CHAPTER 21 WORKING WITH SYSTEMS UTILITIES

	Introduction :
	System Utilities such as Disk Management and PartitionMagic enable you create partitions on the hard disk. In addition, with the help of the Disk Defragmenter utility you can store your file and its contents in one single contiguous location.
21.1 Working with Disk Management Utility
	The Disk Management utility is a part of the Computer Management console. The Disk Management utility is used for performing a set of management tasks such as creating and deleting partitions, converting file systems, and assigning drive letters. This utility enables us to organize our files and folders in a systematic manner, so that you can use the disk space efficiently.
	21.1.1 Creating a Partition
	A logical portion of a hard disk that functions as a separate unit of storage is known as a partition. There are two disk types, namely basic disk and dynamic disk. Partitions are created on basic disk while volumes are created on dynamic disk. Using the Disk Management utility you can create three types of partitions : primary, extended, and logical.
	Best practices
	1. First create primary partitions. 2. On a single hard disk, you can have up to four primary partitions, or three primary partitions and one extended partition. 3. Within an extended partition, you can create unlimited additional subdivisions called logical partitions.
	Hands on exercise
	To create a partition : 1. Log on with administrative rights. 2. Select Start _ Settings _ Control Panel. 3. Double-click the Administrative Tools icon. 4. Double-click the Computer Management icon.
	Computer Management Window
	5. Click the Disk Management node. The details pane is displayed. 6. In the graphical view, right-click the unallocated disk space and select the New Logical Drive option. The New Partition Wizard is displayed. Graphical View
	New Partition Wizard
	7. Click Next. The Select Partition Type screen is displayed.
	Select Partition Type Screen
	8. Select the Logical drive option and click Next. The Specify Partition screen is displayed.
	Specify Partition Type Screen
	9. Specify the required disk space that is to be allocated and click Next. The Assign Drive Letter or Path screen is displayed.
	Assign Drive Letter or Path Screen
	You can assign drive letters to partitions, volumes, and CD-ROM drives. Letters A and B are reserved for the floppy drives.You can use letter from C to Z as drive letters. 10. Select the required drive letter and click Next. The Format Partition screen is displayed.
	Format Partition Screen
	11. Select the Format this partition with following settings option. 12. Select the NTFS option from the File system drop-down box. 13. Select the Default option from the Allocation unit size drop-down box. 14. Enter a name for the new partition in the Volume Label text box. 15. Click Next. The Completing the New Partition Wizard screen is displayed.
	Completing the New Partition Wizard
	16. Click Finish.
	21.1.2 Modifying Drive Letters
	When you create a new partition, by default the system assigns the drive letter. The system assigns the next available letter to it. A volume can be represented by only drive letter. We can modify the drive letters of the existing drive. _ You cannot modify the drive letter of a system or boot partition.
	Hands on exercise
	To modify the drive letter of the existing drive : 1. Open the Disk Managementutility. 2. Right-click the required drive and select the Change Drive Letter and Paths option. The Change Drive Letter and Paths option dialog box is displayed.
	Change Drive Letter and Paths Dialog Box
	3. Click the Change button. The Change Drive Letter or Path dialog box is displayed.
	Modifying Drive Letter
	4. Select the required letter and click the OK button.
	21.1.3 Deleting a Partition
	Deleting a partition means removing the partition from the hard disk. You need to delete partitions when they are corrupted or contain bad sectors that cannot be repaired. When you delete a partition, all the data on the partition is lost and you cannot restore the data from the deleted partition.
	Hands on exercise
	To delete a partition : 1. Log on with administrative rights. 2. Open the Disk Management utility. 3. Select the required partition that you want to delete. 4. Select Action _ All Task _ Delete Logical Drive. The Delete Logical Drive dialog box is displayed.
	Delete Logical Drive Dialog Box
	5. Click the Yes button to confirm the deletion of the partition.
21.2 Working With PartitionMagic Pro Utility
	PartitionMagic Pro is a system utility that enables us to create and resize the drives without loss of information. Microsoft provides the basic utilities FDISK and FORMAT for disk management. These two utilities enable us to perform basic task such as creating and formatting drives. But using these utilities you cannot resize or undelete a partition. In PartitionMagic, operations are pending until you select the Apply Changes option from the General menu.
