Any 1 expert with BootMagic/Partition Magic?

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize (More info?)

Peter wrote:
> Symantec's website is about as much help as the National Enquirer.
> Twice I've created the FAT partition for Bootmagic as per the
> instructions BEFORE the C: System drive (it has to be before the 8gb
> boundary, or so they say) and twice the C: drive has disappeared from
> System Restore tab and when I click settings, it says that
> D:Bootmagic is the system drive. I have subsequently deleted the
> partition, converted it to NTFS and
> then merged again, only to have an unbootable system as a result. So
> I've had to format and reinstall.
> What the heck am I doing wrong here?
> Does it really have to be before the main partition? I can create a
> FAT partition after the C: drive with no problem.
> I despair of ever having a dual boot configuration, whenever I decide
> to install another system.

Peter,

Since PowerQuest sold PartitionMagic and BootMagic to Symantec I would not
use either product. Symantec, as you have found out, has very poor support
and has a habit of taking a good product and truning it into bloatware.

If you can, I would suggest returning the product and getting a refund from
Symantec. Then purchase BootIt NG (BING) from www.terabyteunlimited.com for
about $35.00. There is a free evaluation period of the product and they have
a newsgroup at news.terabyteunlimited.com which provides great support.

--
Sir_George

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize (More info?)

Thanks for the reply. It's too long since I bought it to return, but I
certainly might consider the other product, especially as there is a support
group, something I haven't been able to find with BM.
I've had very few problems with Partition Magic however.

--
Peter
Toronto, Canada
XP Home SP2 Fully Updated
P4 HT @ 3.0ghz, 360gb HDD, 2.0gb DDR
"Sir_George" <Sir_George-newsgrp-cis@spamex.com> wrote in message
news:3nb8nsFlqv8U1@individual.net...
> Peter wrote:
>> Symantec's website is about as much help as the National Enquirer.
>> Twice I've created the FAT partition for Bootmagic as per the
>> instructions BEFORE the C: System drive (it has to be before the 8gb
>> boundary, or so they say) and twice the C: drive has disappeared from
>> System Restore tab and when I click settings, it says that
>> D:Bootmagic is the system drive. I have subsequently deleted the
>> partition, converted it to NTFS and
>> then merged again, only to have an unbootable system as a result. So
>> I've had to format and reinstall.
>> What the heck am I doing wrong here?
>> Does it really have to be before the main partition? I can create a
>> FAT partition after the C: drive with no problem.
>> I despair of ever having a dual boot configuration, whenever I decide
>> to install another system.
>
> Peter,
>
> Since PowerQuest sold PartitionMagic and BootMagic to Symantec I would not
> use either product. Symantec, as you have found out, has very poor support
> and has a habit of taking a good product and truning it into bloatware.
>
> If you can, I would suggest returning the product and getting a refund
> from Symantec. Then purchase BootIt NG (BING) from
> www.terabyteunlimited.com for about $35.00. There is a free evaluation
> period of the product and they have a newsgroup at
> news.terabyteunlimited.com which provides great support.
>
> --
> Sir_George
>
>
>

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize (More info?)

"Peter" <ex-brit AT rogers DOT com> wrote:
> Twice I've created the FAT partition for Bootmagic as per the instructions
> BEFORE the C: System drive (it has to be before the 8gb boundary, or so
> they say) and twice the C: drive has disappeared from System Restore tab
> and when I click settings, it says that D:Bootmagic is the system drive.
> I have subsequently deleted the partition, converted it to NTFS and then
> merged again, only to have an unbootable system as a result. So I've had
> to format and reinstall.
> What the heck am I doing wrong here?
> Does it really have to be before the main partition? I can create a FAT
> partition after the C: drive with no problem.

It sounds like you're misinterpretting what's going on. Just because it is
labelled "D:" doesn't mean it's behind the XP partition. I'll bet if you
take a look at the graph in Disk Mgmt (in the middle of the right pane,
where it shows a graphic representation of the partitions), you'll see the
D: partition physically in front of the C: partition.

I agree with you that PM is a fine product, but BM is not. It's a somewhat
primitive boot manager, made more difficult because you now have to install
it from Windows (version 5 and earlier could install from a DOS floppy).
Installing from Windows complicates matters if you don't want Windows to see
the BM partition. Part of that confusion has resulted in your XP getting
itself split across two partitions with the FAT partition as your system
partition.

I recommend switching to a better boot manager, such as XOSL, GAG, or
OSL2000, which are all free alternatives. My favorite is XOSL, which can
install itself in a 8MB logical partition at the end of the disk, and
OSL2000 doesn't even require an installation partition at all. Make sure XP
is installed properly first (with C: as the system partition), then add the
boot manager later.

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize (More info?)

Thanks, I'll looks into those applications. The D: partition wasn't behind
C: it was placed before C: as per the user guide. But when I finished
installing that partition C System) disappeared from the System Restore
tab, and clicking settings on that tab for D:Bootmagic showed that it was
the system, although it really wasn't (there wasn't anything installed in
the partition as of that moment).

--
Peter
Toronto, Canada
XP Home SP2 Fully Updated
P4 HT @ 3.0ghz, 360gb HDD, 2.0gb DDR
"dg1261" <dgREMOVE-THIS1261@cs.com> wrote in message
news:%23rnTCD3qFHA.2604@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
>
> "Peter" <ex-brit AT rogers DOT com> wrote:
>> Twice I've created the FAT partition for Bootmagic as per the
>> instructions BEFORE the C: System drive (it has to be before the 8gb
>> boundary, or so they say) and twice the C: drive has disappeared from
>> System Restore tab and when I click settings, it says that D:Bootmagic is
>> the system drive.
>> I have subsequently deleted the partition, converted it to NTFS and then
>> merged again, only to have an unbootable system as a result. So I've had
>> to format and reinstall.
>> What the heck am I doing wrong here?
>> Does it really have to be before the main partition? I can create a FAT
>> partition after the C: drive with no problem.
>
> It sounds like you're misinterpretting what's going on. Just because it
> is labelled "D:" doesn't mean it's behind the XP partition. I'll bet if
> you take a look at the graph in Disk Mgmt (in the middle of the right
> pane, where it shows a graphic representation of the partitions), you'll
> see the D: partition physically in front of the C: partition.
>
> I agree with you that PM is a fine product, but BM is not. It's a
> somewhat primitive boot manager, made more difficult because you now have
> to install it from Windows (version 5 and earlier could install from a DOS
> floppy). Installing from Windows complicates matters if you don't want
> Windows to see the BM partition. Part of that confusion has resulted in
> your XP getting itself split across two partitions with the FAT partition
> as your system partition.
>
> I recommend switching to a better boot manager, such as XOSL, GAG, or
> OSL2000, which are all free alternatives. My favorite is XOSL, which can
> install itself in a 8MB logical partition at the end of the disk, and
> OSL2000 doesn't even require an installation partition at all. Make sure
> XP is installed properly first (with C: as the system partition), then add
> the boot manager later.
>
>