Zenith

Member
Jan 11, 2001
483
0
To cut a long story short, I used Partition Magic to try and split up my hard drive but it hung mid-way and destroyed my partition table. I can't repair it my self so I need some software such as Hard Drive Mechanic Deluxe to do it. Does anybody have this or similar software or know where I can download it or something shareware/freeware.

Email me if you want or just reply - zenith@oceanfree.net


Thanks to anybody who can help....
 

JasonJ

Member
Jun 15, 2001
1,150
1
Partition magic RULES!
It prompts you to make a recovery disk before applying changes,, did you?

I have had it go boom on me when trying to do to many different things at once, but recovery is prety gracefull if you boot from the PM boot disk you can launch a dos version of the software.

If you dont have the boot disk, you can install the software on another computer and make one, but its best to have a recovery and boot disk for the system you are working on.

What OS are you running?

Most OS boot disk can get you to a command prompt, try the fdisk /mbr command to repair the master boot record.
 

Zenith

Member
Jan 11, 2001
483
0
I thought the earlier PQMagics were good but 5 has given up many times on me now...
No, I didn't make a boot disk because I thought everything would work, WRONG! I can get a command prompt but the C: drive is not visible. If FDisk it is listed correctly but the type is listed as Non-DOS. Drive Mechanic Demo reported that the MBR is fine, the problem is a messed up Partition Table. Presumably if I wanted to make a recovery disk on another PC, the other Pc would have to have the same drive in it, which might be a problem.
Maybe I will just have to buy the software unless anybody knows where I can get some similar stuff free....

Thanks
 

JasonJ

Member
Jun 15, 2001
1,150
1
Spin rite is a good utility that use to be free. You can probably search and dig it up on the net soemwehre.

No rescue disk is BAADDDDD. If you ever tried to screw with disk partitions before, you know you had to Fdisk and blow the whole thing away to make just about any cahnges. You can then appreciate the power of the partition magic utility and the scope of what it is doing. You then relize the importance of the rescue disk, it stors the original FAT File Allocation Tabel and MBR. Relitively small files, BUT, very important. The MBR can be lifted from a similar PC. BUt, the FAT tabel is specifc to the data thats on the disk. It is the Tabel of contents so to speak for the disk and tells the physical locations of files on the disk. Replacing it with another one from even an Identical disk with an identical config is no good.
Try spin rite if you can snag it, I wont mention the disk thing again ;)
Hey if your copy of PM is ligit, give power Quest support a call, they are good and can recover crashed disks pretty well,,,,,,, hmmmmm wonder why :) .
Anyway, they have told me in the past that the A # 1 way people screw up is becasue they dont see activity and think its hung,,,,, but its not! The process takes exponetaly longer when there is alot of data on the drive, you dont here or see much disk activity either. It makes me so nervous, I have to leave the room and come back in 2 hours or Ill go nuts and get itchy reboot fingers :) .
 

Zenith

Member
Jan 11, 2001
483
0
I left it for about 6 hours because I went out and when I came back it was still at the same percent... I will look for spin rite,thanks for the help.


Thanks
 
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