	21.2.1 Creating a Partition
	PartitionMagic enables you create primary, extended, and logical partitions. In addition, while creating the partition it also enables you to specify the file system such as FAT, FAT32, NTFS, LinuxExt2, and Linux Swap.
	Hands on exercise
	To create a logical partition with FAT file system : 1. Select Start _ Programs _ PowerQuest PartitionMagic _ PartitionMagic Pro.The PartitionMagic Pro window is displayed. 2. Select the unallocated space on the disk. 3. Select Operations _ Create. The Create Partition dialog box is displayed. Create Partition Dialog Box The options available are : _ Create as - Specifies whether the partition should be logical or primary _ Partition Type -Specifies the type of file system for the partition _ Label - Specifies the name for the new partition _ Size - Specifies the size for the new partition _ Drive Letter - Specifies the drive letter for the new partition _ Position - Specifies whether the partition with the selected size should be positioned at the beginning or end of the unallocated space _ Percentage of unallocated space - Specifies the unallocated space in the form of percentage 4. Select the Logical Partition option from the Create as drop-down box. 5. Select the NTFSoption from the Partition Type drop-down box. 6. Enter NewVolume in the Label text box. 7. Specify the size for the new partition from the Size spin box. 8. Select the required drive letter for the new partition from the Drive Letter drop-down box. 9. Select the Beginning of the unallocated space option form the Position group box. 10. Click OK. _ Until you select General _ Apply Changes, PartitionMagic Pro will not create the partition. 11. Select General _ Apply Changes. 12. Click the Yes button on the Apply Changes dialog box.
	21.2.2 Formatting a Partition
	Formatting a partition erases all the data that it contains. While formatting a partition you can also change the existing file system of the partition.
	Hands on exercise
	To format a partition : 1. Open PartitionMagic Pro. 2. Select the new partition that you have created. 3. Select Operations _ Format. The Format Partition dialog box is displayed. 4. Select the FAT option from the Partition Type drop-down box. 5. Enter a name for the partition in theLabel text box. 6. Click OK. 7. Select General _ Apply Changes. 8. Click theYes button on the Apply Changes dialog box. 9. Select General _ Apply Changes. 10. Click the Yes button on the Apply Changes dialog box.
	21.2.3 Resizing a Partition
	The Resize/Move operation enables you to change the size of the partition and move it to another location on the hard disk. When a partition is resized, the data on the partition is consolidated and not compressed.
	Hands on exercise
	To resize a partition : 1. Open PartitionMagic Pro. 2. Select the new partition that you have created. 3. Select Operations _ Resize/Move. The Resize/Move partition dialog box is displayed. You can resize/ move the partition either by moving the slider in the disk map or by specifying the values in the fields provided. 4. Place your mouse on the green color partition. The mouse pointer changes to four headed arrow. 5. Drag the partition to the required location. _ As you move the partition the updated values are reflected in their respective fields. Disk Map 6. Click OK. 7. Select General _ Apply Changes. 8. Click the Yes button on the Apply Changes dialog box.
	21.2.4 Converting the Partition File System
	You change your file system and type of partition. PartitionMagic enables you to perform the following file system conversions.
	File System Possible Conversions
	FAT FAT 32 NTFS FAT 32 FAT NTFS NTFS FAT 32
	Hands on exercise
	To convert NTFS to FAT32 : 1. Open PartitionMagic Pro. 2. Select the new partition that you have created. 3. Select Operations _ Convert. The Convert Partition dialog box is displayed.
	Convert Partition Dialog Box
	. 4. Select the FAT32 option. 5. Click OK. The Warning message box is displayed.
	Warning Message Box
	. 6. Click OK. 7. Select General _ Apply Changes. 8. Click the Yes button on the Apply Changes dialog box.
