How to create a simple volume in an extended partition using DiskPart?

[Hackerman]

As the title says, I'm trying to use DiskPart to create a simple volume inside an extended partition.

DISKPART> create volume simple

Volymen kunde inte skapas.
Kontrollera diskarna och parametrarna

DISKPART>

Isn't this the right command? It's giving me an error.

The help in this version of DiskPart is a lot less than fantastic. It's the direct opposite! But I have looked it up on Windows 10 where you get usage examples in DiskPart, and this should be the right command. Or... the right command for Windows 10... maybe not so in Windows XP. I noticed, there are substantial differences.

I have the extended partition selected of course. I even tried to add a size parameter, like they do in the usage example in Windows 10.
 

DISKPART> create volume simple size=1000

Volymen kunde inte skapas.
Kontrollera diskarna och parametrarna.

DISKPART>

The extended partition itself was created in DiskPart just seconds earlier, and it's 10 GB, so it should be able to fit "1000" (presumably MB, it's not documented).

I could do the same with a better version of DiskPart, but that would require me to jump the hoops and install yet another Windows in a VM. What I have here is a Windows XP VM. Can't I use that to do the same thing? I am more curious than anything, why it's not working.

[Hackerman]

I got this.
 

DISKPART> list part

  Partitionsnr.  Typ               Storlek  Start
  -------------  ----------------  -------  -------
  Partition 1    Primär              10 GB    32 KB
  Partition 2    Utökad              10 GB    10 GB

DISKPART> sel part 2

Partition 2 är nu den valda partitionen.

DISKPART> create partition logical

Den angivna partitionen har skapats.

DISKPART> list part

  Partitionsnr.  Typ               Storlek  Start
  -------------  ----------------  -------  -------
  Partition 1    Primär              10 GB    32 KB
  Partition 2    Utökad              10 GB    10 GB
* Partition 3    Logisk              10 GB    10 GB

DISKPART>

All it took was a wrong turn at Google,

https://www.google.com/search?q=diskpart+create+logical+unit+in+extended+partition+windows+xp

To find the right search terms,

https://www.google.com/search?q=diskpart+create+logical+volume+in+extended+partition+windows+xp

And then the right resource further down the popularity list,

https://www.partitionwizard.com/partitionmagic/diskpart-create-partition.html

So it's not called "local unit". I tried to translate it literally from Swedish "logisk enhet" which I saw in use in Disk Management. It's also not called "logical volume". The right term is "logical partition" and the company that makes Partition Wizard has the right command covered on their website. Just in case you don't like their own product, I guess, or they want to drive the point home how painfully difficult it is to use DiskPart compared to their product.

A partition inside a partition... who would have thought? Ask them (Microsoft) the next day, and it's "volume". Anyone here care to explain to me the difference between a "partition" and a "volume" in Microsoft jargon? Specifically, the "simple volume"? So no RAID volumes. For all I know, I now have a simple volume. But I could not specify it as such in DiskPart?

Edited July 7, 2024 by Hackerman