Boot/Partition Management Tools

[Wedge]

What good programs/guides/etc. are there for setting up partitions and managing your boot setup for multiple OS'?  I know there's them boot CD compilations with a billion programs on them, but I don't need a billion programs I have no clue what they do or how to use them...  Need to know some of this to possibly fix up my computer to sort of working, and for future reference as well. 

[CaffeinePowered]

I thought usually stuff got auto detected, Ive used partition magic in the past, but Id recommend not putting two OSs on the same physical drive but different partitions

[Wedge]

I thought usually stuff got auto detected, Ive used partition magic in the past, but Id recommend not putting two OSs on the same physical drive but different partitions

I have three drives, on my current and on that new computer I'm getting, so not worried about that.  I really want to get a new install on my computer just so I can network it and transfer stuff to the new one.  Need to be able to make a new partition first to do that though.  Tried some Linux boot from CD/Flashdrive things, but none of them can use my network adapter...

[HeK]

I have always used fdisk/cfdisk (for partition managing) and NTLDR (for Windows) or grub/lilo (for everything else).
Lately I have been playing with syslinux, mainly because it is tiny and can be used for PXE boots.

I wouldn't touch Partition Magic with a 600-meter razor-wire-wrapped pole. It has a habit of fucking up everything.


What exactly are you trying to accomplish?

[Wedge]

Well I think my XP install is totally screwed, it BSOD's everytime it tries to boot, and I have no idea why.  And since I'll be moving to a new computer anyways, I don't really want to bother trying to fix it, I just want to put a fresh install on another drive and use that to access my files until I move things to the new computer.

[Blues]

....

1) Put new drive in PC. If IDE, put as master. If SATA, put before current Windows drive (ie. new drive SATA0 old drive SATA1)
2) Boot PC with XP CD in tray, hit del/F10/whatever to get to Bios
3) In Boot management, set CD Drive as #1, Hard Drive as #2
4) Save and Exit, hit key to begin setup
5) Install Windows on new drive
6) ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
7) PROFIT!

Computer will boot to whichever drive is set as the primary, enjoy.

[Wedge]

I know how to install Windows on an empty drive.  However I don't have an empty drive around.  I could possibly move a bunch of stuff from one drive to another, format that drive, then install on it, but I was trying to avoid that by just making a new partition on it.

[Vandamguy]

sorry to hear about your predicament wedge, i've never been a fan of partitioning my hard drives. if i want a second drive, it has to be a physical second one

i've always thought (and i could be wrong , this is me being dumb) that if i partitionsed a drive that already had info on it, it would divide up the sectors all sort of wierd , like a checkerboard pattern where black is C drive and White is D drive , and that there would be a performance hit since the HDD would have to do that bit of more time seeking for data.

yeah , it does sound kinda stupid , but that's what i think

[Blues]

I just want to put a fresh install on another drive and use that to access my files until I move things to the new computer.

I know how to install Windows on an empty drive.  However I don't have an empty drive around.  I could possibly move a bunch of stuff from one drive to another, format that drive, then install on it, but I was trying to avoid that by just making a new partition on it.

I think I've found your problem.

Also, I thoroughly read this time, and why the hell are you making this so complicated? Put the old drives in the new computer, zip zop zoobity bop you're done.

[Wedge]

[quote author=Wedge link=topic=2032.msg57221#msg57221 date=1229851931]I just want to put a fresh install on another drive and use that to access my files until I move things to the new computer.

I know how to install Windows on an empty drive.  However I don't have an empty drive around.  I could possibly move a bunch of stuff from one drive to another, format that drive, then install on it, but I was trying to avoid that by just making a new partition on it.

I think I've found your problem.

Also, I thoroughly read this time, and why the hell are you making this so complicated? Put the old drives in the new computer, zip zop zoobity bop you're done.
[/quote]

Naturally I'll do that.  Once I have the new computer.  That probably won't be for a little while though.  In the meantime I've decided to just leave my old computer alone before I break it any more and bust out our old half-broken Dell craptop to use for internets until I get that new computer.  And then hope I'm actually able to get my files off the old drives later.

[ainmosni]

Actually, partitioning your hard drive is always a good idea, even if you only seperate your OS files from your data files etc. This will provide some isolation between these so that file system corruption happens to one or the other not the whole shebang... Of course using multiple drives is better but partitioning isn't bad at all... (Where this idea came from with some people I don't know.) I usually use the tools provided by the OS I'm installing but if that's not an option there is always the awesome gparted. Just be careful when resizing partitions... That's a risky operation with any partition editor.

[HeK]

Well I think my XP install is totally screwed, it BSOD's everytime it tries to boot, and I have no idea why.  And since I'll be moving to a new computer anyways, I don't really want to bother trying to fix it, I just want to put a fresh install on another drive and use that to access my files until I move things to the new computer.

You can try running a Windows repair (Boot off an OS disc like you were installing, but choose repair when it gives you the option (repair, not recovery console). This may help.
You can also try a 'co-install'. Basically you install a second copy of windows, but in a different folder. You can then dual-boot between two separate instances of the same OS. It's very dirty but works.

With both options you will have to reinstall applications, but all your personal files will remain.


However, you may be best off trying to fix the initial problem. If you are getting a BSOD on boot, I would first use the Windows recovery console (from the windows install disc, follow on screen options) and run 'chkdsk /r'. Failing that, get into safe mode and check out your device manager, there could be something out of sorts there.

[Geoff]

Try Hiren's BootCD, it is like the ultimate boot manager.

[Wedge]

It's so bad it BSODs trying to load in Safe Mode even.  And it randomly ran chkdsk once before trying to load, but still BSODed.  I might try the repair thing, but I dunno how well that works with a launch XP disc on SP3...

I already know about Hiren's BootCD and having 100 programs that do slight variations of the same thing is just confusing, you have any idea what ones on it are actually useful?

[HeK]

It's so bad it BSODs trying to load in Safe Mode even.  And it randomly ran chkdsk once before trying to load, but still BSODed.  I might try the repair thing, but I dunno how well that works with a launch XP disc on SP3...

You need to run chkdsk (with /r, the /r is REALLY important) from a recovery console. That separates the OS (in this case, running from the CD) from the media that you are operating upon.

[Wedge]

And btw, the error message that comes up with the BSOD

0x00000050: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA


Which apparently means any of a billion things are wrong with it.  Got chkdsk to run with the recovery console thing and it said it fixed errors blah blah blah but didn't help me boot.  I'm wondering if something is messed up with my video card, because I was dicking around with drivers when this started happening, and I was originally getting BSOD's from my nv4dsp driver while playing games.  However Safe Mode should just be booting with the generic VGA driver, so I'm not sure what else I could try, as I don't really have any extra video cards on hand.

[HeK]

Try the repair option from the windows install disk. It *should* restore your OS to a near-fresh install state.

[Wedge]

What repair option?  The repair option from the installer menu just brings up the recovery console...

[Squishy3]

I think you have to choose to install windows and it'll give you an option to press R to repair your existing copy of Windows.

[HeK]

I think you have to choose to install windows and it'll give you an option to press R to repair your existing copy of Windows.

Exactly, where as the 'recovery console' option gives you the 'recovery console'; as per my previous post.