off the top of my head but when you get to create a new partition does it not allow you to enter the maximum size for that? Can you increase it?

grimm2005

it lets you change the maximum size but it wont let me increase it on either partition. they both remain at 61gb and 10gb and it just wont merge them. its wrecking my head because i remember doing it no bother with my desktop a good while ago

Gadgetman496

I'm at a loss too! Surely if you delete both partitions you should be able to create one new one?

Maybe it has to do with the 3rd partition, possibly a system recovery partition. I'd love to have it in front of me to see first hand.

The only other option (If you can still boot to Windows) would be to use something like Partition Magic to merge the two?

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grimm2005

partition magic keeps telling me i've no partitions that can be merged. failing that i thought for definite itd be grand at the xp setup but clearly not. i don't know why but i have an inkling its that third 3gb partition thats not letting it happen because i think i read somewhere that the partitions have to be parrallel and maybe the other partition is getting in the way. This is what my drive looks like in partition magic:



Now i presume the top DELLUTILITY one would be a system recovery yoke, second is my main C: drive, the fourth is the 10gb partition i want to merge into my C: drive but i havn't a notion what the third one is but im afraid to format it in case its important cos its labeled as local disk aswell and has some crazy file type. Any ideas?

Gadgetman496

Ok, you appear to have 2 choices now.

If you have the windows OS Disc & from what you've been saying you must? then delete that 3rd Recovery partition (and it is a Recovery partition) and start from fresh. Just make sure you have all your drivers first.

OR -

Use that recovery partition to restore the machine to the way it was when you received it new (Factory Default)

You can find the straight forward instructions on how to recover your system here:

http://lbis.kenyon.edu/help/techsupport/dellreload.htm

Good luck!

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grimm2005

hmm, ok, well i definitly have all my driver discs and an xp (aswell as vista upgrade disc which was given free to me by dell), in which case i guess id be good to delete the restore partition but i like the idea of having the option to return to factory settings.

if i initiate the restore facility would that automatically merge the drives back so i have my single 71gb or so C: drive which came with the comp? if so i think this would be the way i'd go.
Thanks a mil

Ghost Train

Have you tried moving the 3rd partition to the end of the drive. You need the unallocated space to be beside the c drive partition if you want to merge them i think

To do this though you might have to allocate all the drive space except for enough free space at the end of the drive to move the 3gb partition in to. Maybe make a 6.5 gb ntfs partition with the unallocated space, make a copy of the 3rd 3gb dell partition in the left over unallocated space at the end of the drive

So then you would have your c drive, then the old 3gb partition, then the 6.5gb ntfs, then the new 3gb partition at the end

Then delete the old 3gb partition, the 6.5gb partition and merge the free space this creates with your c drive

I know I did something like this before and it worked, cant remember the exact details though, but you might have to use this to fix the dell restore utility after.
http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/fixes.htm

Unless your sure what your doing might be best not to try the above

Gadgetman496

Well any of the Dells I've restored using the recovery partition put them back to exactly as they were when sold. Having said that your case is slightly different. I would guess that it would though.

You have options so that leaves you in control

If you do delete the recovery partition? what's the worst case scenario further down the road? "A fresh Install" & you have the ability & all the tools.

But just to see I would do the recovery first for the hell of it.

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grimm2005

hmm, eolhc, that makes a lot of sense and i never even thought about that.

it turns out i fecked up the ctrl + f11 system restore function after partitioning the drive. i've tried using the dsrfix thing on that guys site by booting from cd from the iso available on his site but it dosnt seem to work (after burning cd theres nothing on it and it just boots into xp after tryin to boot from cd).

i could do the mentioned sorting out and rearranging and copying partitions malarky and keep the system restore partition in case i need or want to try it at a future date (and again trying to use your mans dsr fix program) but likeliness is i wont ever need or want to use it, not to mention the fact i still have all my system discs (inlcuding all the crap i never want/use that comes preinstalled) from my ancient win98 comp. meaning im very unlikely to lose any of the system discs for as long as i'm using the laptop.
So in that case i might just bite the bullet and delete the restore partition and on the plus side gain a couple of extra gb's.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions guys
(i swear to christ after all this im never gonna partition my drive again!)

grimm2005

whoa, ok, somthing very strange has happened. i did all the formatting, deleted the recovery partition, now have a 73gb drive, thats all well and good. but i d/led a disc from dell site that fixes the MediaDirect button so itll boot into it when I press it without having to boot to XP so i can use it to listen to music, watch films etc without having to boot the whole system. That all worked nicely.

But when I booted back into windows i have a new 10gb partition (the mediadirect partition is hidden deeply and is only meant to be 1.5gb).
Now i don't know if this is the mediadirect parition but i doubt it as theyd never allocate 10gb to it and everywhere i check its only 1.5gb and its completely hidden. Also my laptop was advertised as having 80gb and usually they always have a bit less (73gb in my case) but apparently now i have 83gb with this new partition which has come out of nowhere.

My question is this: would it be safe to merge this with my C: drive and the mediadirect thing would still work? (the partition is empty so id imagine its not the md partition)