Icon PartitionMagic 7.0 Icon

by Dale Farris, President, Golden Triangle PC Club
December 2001

PartitionMagic 7.0 (PM) is a very specialized application designed to allow users to safely and easily create, resize and merge partitions on a hard drive without destroying data. In addition, PartitionMagic 7.0 (PM) helps organize and protect your data, run multiple operating systems, convert file system types and fix partition table errors.

This latest version 7 of this super program adds new features and now has support for Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows XP. Click here for a review of PartitionMagic 6.0.

Dividing a hard drive into several partitions lets you efficiently organize operating systems, programs, and data. Prior to such software as PowerQuest's PartitionMagic 7.0, modifying hard drive partitions was a much more difficult task that required you to backup your data, delete any existing partitions, create and format new partitions, reinstall the operating system, and finally, restore the protected data. Hopefully, along the way, the user was careful enough to not destroy all their data. Then, to modify this configuration, you went through the entire process all over again.

While there is indeed something to be said for going through this laborious process with inoperable systems or machines that are about to crash, in order to start all over again, with PartitionMagic, the issue is not trying to recover a crashed system, but instead a need to create additional partitions on a hard drive. The ease of partitioning an existing system on the fly with PartitionMagic 7, while working in Windows and without having to completely start all over again, is the beautiful thing about this important program.

When critical operating problems occur, users are then strongly advised to seek professional computer technical assistance, because PartitionMagic 7.0 is not a program that will magically clean up such a fouled system. Long time Windows users can identify with this issue. After about 2-3 years or so of running a Windows machine, most users face the need to swipe clean a drive, reformat it, and then reinstall the operating system and the preferred applications.

Typical Uses

Storing information in separate partitions helps users better organize and protect their data on their machine. In addition, with this program, you can also run multiple operating systems, and secure the information that is worked with in these systems. This is a very valuable feature, as there are those who would like to work with different versions of Windows for different purposes, including the need to maybe "try out" a new OS, while still feeling secure that their existing OS is still functional, thus not having to worry about a system failure.

With this program, you can dynamically modify hard drive partitions using easy, step-by-step wizards, all the while protecting important data on the drive. With the click of a mouse, the program reduces the time required to repartition a hard drive from hours to minutes.

You can create new partitions, resize them, merge existing partitions into one, split and convert partitions, and not destroy the data that resides on existing partitions that are addressed by the program. You can even preview the effects of partitioning a hard drive before you actually make the changes to a system.

There are new features that greatly add to the functionality of the program, and you can now boot into different operating systems on the same machine. After you add or delete partitions, the Automatic Drive-Letter Updates feature updates the drive letter references. 

Now, you can easily partition hard drives larger than 20GB, and convert between various file systems without losing data. And, all this can be done from within Windows, on the fly, with the inherent operating systems executables.

Other uses include the following.

Safely manage multiple operating systems
Organize and protect the information on your hard drive
Easy, step-by-step wizards to create partitioning tasks
View pending operations before implementing them
Flexibly convert from one file system or partition type to another
Support for FAT, FAT32, Linux ext 2, Linux SWAP, NTFS, and HPFS

New Features In Version 7.0

Existing users of PartitionMagic will appreciate these new features in the new version 7.0.

Newly designed, user-friendly interface
Merge NTFS partitions
Support Windows XP
Partition hard drives as large as 80GB
Access and partition external USB drives
Undelete a deleted partition from rescue discs

Product Benefits

Split Partitions - split an existing FAT or FAT32 partition into two partitions, and designate Root folders and files to be moved into the new partition
Undelete Partition - restore partitions that have been deleted on disk if they have not been already overwritten
Windows Tree and Multiple Disk View - familiar Windows-like interface provides a quick view of all available disks
Drag and Drop - easily copy or move partitions to another area of your disk
Password Protected - new dialog box allows you to save a password to enter launch the program
BootDisk Builder (Pro version only) - creates a remote agent disk so you can perform Across-The-Wire operations allowing you to access another computer on the network to perform common tasks
Graphical Interface with Full Mouse Support
BootMagic - effortlessly switch between multiple operating systems
Run Multiple Operating Systems on the Same PC
Native DOS and Windows Configuration
Wizard Functionality
Batch and Execute Simultaneous Commands
Fast and Easy Partitioning
Work with Partitions on the Fly - without losing your data
DriveMapper Utility - move applications between partitions and automatically update the drive-letter references after partitioning
Support for Larger Drives - supports hard drives larger than 20GB
Convert Between File Systems - conversions include FAT to FAT32 and NTFS, FAT32 to FAT, NTFS to FAT and FAT32, primary to logical and vice versa, FAT32 to NTFS under Windows 2000 Professional
Native Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, NT Workstation Executables - run the program without leaving Windows

In addition, the program also supports these features.