	21.2.5 Splitting a Partition
	. Splitting the partition indicates dividing the partition in two parts. It is recommend not to split partition that includes your operating system. The Split option is unavailable due the following reasons : _ The primary partition that you are spilt has already reached the maximum of four primary partition that is allowed on a hard disk. _ The FAT partition has less than 5% unused space.
	Best practices
	1. Do not split the partition that contains the operating system. 2. Ensure that the partition size is 100 MB or larger. 3. A FAT32 partition requires 10% unused space to split. 4. You cannot use the Split operation to convert the original partition from primary to logical or logical to primary. In the following hands on exercise, we will split the partition E into a new partition called I.
	Hands on exercise
	To split a partition: 1. Open PartitionMagic Pro. 2. Select the partition that you want to split. 3. Select Operations _ Split. The Split Partition dialog box is displayed.
	Split Partition Dialog Box
	4. From the Original Position group box, select the required file or folder that you want to move to the new partition. 5. Click the button to move the selected file or folder. _ To move all the files and folders to the new partition, click the button. It is advisable to keep atleast one file in the original position. 6. In the New Partition group box, enter a name for the new partition in the Label text box. 7. Select the Logical Partition option from thePri/Log drop-down box. 8. Click the Size tab. The Size tab is displayed.
	The Size Tab
	9. Size the new partition by dragging the bar on the disk map. You can also enter the new partition size in the Size text box. 10. Click OK. 11. Select General _ Apply Changes. 12. Click the Yes button on the Apply Changes dialog box. Disk Map
	21.2.6 Merging a Partition
	The merge operation enables you to join two FAT, FAT32, or NTFS partitions that are adjacent to each other on a hard disk
	Precautions
	1. Do not merge partitions that contain the operating system. 2. Do not merge two compressed partitions. 3. If you are merging two NTFS partitions ensure that their version and cluster size are the same. _ You cannot undo a merge operation.
	Hands on exercise
	To merge a partition: 1. Open PartitionMagic Pro. 2. Select the partition that you want to merge with another partition. 3. Select Operations _ Merge. The Merge Adjacent Partitions dialog box is displayed. 4. Select the I: (New) (FAT32) becomes a folder of E (FAT32) option. 5. Enter a name for the new folder in the Folder Name text box. 6. Select the FAT32 option from the File System Type group box. 7. Click OK. 8. Select General _ Apply Changes. 9. Click the Yesbutton on the Apply Changes dialog box.
	21.2.7 Deleting a Partition
	Deleting a partition indicates removing the partition from the hard disk. The data of the deleted partition can be recovered be performing the undelete operation. Deleting a partition can cause partition drive letters to change.
	Precautions
	1. Do not delete the partitions that contain the operating system. 2. Before you delete an extended partition, you need to delete all logical partitions that the extended partition holds.
	Hands on exercise
	To delete a partition : 1. Open PartitionMagic Pro. 2. Select the partition that you want to delete. 3. Select Operations _ Delete. The Delete Partitions dialog box is displayed.
	Delete Partition Dialog Box
	The options available are : _ Delete - Removes the partition from the hard disk while the data is still there on the hard disk. If you use this option to delete the partition you can recover the data by performing the undelete operation. _ Delete and Secure Erase - Removes the partition from the hard disk and erases all the data. If you use this option to remove the partitions, you cannot perform the undelete operation. Deleting partitions using this option takes a longer time than removing partitions using the Delete option. 4. Select the Delete option. 5. Click OK. 6. Select General _ Apply Changes. 7. Click the Yes button on the Apply Changes dialog box.
	21.2.8 Undeleting a Partition
	You can undelete a partition and recover its data, only if you have deleted the partition using the Delete option. In addition, you can undelete FAT, FAT32, NTFS, and Linux partitions. The undelete operation will be successful only if no other operations are pending on the selected unallocated space. If any operations are pending, the undelete option will be unavailable. You cannot undelete : _ A primary partition if your hard disk contains four primary partitions _ A logical partition that was deleted and now is not within the extended partition _ A primary partition that was deleted and now is within the extended partition _ A partition that has file system errors. _ A partition that has been completely or partially overwritten by another partition or file system. Hands on exercise To undelete a partition : 1. Open PartitionMagic Pro. 2. Select the unallocated space to be undeleted. 3. Select Operations _ Undelete. The Undelete dialog box is displayed.
