EXPERT MINUTES
PARTITIONING THE HARD DISK using boot IT NG Software
CREATING THE BOOT IT NG BOOT DISKS
You need to first create a boot disk of boot IT NG. Unzip the installation files to the temporary directory. Launch the single executable file in the unzipped collection. Leave the settings in the following window as default.
The application prompts you to insert a floppy to start the boot-disk creation process. The application erases all the data in the floppy and copies the necessary partition manager software and a small OS that will be required to boot the PC. Once the boot disk creation process is complete you can press [Esc] to close the application . You now have a bootable floppy ready for the actual exercise.
DIVIDE & RULE
STEP1
Now you are all set to start the disk partitioning process. Insert the bootable disk into the floppy drive and reboot the computer. Change the BIOS so that the computer first reads the floppy drive.
STEP2
When your computer boots through a floppy it opens a graphical interface with mouse support. When you are prompted with a boot IT NG installation on your hard disk , click 'cancel' and enter the maintenance mode.
STEP3
When you enter the maintenance mode you will see a screen with the following options listed:
Leave options in 'settings' at default . Resume takes you to the Boot IT NG hard disk install screen. Boot IT NG can also act as a backup and a restore utility and hence the options of backup/restore. The reboot option lets you to reboot your machine to effect any change you make.
STEP4
Click on partition work . This opens a window that displays your hard drive as 'HD0'. Your CD-ROM is also listed in a similar manner.
STEP5
Choose 'HD0' and then click on the create button to the right of the screen. This throws opens a pop up window where you are required to choose the file system you would like the first partition to be formatted with. Choose '11/bh fat32' from the drop-down list. It's the only FAT32 option available.
STEP6
In the text area provided , enter the size of the partition you would like to create. Plan before you create partitions.
STEP7
Click OK. You will be prompted with a message box that asks you whether you would like to convert this partition into NTFS. Click No and the partitioning process starts. It's done in three phases. First is allocation, then error checking and then formatting. All this happens as a background process.
Your first partition is now created. You can repeat these steps to create more partitions with the remaining free space. You are ready to use the space on your hard disk in an efficient way.