NTFS security
Separate partition for data to facilitate regular backups
Separate data from operating systems and applications
Hide and unhide partitions to protect data
Test new or unstable software in a separate partition
Use partitions as super-directories to organize large numbers of files
Recover hundreds of MB of drive space by resizing inefficient FAT clusters
Check and Info options to get critical system information
Cluster Analyzer provides exactly how much space you're wasting
Does not use any software TSR programs or device drivers
Supports IBM's High Performance File System

What's It All About?

A partition is a subsection of a hard drive, mutually exclusive from other "sections" on a drive. A partition gives you the ability to segment data and even to separate operating systems on the same PC. You could, for example, on one partition, boot into Windows 2000, or on another partition, Windows 98. This all works around the basics of how hard drives work.

A hard drive is really a collection of a different number of platters, which are magnetically writeable disks stacked within the metal case that encases the drive. Each disk or platter has two writeable sides, and today's hard drives are capable of storing tons of data. On newer, high end machines, it is not uncommon to find hard drives that hold 40GB or more of space, something unheard of just 5 years ago.

The BIOS (Basic Input/Basic Output) and the operating system (OS) recognize the full size of the hard drive by the mathematics that describe the available storage, the addressing of that storage space so that it is usable, and the limits that have to be imposed to assure the integrity of the system. The BIOS's on older machines likely will not recognize today's very large hard drives, and in the original version of Windows 95, it too could not work with partitions larger than 2GB.

With a program like PartitionMagic, you can also have multiple partitions on one computer that can be active, although you can use only one at time. When you boot the machine, you would be prompted to choose which OS boots, and data that exists in other active partitions would be unavailable when you are booted to another partition. 

Partitions are useful for keeping data separate, providing improved recovery options, divide better your available space among multiple users on a single computer, support faster backup and recovery times, and better organize programs and files. While there are people who need to separate hard drives into smaller partitions, others may wish to take separate partitions and combine them into a single larger partition. This reduces the number of drives that appear under My Computer and simplifies the installation of software.

Using partitions can also help improve drive performance by reducing the fragmentation of files and by separating operating system files from user data, thus enhancing the responsiveness of the system and reducing the likelihood of file system corruption. 

Under all these various scenarios, users of this program are strongly encouraged to be sure they have a solid understanding of these concepts, understand how a machine boots, how a hard drive stores and manages data, and the basics of how an operating system works. Then, be sure you backup all your critical files that you absolutely must not lose, before you proceed with using this program.

While this latest version of PM is even more easier to use than prior versions, nevertheless there are some assumptions built into the use of the program, especially as you work with the wizards that walk you through the process. First time users are encouraged to seek out others who may be more experienced with and knowledgeable about the entire concept and process of partitioning a hard drive, perhaps even experienced in the use of PartitionMagic. This way, you will be assured you know what to do as you respond to the wizard processes.

Also, some readers may wonder what is the value of this program, compared with using the standard, built-in FDISK and FORMAT commands in Windows. Basically, the beauty of PM is that on the fly, while working in Windows, you can now easily partition a hard drive into other partitions, merge existing partitions, all the while protecting existing data and even moving applications and reconfiguring the drive letter for these programs.

Although using PM is pretty easy, and the software will walk you through its processes, it is possible to perform an action that will result in making your operating system unbootable. In this case, users are encouraged to remember to also have handy a fully functional, emergency boot disk. You do have such an emergency disk handy, don't you?

So, with the right technical assistance, this program can help you create a more secure, faster, more reliable and more recoverable system. But remember, this is not a program for newbies or those who have never ever done this before. 

PowerQuest Corporation

The PowerQuest Corporation is a leading software developer and technology pioneer, providing solutions to simplify complex storage management issues. A privately held company located in Orem, Utah, PowerQuest was founded in 1993 by Eric J. Ruff.

