[Question] Partition problem: 2 primary on 1st disc not possible?

[midiboy]

Hi guys,

I do have a very strange problem with my partition scheme and I wonder if someone could explain the reason to me.

I would like to have the following scheme:

Drive1:

-- Primary Partition 1: C (Boot und Systemdisc)

-- Primary Partition 2: D (data)

Drive2:

-- Primary Partition 3: E (media1)

Drive3:

--Primary Partition 4: F (media2)

Now, the problem with this scheme is that if I reinstall Windows completely I usually do it by deleting the first partition and recreate a new one in Windows setup (during text mode install).

This works fine as long as the second partition on drive 1 is an extended partition. Windows will create a new primary partition, assign the number C use that one as the system drive.

However with the above scheme this does not work. For some unkown reason Windows setup will always create an extended partition, assign a higher drive letter, rename all other drives and put the systemfiles on the second partition on drive 1.

This is crazy !

I even tried to boot into BartPE and create the above scheme manually using diskpart but Windows still renames the drive letters and assigns a higher number to the first partition instead of C and puts systemfiles on the second partition.

Is Windows setup not able to create two primary partitions on one drive if a second primary already exists ?

Any help would be appreciated !

Thanks,

Alex

Please NOW in Microsoft Windows XP section, use [TAGS] in your topic's title.

See rules.

--Sonic

[jaclaz]

Well, NO, that kind of setup is NON-standard.

There are TWO "weak" points in your setup. as I see it:

1) WHY do you want/need two primary partitions?

All NT based systems can be installed on extended partitions, they only need their BOOT files on a Primary active partition.

2) WHY you delete the partition when you want to re-install?

You only need to EMPTY it, then reinstall on the same partition.

Though windows NT/2K/XP can "live" happily with more than one Primary partition on the same disk, the setup portion will NOT make a second primary partition on the same drive.

There quite a few reasons why it is NOT advised to have two primary partitions on the same drive, main one is the drive lettering.

Read these threads:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=53177

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=47182

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=35329

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=33964

and referenced to threads.

jaclaz

Edited February 11, 2006 by jaclaz

[midiboy]

Hi Jaclaz,

thanks for the quick answer. I understand somehow but not completely.

The reason why I decided to make the second partition on drive 1 a primary partition was because I need this drive to be drive D (because during my unattended setup files on that disc are used and they are referenced to the driveletter D)

So if this partition is a logical drive in an extended partition as you say is recommended and there are other primary partitions after C because there are additional harddiscs available (with only 1 partition on each drive) Windows first assigns driveletters to all the primary partitions and the extended partition comes last. This means that in the above example the drive letter on my extended partition will be F instead of D.

So what would you recommend in my case ? All I want is the data drive to be drive D and the other discs to come afterwards.

As for why I am deleting the partition, this is the easiest way to do a clean install without using any other software except windows setup. If I do not delete the partition in windows setup, Windows will ask me if I want to install into the existing C:\Windows directory or not.

Thanks,

Alex

[BrandonS_Mil]

to make you unatend easier, make a script to look fo a marker file on the drive, so that when it finds the drive that has that file.... it uses that drive letter....

[midiboy]

Brandon,

thanks but I am already doing that. But there are some program settings I am applying during unattended installation that have a drive letter "hardwired" into it for instance all my MS Office settings. Those settings are applied using an ops file which as far as I know cannot be modified that easily on the fly.

So it would really be necessary to have my data drive be drive D at all times. Since it is on the first drive and there are other drives I cannot get Windows to use D for this partition although in theory it should work if I understand the above mentioned posts correctly.

Mhh ... ?

Bye,

Alex

[Takeshi]

It's certainly possible to have Windows XP/2k on multiple adjacent (up to 3) primary partitions on one HD, as in my setup. But this may only apply to installation in sequence.

My setup:

HD 1:

│---C (XP, primary)--│--XP (prim)--│--Win2k (prim)--│--Extended--│

Having said that, in the 2nd HD, I installed a prev build of Longhorn (replacing XP on the first primary) and had no problems.

HD 2:

│--LH (primary)--│--XP (prim)--│--data (prim)--│--Ext.---│

I've not tried reinstalling XP in the 1st primary partition on HD1. Maybe the odd behaviour you've described only applies in this scenario.

I suppose a workaround for you would be to temporarily convert your D partition to an extended before re-installing XP and re-convert it back to primary afterwards.

[jaclaz]

@midiboy

I still don't understand WHY you need to delete the partition.

You can boot from a secondary install or BartPE and simply DELETE ALL FILES and DIRECTORIES on C:\

You can be sure that Windows XP WON'T ask you to install to the "existing C:\Windows", as it does NOT exist anymore

@Takeshi

@all

It is NOT recommended to "play" with partitions , Murphy's law is always lurking around trying to prove itself right, and I have seen SEVERAL people weeping because a power sourge or outage WHILST converting partitions ruined ALL their DATA...

jaclaz

[LLXX]

It is NOT recommended to "play" with partitions , Murphy's law is always lurking around trying to prove itself right, and I have seen SEVERAL people weeping because a power sourge or outage WHILST converting partitions ruined ALL their DATA...

Strange that nobody has said this so I'll say it now.... BACKUP!!

To reiterate: Two or more primary partitions are workable but non-standard. You'll need to create that partition structure using an alternative partitioning program, Window's setup won't do it.