Splitting NTFS Partitions...

Hi. I'm looking for a program (very cheap) that can allow me to split NTFS partitions. I've done a search in Google but most of the freeware programs only allow me to split FAT16/32 Partitions but not NTFS. Is there a way to convert an NTFS to FAT32 (I'm aware of the NTFS features that were not in FAT32) so that I can split my partitions and convert it back to NTFS for both of the partitions? I don't want to delete my partition, create 2 partitions, and format both of my partitions.

The reason I ask is I'm thinking about getting an evaluation copy of Windows Server 2003 and evaluate it just to see what it looks like and testing out IIS 6.0 by using Visual C# .net. (I have Windows XP Home, by the way.)

I don't want to go off-topic but I know that the Standard Edition of Windows Server 2003 is very expensive but in the future, I'm just thinking about getting a new laptop with the latest technologies like AMD 64 processor, ATI Radeon 9600 Pro, etc. and that's what my plans are for the future. And, after I get a new laptop, I would be thinking about upgrading to Longhorn Professional Edition (which will be used for playing games, making games with C# and Managed DirectX, etc.) and get Longhorn Server (I don't know what it's called but this is used for testing out web applications before I upload to a web hosting provider, etc.).

well i'd say either download a copy of linux and use one of various linux paritition managers....or you could spend money on partition manager, or just go out and buy another small cheap hard drive to put 03 on. BTW, before you mess with the partitions, be sure to defrag.

Okay. Thank you for your help. I will download Linux and use Linux partition manager and see how it goes (but I'm not a big fan of Linux, though).

Thanks again.

Can anybody give me the name of the distro that includes a way to split NTFS partition? I use Linux.org to search through it but I'm very confused on which one to choose. I saw some of the partition managers that some distros have and when I try to run the partition manager in DOS, I can't be able to load the partition manager. It sometimes said something like: 07h: Unknown file system. AFAIK, DOS doesn't read NTFS partitions... :( I have a laptop, by the way.

what about fdisk?
If I remember correct, it allows partitions in fat16/32 and ntfs.

If I use fdisk, I will lose all of my data but I don't have a DVD burner for backing up all the data. Since I have a 40GB HD and use up about 25GB, if I would have a DVD burner, storing 25GB of data requires me to have 6 DVD-RW discs. However, since my laptop has a CD Burner, I would have to have roughly 39 CD-RW discs!! And that's just too many CDs!

Anyway, how am I supposed to backup all of my data in my hard drive to storage media?

What about a zip drive?
I think zips store a large amount of data.
What about file compression?
What about an extra harddrive?
Isn't there a linux imulator for windows?

I have a laptop and don't have a 2nd hard drive. I don't have a Zip Drive and my internal hard drive uses File Compression to save disk space. I've tried to use the Linux Emulator (topologilinux) but it didn't work. Also, I don't like Linux.

About Zip Drives, it all depends on how much you can store amounts of data in your Zip disk. Some are 250MB, some are 750MB,

Comparing Price on Zip Drive and DVD-Durner

Zip 750MB USB 2.0 External: $167.61
36 Zip 750MB Disks: 36 x $15.15 = $545.40
Total: $713.01

Backpack 4x2.4x12 USB 2.0 DVD+RW Drive: ~$250
2.4x DVD+RW Media, 120 Minute / 4.7 GB, Spinder, 25-Pack: $44.99
Total: $294.99

It seems like I could buy myself a new external USB 2.0 hard drive for backup at less than $200... :p Not bad.

Well, thank you anyway for your help and I guess there aren't no freeware NTFS Partition Splitters! :( But only FAT16/FAT32 Partition Splitters? Oh well...

Why not just get any version (Above say 3.0) of Partition Magic from eBay and use that? You'll have to run it in DOS though, as only the latest version likes XP.

Okay, thanks for your help but I'm going to be buying an external hard drive for my laptop.

Thanks.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Waldo2k2
well i'd say either download a copy of linux and use one of various linux paritition managers

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I tried this once and was only able to get 2 GB off a 40 GB hard drive. Maybe the partitioner was trying to play it safe, but 2 GB doesn't give me much to work with.

>>but 2 GB doesn't give me much to work with.

would you rather have it fsck your windows partition so that it won't boot? plus, there have been a lot of advancements with the 2.6 kernel in regards to NTFS file systems.

I have a laptop with windows xp on it. The hard disk is 80 gb and was formatted ntfs. The only solution I found (short of actually paying for something) is to use qtparted, a linux program. (After defragging, of course).


If you don't have linux on your laptop, download Knoppix and burn that image file to a CD. Boot off that, and run qtparted. That's how I fixed my problem. qtparted will not destroy data during repartitioning.