New XP install logical partition problem

I just finished installing XP on a HD with 1 primary partition (NTFS) and 1 logical partition (FAT32). I formatted the primary partition asn started from scratch. After the install, XP shows the logical partition as free space. If I boot the old ME recovery disk the logical partition is still there and in tact. How do I get XP to recognize the logical partition? If I allocate it as a new logical partition, won't that destroy the contents? TIA.

 

Confused by your post. You talk about ME which you presumably had (have ?) and would have been on the Primary partition (as it would have to be on) to be bootable.

Then you format the primary partition and install XP on it. That means the previous OS (ME) is gone. I am at a loss when you say it is still there.

If you are trying to have a dual boot system, then the order of installation is the oldest version of Windows first and on the Primary partition/disk and XP last on the logical partition/or second hard drive.

Had you not formatted but just booted to ME, inserted the XP disk in the drive and told it to install in full (not upgrade) on a partition of your choice (which should have been D, then you would not have risked losing anything.

 

gw1500se The old partition is still there because it's a hidden Diagnostic Partition. You can delete it but you didn't choose to do so. You would need to use some utility such as FDISK that could delete all DOS and non-DOS partitions from the drive. As an alternative, you could reinstall the drive using the mfgrs. software. Either way would wipe the drive clean.

Only you can decide if you may need that recovery partition some day. I usually delete them and have other methods for restoting my drives. YMMV.

 

Thanks for the replies. I guess I was not clear enough so I'll try to explain again.

The orignal configuration was a single HD with a primary partition (FAT32) containing ME and a logical partition (FAT32) contain lots of other good stuff.

When I installed XP I had setup format the primary partition using NTFS, then it did the install. Upon booting XP the orignal logical partition did not show up. I used disk manager to look at the HD and it said what was su[pposed to be the old logical partition, is free space.

Thinking the XP install wiped out that logical partition, I booted from an old ME recovery floppy to see if it was really gone. It was not gone at all and the contents are still in tact.

Since then I have rebooted XP and tried allocating the free space without formatting. Now XP recognizes the logical partition but thinks it is unformatted. To double check I once again booted the ME floppy and the logical partition is still fine.

The questions are (in order of importance):

1) How do I get XP to understand that partition is valid and contains data?

2) What the heck happened that XP did not recognize the logical partition in the first place?

Thankls.

 

Thanks for your reply which explains the sequence of events. At present I am not able to offer either an explanation or a solution but will give it some thought and post back if I am able help.

For the moment my advice would be to not tinker with that partition should you end up losing it. Hopefully, another reader of this forum more experienced than I, is able to offer some suggestions.

 

Thanks for the help. I'll be standyby, hopefully.

 

If you have access to or can borrow a hard disk with Win 98 on it, you could install that drive in your computer after jumpering it as Primary Master and make your own disk (with the problems) the Primary Slave.

Whilst the 98 OS will not see the NTFS partition on your drive, it will see your ME partition with all your data you do not wish to lose.

This will allow you to either copy to a CD or CDRW or on to the borrowed drive.

If you succeed in doing that, then remove the borrowed drive, make your own the Master again, format the second partition and shut down.

Now connect the borrowed disk as Slave this time. The NTFS partition will see the borrowed drive and allow you to copy (back) your data to your newly formatted second partition.

Well that's the theory and you have to prove that it works. It should in my opinion unless some bright spark comes up with a valid reason showing the theory to be flawed.

I would be interested to find out the result so please post back - good or bad.

 

Thaks for the reply. That is exactly what I did.

However, it still does not answer the, now academic, question: Why did XP not recognize the partition in the first place?

 

Am I to take it that your problems has been resolved since you mention "now academic" in your post ?.

I too sometimes ponder on why Windows does certain unexpected things but it is often very time consuming to get a definitive answer.

As you can tell from my Signature, I have 2 hard drives. The Primary disk has XP on the first partition (C) and my data on the second partition (D).

The second drive also has 2 partitions with an image of XP on the first (E) and my data on the second (F). Before someone corrects me, I had reassigned the drive letters to keep them in sequence.

The installation of a new printer assigned itself a drive letter for a removable drive as it has the facility to read from (Digital camera) smart cards so that I can print directly without the need for the computer being on.

On re-booting Windows juggled about the drive letters and created links to the XP image on the second disk and completely messed up my links.

It was a long process to get back to normal but worth the experience.

Sorry if above is long winded but no other way to explain.

 

You take it correctly. Thaks for the explaination, I guess some things with windoze never change.