The company launched its premier product, PartitionMagic, in March 1995. PowerQuest won the coveted Utah 100 award two years in a row, ranking the company first in revenue growth out of 14,000 contestants. To date, PowerQuest's technology has gained more than 100 industry awards.

In addition to PartitionMagic 6, PowerQuest also sells these other products.

PartitionMagic Pro

Drive Image Pro - allows IS professionals to create an exact hard-disk image for fast deployment, upgrades and backups

Server Magic - easy solution for upgrading a server and expanding its partitions on the fly

Easy Restore - gives resellers or corporations the ability to provide a simple, one-step system recovery solution with the computers they sell or service

Drive Copy - fast way to copy one hard drive to another

Over the past three years, PowerQuest has entered into OEM agreements with many companies, including Compaq and IBM.

 Recommendations for Use
This program is NOT for novice users, or those brand new to working with computers. Instead, it is designed for "power users," folks who understand the technical background behind how an operating system actually works, and how the hard drive actually stores and retrieves data and system files.

"Power users" of computer systems have usually already delved into the secrets of partitioning hard drives, and many are likely to have also already worked with earlier versions of this very well known program.

I also think students working on various types of computer certification will be very interested in this program, as it will allow them to actually work with all the various versions of the operating systems they are learning to support.

 Install and Setup
The install process runs smoothly. After you have loaded the software, then you open it to start its magical work with your hard drive.

During the install process, you will have an option to also install BootMagic, in addition to PartitionMagic. If you have multiple operating systems installed, you can use BootMagic to choose from installed operating systems each time you boot the machine.

You create rescue disks from the CD to run PartitionMagic from DOS, Windows 3.x, OS/2, or Linux machines. You also can create rescue disks under Windows.

Before you run the program, be sure you have your hard disk backed up, or at the least, your data files. Also, be sure to close all background files, before you open and implement the program. 

Also, you must run this program from a local, uncompressed drive. You cannot run the program from a network drive. This requires the Pro version. 

The included user manual is very helpful in better understanding the many options available in the program, complete with many very nice sample screen shots that show what is going on.

There are also two helpful appendixes that explain how the program works with various other utilities that likely are already loaded on machines that users will also use PartitionMagic.

 Price

$  69.95 street price
$  49.95 upgrade price
$249.85 PartitionMagic Pro 7.0 5-Workstation License
$112.43 upgrade price PartitionMagic Pro 7.0 5-Workstation License

Minimum System Configuration Requirements

Windows 9x

486 processor or higher
32MB RAM
50MB free hard drive space
CD ROM drive
HD Floppy disk drive

Windows 98ME

150MHz Pentium or higher
32MB RAM
50MB free hard drive space
CD ROM drive
HD Floppy disk drive

Windows NT Workstation 4.0 (SP 4 or higher)

486-33 processor or higher
32MB RAM
50MB free hard drive space
CD ROM drive
HD Floppy disk drive

Windows 2000 Professional

133MHz Pentium or higher processor
64MB RAM
50MB free hard drive space
CD ROM drive
HD Floppy disk drive

Windows XP (Home and Professional Editions)

233MHz Pentium or higher processor
28MB RAM
50MB free hard drive space
CD ROM drive
HD Floppy disk drive

Note: These are indeed bare minimum system configuration requirements, as all software vendors must obviously have a minimum set of requirements for their program to operate. However, in the case of this very special program, I would strongly urge anyone considering the program to start with at least 64MB RAM, if not 128MB, and of the course, the faster the processor, the faster this and any program will run. This issue of fast processor speed will certainly be an issue with this program, as you await its completion of the particular processes you ask it to perform for you. For Win 2000 users, you already know how much processing speed, hardware capability, and memory you already must have in order for this latest memory hog from Microsoft to operate.

 Contact

Ms. Laura Shafer, Manager
Corporate Affairs
PowerQuest Corporation
P.O. Box 1911
Orem, Utah 84059-1911
 801-437-8498
801-437-8900
FAX 801-437-4498
laura.shafer@powerquest.com
magic@powerquest.com
www.powerquest.com

 Acknowledgments

Thanks are in order to the excellent supplemental material supplied with the program that was of great assistance in the preparation of this review. In addition, I want to thank the always helpful Smart Computing magazine information about partitions and how PartitionMagic works in the development of this review. Viewers are encouraged to also seek out other comments and suggestions from the reviews of this application found in the online versions of computer magazines, such as PC Magazine, PC World, and Windows Magazine.