On Sunday 10 April 2005 06:41, Matthew Rex wrote: > Sam Johnson wrote: > > I also now need to repartition my hard disk and was wondering what the > > included partitioner would do to my existing Windows installation. > > Disk Druid won't erase a partition unless you tell it to. If you want to > split the existing partition then the installer (Disk Druid or fdisk) > will not do this without losing all the data. > > I believe gnu parted will do it but that's not for the faint hearted. > > If you want to just re-use some other partitions then you can with some > caveats: > > 1. Disk Druid has the tendency to re-arrange partitions without telling > you. I *never* use disk druid except for labelling existing partitions. > DD only re-arranges partitions if used in automatic mode, not in manual mode. > 2. It is possible to use fdisk and rearrange partitions. You'll lose > data on any partitions you change of course. You also stand a good > chance of losing the whole disk if you make a mistake... > > 3. If the disk was originally partitioned using any microsoft tools you > might also have problems. I make a habit of partitioning with the linux > fdisk tool, even for windows partitions on dual boot machines. > > If in doubt - install another physical disk and/or make a backup! > ALLWAYS make a backup. You never know if the power will go out or hit a power surge during the partitioning. > Hope that helps. > Matt. > > > Thanks, > > -- > > Sam Johnson What I do when I want to re-partition a drive. I have two drives in the box so this may only work in part for you. The second drive is only for saving partitions/folders/files I don't want to lose, including personal settings. Everything I want to save gets copied to the partition on the second drive. You could accomplish the same thing with a CD, DVD or some other storage device. I then disconnect the 2nd drive so it can't get damaged (both data & power). Then it's safe to re-partition using Disk Druid in manual mode. If I make a mistake partitioning, I can always go back and do it again knowing that the data can be reloaded from the storage device. You might want to ensure you have a separate /home/user partition so you can leave it unformatted during install/upgrade to retain your personal configuration after the new install. My way, Your mileage may vary! Have fun Tom -- Tom Taylor registered linux #263467
