Dynamic Volumes/extension Problems

[Rico]

Hi guys, here's the deal. My two hard drives are currently set up like so:

For some stupid reason, when I got my second disk I decided to partition it up a bit. I choose FAT32 for Linux interoperability. Later my first hard drive, which was 60 GB, failed (I posted an enthralling thread about it back in November) and was replaced with the 30 GB one you see, sans a linux installation.

So after some juggling around I replaced the latter of the second disk's partitions with ... nothing. And tried to install linux onto that, believing grub perfectly capable of booting from a partition of a second hard disk.

SNAG! Windows has made these partitions in some retarded format which means that Linux, DOS, and some recovery programs recognise the second HD only as one giant 120 GB partition. Debian was able to mount the individual partitions easily enough, so I'm sure the forthcoming Gentoo can as well - but grub probably won't work with it.

So here's what I'd like some help on - is there a way for me to either convert these partitions to a sane DOS format, or rig up Gentoo/grub somehow so that it works regardless? I've even forgotten the name of the Windows partition format being used.

Another question is (if this Linux thing doesn't work out) how to merge those stupid partitions into one giant drive again. A good start would be to extend S: to cover the unpartitioned space, then copy M: over and unpartition that, then copy G: over and ... you get the idea. A continual sequence of unpartitioning and copying. I suspect that this would never work and I'm going to have to end up borrowing some network space on other PCs and deleting the whole drive and starting anew!

If worst comes to worst, using network space or another harddrive (after ripping out a CD-ROM drive for the IDE connection) may allow me to start anew. But I'd appreciate any info you guys have on getting Linux working as the drives are now.

Thanks,

- Rico

 

[Rico]

bump.

 

[sam fisher]

What about partition magic. I had a similar dilema but with windows and one drive and had to start anew. I heard partion magic can do what you want but have never tried it. I believe it can merge partions. Or so a friend tells me.

 

[trooper]

Partition magic will do it. ie merge two partitions into one. Its just that it will create a folder on one of the partitions and copy the contents of the other partition into it, Then joins the two partitions.

Trooper

 

[Rico]

Partition magic will do it. ie merge two partitions into one. Its just that it will create a folder on one of the partitions and copy the contents of the other partition into it, Then joins the two partitions.

Trooper

So you need a good amount of free space there? Or can it do it incrementally (i.e. merge the partitions every 100 mb or 500mb or whatever) so that you can get around it? Most of my partitions are almost maxed, so I don't have the space if it's an all-or-nothing thing

Then again with that 20 gig free I might be able to get around that. Thanks for tip, anyways

 

[sam fisher]

Yay I was involved in helping someone!!!

I am part of a helping community.

 

[Rico]

"SNAG! Windows has made these partitions in some retarded format which means that Linux, DOS, and some recovery programs recognise the second HD only as one giant 120 GB partition. Debian was able to mount the individual partitions easily enough, so I'm sure the forthcoming Gentoo can as well - but grub probably won't work with it."

The drive is dynamic... and like these other tools, PartitionMagic also only sees it as a giant 120 GB partition. I expected more from such a world-reknowned utility, but it looks as if I'll have to start over.

 

[Squidge]

Windows supports four primary partitions per physical hard disk, as soon you go over this (like you have above), Windows will convert the drive into a dynamic disk, which is basically a disk with no partition table. Only Win2K and above can read such a disk. I don't think any of the disk utility programs have been upgraded to handle dynamic disks.

There is only one way of converting back to a basic disk as of yet:

# Right-click each partition on the dynamic disk that you want to change to a basic disk, and then click Delete Volume.

# After you have deleted all the volumes on the dynamic disk, right-click the dynamic disk that you want to change to a basic disk, and then click Convert to Basic Disk.

So I hope you have somewhere to store all that data.

 

[Rico]

So I have to shift all 120 gigs out of the goddamn drive!? Bah. Stupid Windows should have warned me that it was converting. In fact it probably did but I ignored it. Irony is I didn't need that fifth one anyway... Thanks for the advice, though. I will sort it out somehow.