SnowSurfer

how can i partion part of my hard drive so i can reinstall windows...get all my files then totally reformat the whole thing and start from scratch?? i have a 40 gb hd...and i want to put xp on a 20gb partion but i dont know how to allot out that partion

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I have an athlon xp 2500+ ... aren't you glad you know that?

Ladogaboy

So you already have files on your HD, but you want to do a clean re-install of XP without losing any of the data?

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It is not enough to merely touch the face of god; you also must open your eyes so that you may see your palm.

SnowSurfer

yes exactly correct

Tico

First of all, Do you want to do this just to get your keyboard and mouse working again? Because that would be the ABSOLUTE last step for a problem that should be pretty simple to fix.....

IF you really do, How much data do you have now? The amount you want to save....

Bires

Word!

If you can, get partition magic and create a small partition at the end of you hard drive by:

1: resizing you existing partition.
2: rebooting, copying the files to the new partition
3: delete you boot partition
4: create a 8GB FAT32 (yes...FAT32) partition at the beginning of your harddrive (where your old install was)
5: reinstall windows
6: copy your files back
7: delete partition from step #1.
8: make new partitions as needed
9: benchmark your boot partition. fast, eh?

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Five years...

SnowSurfer

yes i am doing this just so i can get my mouse and keyboard to work again...i am going into my case for the umteenth time again today to check connections...i have about 6 gigs of files i need to save.

caribiner23

In my opinion, this seems really drastic to fix a keyboard problem.

You said this all started because you were vacuuming dust out of the case, and afterwards the "special functions" of your mouse no longer work. Yet a wireless mouse does work. Then there was something about the keyboard not working.

From this description it sounds like more of a hardware problem than software. I would make sure everything is seated properly and that there are no bent pins on any of the connectors.

I know this is a stupid question, but was the computer turned off and unplugged when you were vacuuming? Many years ago (when I was far less seasoned ) I dropped a screw on the motherboard of a running system and I used a screwdriver to fish it out-- and shorted out part of the motherboard. It still booted, but it acted really flaky.

By the way, if your keyboard does not work, do you get a "keyboard not found" error at power-up? If so, you've got a hardware problem, not an XP problem.

If you are convinced it's XP, before reformatting, try removing the mouse and keyboard (one at a time) from Control Panel. When the OS re-adds them, see if they work.

You may find yourself at the opposite end of a reinstall with the same exact problem you have now.

Good luck.

SnowSurfer

ok...heres what happened...yes i had it unplugged when i vacumed i put the case back on and no there is no bent pins or lose anything. first the special functions of my mouse would not work so i tried to install the newest update from logitechs site. my computer froze and the mouse would not work. i said ok then i put a microsoft mouse (jsut a cheap one i had lying around) and it worked but my computer was not detecting the logitech mouse. so i tried to unintall the mouseware driver and the itouch software and it froze at 10% i restarted and only the mouse (microsoft mouse) would work. so i put in the cd that came with my computer for logitech and at 98% it restarts the computer. it did it 4 times. so then i tried to unistall the mouseware driver and itouch software again it gave me a fatal error. i then went to the system restore menu (with the keyboard) and restored to the day before.i restarted and no mouse or keyboard will work in windows xp. i do not get a keyboard not detechted error or anything. but when i tap f8 to get into the menu to select which mode i want to go into (at startup) it works and i can pick a mode. i pick safe mode and when i get there it tells me to pick my use and log in and neither the mouse nor keyboard work and no mouse or keyboard work. i hold the connect button on the reciever and it usually pops up a dialog saying "please hold the button on the device for 5 seconds to establish connection" no dialog. so i end up starting up my computer and having to hit the actual power button on the case to shut it down.

hope this helps

attgig

nastiness...

partition magic would make this the easiest.
if you can't get yourself a copy.
errr, find a spare hard drive...

or....
if you already have a couple partitions on your hd.
keep the same partitions..
just reformat the c: and install...leaving the data on d: or e: or whatever.

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SnowSurfer

ok i fixed it!!! just have to reinstall the itouch stuff off the cd and i will be good to go...how i fixed it:

booted off the winxp disk

went to recovery

replaced the system file with a brand spanking new copy

restarted

installed mouse drivers

went back to repair mode

replaced brand spanking new copy with old copy

restarted good as gold

now i am just going to install the itouch software off the disk and crisis has been averted

Markel

If you truly want to avoid a crisis, I have one word for you: BACKUP!

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stay low... keep moving...

SnowSurfer

i hate to say it but i really really dont want to backup 5 gigs of music and 1 gig of documents and reports and stuff to cdr's...maybe i will invest in something to back them up onto...like another harddrive or something..that could def work

SnowSurfer

i have norton ghost...never used it just have it (came with norton systemworks pro 2002) and i really dont feel like going and buying partion magic...i will figure something out. ok if i was to make another partion would i make it fat32 or ntfs (for the ghost image)

SnowSurfer

thank you darkfury that helped alot now i just need to know how to make the second partion...i think i may just go buy partion magic and do it

Grimm

Then save yourself the trouble and delete the files now. If you don't want them enough to back them up, you don't want them.
"The trouble" of backing up 6 GB of data isn't any real trouble. It's 10 whole CDRs, that's 5 bucks worth for those of you in the slow section. It takes 2 whole minutes to drag and drop the files, put the disc in the burner, and start the burn... come back in 20 minute, an hour, a week and a half, whatever, and lable the backup and start another. It's 20 minutes of your time, and 100 minutes of your computer's time (a bit more if you have a realy old burner).

Then when your hard drive eats itself (not if, when) i don't have to hear you whining about losing your files.

A 2nd hard drive is an option, agin if you don't mind losing your files when the power supply of controller goes and takes both of your hard drives with it. Or water damage, or a sibling knocking over the computer, or a pet, lightning strike, spiled coke, destructive virus, etc, etc, etc...

CDRs are the best way to safely and cheaply back up your data. Anyone who says different is intellectualy chalanged.

Bires

True.

You could use a prog like Norton's Ghost (cheap to buy last version-search if you don't own-Ghost2001 is all over the buckeneer-ware sites)
Ghost has really good compression and allows the CDs to be bootable and your data would span accross them. I b/u a 2.5GB Win2000 partition to 2 700M CDRs last spring with it.