Why do I have two partitions in IFL

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daylilly02445
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:30 pm
Location: Boston, MA

Why do I have two partitions in IFL

Post by daylilly02445 »

Hi,

My netbook runs Windows 7 Starter. In "Computer" it shows two partitions. One is for Windows, programs and data, the other is "Recovery" for reinstalling the operating system.

In Image for Linux, there is "Recovery" and "System" (100MB), but I know what those are. What puzzles me is that IFL also shows "MDR 0" and "MDR 2". Why are there two partitions where there's only one in Windows? Of which one should I make an image if I want to copy the OS and Programs?

Thanks in advance for help.

Dan S
Brian K
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Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:11 am
Location: NSW, Australia

Re: Why do I have two partitions in IFL

Post by Brian K »

Dan,

In Win7 have a look at Disk Management. How many partitions are present? What brand is your netbook?
daylilly02445
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:30 pm
Location: Boston, MA

Re: Why do I have two partitions in IFL

Post by daylilly02445 »

Hi Brian,

Many thanks for your prompt reply. My netbook is a Samsung N150.

Here's what I see in disk management. There is one disk, with 150 GB. The partitions are:

1. "Recovery Partition" (15 GB), the only partition to have diagonal lines across it.
2." System" (100MB).
3. "C:" (67 GB) which says "Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Primary Partition"
4. "D:" "Recovery" (30 GB), also a Primary Partition.

There is also some unallocated space. All the partitions are "Healthy".

I look forward to your advice. I've never had a program with such rapid and accurate support.

Good luck, Dan S
Bob Coleman
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Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 5:58 pm

Re: Why do I have two partitions in IFL

Post by Bob Coleman »

I don't know anything about your particular system or why it perhaps has two recovery partitions, but Disk Management and IFL both show 4 partitions, right? This much, at least seems consistent.

My guess is that in Windows Explorer ("Computer" as you say), you are seeing only the two partitions indicated by Disk Management to have drive letters (C and D).
Brian K
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Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:11 am
Location: NSW, Australia

Re: Why do I have two partitions in IFL

Post by Brian K »

Dan,

The only partitions you really need to backup with IFL are 2 and 3. If your HD fails these images will get your system working on a new HD.

AS Bob mentioned, having two Recovery partitions is strange. Can you give us a brief outline of what files and folders are in D: drive?
TeraByte Support(PP)
Posts: 1644
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 12:51 am

Re: Why do I have two partitions in IFL

Post by TeraByte Support(PP) »

I assume that IFL is showing "MBR 0" and "MBR 2" (not "MDR..."). This can happen when the partition doesn't have a label (you don't list one for C:). It usually shows up in Windows as "Local Disk" when it has no label. The actual partitions listed should still be the same, with the exception that IFL will display the Extended Partition Container and Disk Management won't. Note that if you're using BING/BIBM and unlimited primary partitions they may differ depending on which partitions are currently loaded.

Is the first partition really 15MB (not 15GB)? Maybe a small tool/diagnostic partition?
daylilly02445
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:30 pm
Location: Boston, MA

Re: Why do I have two partitions in IFL

Post by daylilly02445 »

Brian K wrote:Dan,

The only partitions you really need to backup with IFL are 2 and 3. If your HD fails these images will get your system working on a new HD.

AS Bob mentioned, having two Recovery partitions is strange. Can you give us a brief outline of what files and folders are in D: drive?


Thanks, Brian. But IFL shows me as having partitions MBR 0 and 2. Which one of those corresponds to my C: drive?

I'll take a look at the D: drive and get back to you. The first Recovery partition is greyed out with diagonal lines in Disk Management.

Good luck, Dan S
Brian K
Posts: 2214
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:11 am
Location: NSW, Australia

Re: Why do I have two partitions in IFL

Post by Brian K »

Dan, in IFL (if there are no labels) you can tell which partition is which by looking at the partition size in MiB.

Try this. In Win7, right click on your C: drive icon and click Rename. Type Win7, press Enter and Continue. Now you should have a label for the Win7 partition in IFL.

Edit... click on another partition in Disk Management and you will find it now has diagonal lines. These lines just indicate the selected partition.
DrTeeth
Posts: 1289
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 6:58 pm

Re: Why do I have two partitions in IFL

Post by DrTeeth »

On Wed, 16 Nov 2011 07:13:53 PST, just as I was about to take a herb,
daylilly02445 disturbed my reverie and wrote:

>Many thanks for your prompt reply. My netbook is a Samsung N150.

Familiar with these, got a couple.

First, when booting, IIRC, one is prompted to create a second
partition for data. Did you do this?

One should also have got a DVD for the OS, so the recovery partition
is redundant. The most annoying thing about these netbooks, is that
there are several models in the N150 family that one can get in the
UK, but they do not appear on Samsung's web site for the d/l of
utilities and drivers.

I may be wrong, but I am sure the bods at TBU can confirm this or
otherwise, but I think the N150 uses a non-standard MBR. Installing
BING could hose that. I removed the system partition using the TBH
instructions and the 'book would not boot. If that happens, change the
MBR to win7 type. Can TBU shed some light on the MBR of these?

Good luck.
--

Cheers

DrT
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daylilly02445
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:30 pm
Location: Boston, MA

Re: Why do I have two partitions in IFL

Post by daylilly02445 »

Many thanks to all. I now understand that I must make an image of the partitions that I labled 2 and 3 in my second message. These are the MBR and Drive C:, and IFL is running on the machine right now. I don't have a separate partition for data on this machine.

The mysterious MBR 0 partition is, on examination, Type 27h/39, and contains no files. I believe this is a hidden recovery partition, but I don't understand how it functions, and I suppose I don't need to.

For Dr.T: I purchased my Samsung N150 in the United States and have had no problem with downloaded utilities and drivers. As you say, the Recovery Partition is redundant, especially because I have made a fresh image with IFL. If one were to run out of space on the disk drive, could one get rid of the recovery partition, use the space for data, and just rely on the IFL image for recovery?

I'm grateful for everyone's patience in bearing with me.

Good luck, Dan S
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