	Undelete Dialog Box
	The Undelete dialog box displays a list of all primary and logical partitions that can be undeleted. If no partitions are found within the unallocated space that can be undeleted, a message is displayed indicating that no partitions can be undeleted. 4. Select the check box of the partition that you want to undelete. 5. Click OK. 6. Select General _ Apply Changes.v 7. Click the Yes button on the Apply Changes dialog box.
	21.2.9 Copying a Partition
	Copying a partition indicates creating a duplicate copy of the partition. You can create a copy of your partitions for the following reasons : _ To duplicate your operating system before you upgrade to a new version _ To convert your logical partition to primary partition, or primary partition to logical partitions. _ To backup a partition Best practice To perform a successful copy operation, ensure that you have unallocated space that is equal or larger than the partition that you are going to copy.
	Hands on exercise
	To copy a partition : 1. Open PowerQuest PartitionMagic Pro. 2. Select the partition that you want to copy. 3. Select Operations _ Copy. The Copy Partition dialog box is displayed. 4. Select the required disk where you want to copy the partition from the Disk drop-down box. 5. Select the Beginning of unallocated space option from the Position group box. 6. Select the required unallocated space where you want to copy the partition from the Partition List. 7. Click OK. 8. Select General _ Apply Changes. 9. Click the Yes button on the Apply Changes dialog box.
21.3 Working With Disk Defragmenter Utility
	When you create files or folders they are saved on the drive in units called clusters. Sometimes we have large files and folders that cannot be saved on the same cluster, and hence the file or folder is saved on different clusters. This is called fragmentation. Due to fragmentation the performance of the operating systems decreases, as the operating system has to read a single file's data from several locations. To increase the performance of the operating system we need to arrange the file's data at a single location. The Disk Defragmenter identifies such fragments, rearranges them and places them in a single location of the drive. Partition List
	21.3.1 Analyzing a Drive
	Before you defragment a hard disk, you need to analyze the hard disk for fragmented files and folders. Analyzing the drive enables you to decide whether you should defragment the drive or not.
	Hands on exercise
	To analyze a drive: 1. Select Start _ Programs _ Accessories. 2. Select System Stool _ Disk Defragmenter.The Computer Disk Defragmenter window is displayed.
	Disk Defragmenter Window
	The options available are : _ Analyze - Evaluates the selected drive for fragmented files and folders. _ Defragment - Consolidates the fragmented files and folder in such way so that they acquire a single adjacent location on the drive. _ Pause - Halts the analyzing or defragment process. _ Stops - Terminates the analyzing or defragment process. _ View Report - Displays the detailed report after the drive is analyzed. 3. Click the Analyze button. The Disk Defragmenter dialog box. 4. Click the View Report button. The Analysis Report dialog box. 5. Click the Close button. After analyzing the drive the Disk Defragmenter displays the graphical representation of the report.
	21.3.2 Defragmenting a Drive
	After analyzing the drive and viewing the report, the next step is to defragment the drive. Before you start the defragmenting ensure that the drive contains atleast 15% of free space. The free space is used by the Disk Defragmenter to sort and adequately allocate the files and folders. If the required free space is not available the Disk Defragmenter will partially defragment the files and folders.
	Hands on exercise
	To defragment a drive: 1. Select Start _ Programs _ Accessories. 2. Select System Tools _ Disk Defragmenter. 3. Select the required drive and click the Defragment button. 4. After the selected drive is defragmented the Defragmented dialog box is displayed.
	Disk Defragmenter Dialog Box After Defragmenting
	5. Click the View Report button to view which files could not be defragmented. The defragmenter Report is displayed.
	Defragmentation Report Dialog Box
	6. View the report and click the Close button. The Disk Defragmenter window is displayed.
	After Defragmenting Files
	7. Select File _ Exit. Fragmented Files Defragmented Files