Repartitioning Your Hard Disk After MS-DOS 5 Upgrade (77821)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 5.0
This article was previously published under Q77821

SUMMARY

After you have upgraded your system to MS-DOS version 5.0, you can repartition your hard disk at any time. Before you begin the procedure, you need the following:

  • Enough floppy disks to back up your hard disk
  • A floppy disk onto which you'll copy your system files
The repartition procedure described in this article involves the following steps:

  • Creating a system disk
  • Backing up your hard disk
  • Repartitioning your hard disk by using the Fdisk program
  • Formatting your hard disk
  • Restoring your backed-up files
Each step is discussed in a separate subsection, below.

MORE INFORMATION

Step 1: Creating a System Disk

The first step is to create a system disk. You will use this disk to start MS-DOS after reformatting your hard drive.

To create a system disk:

  1. Insert a formatted disk into drive A and type the following:

    sys a:

    To use an unformatted disk, insert the disk in drive A, and type the following:

    format a: /s

  2. Copy the RESTORE.EXE and FORMAT.COM files to your system disk. You will need these files after you partition your hard disk. To copy the files, type the following:

    copy c:\dos\restore.exe a:
    copy c:\dos\format.com a:

    Typically, these files are located in your DOS subdirectory. If your MS-DOS files are in a different directory, use its name instead.

Step 2: Backing Up Up Your Files

The next step is to back up your files.

WARNING: Make sure you back up your files before using the Fdisk program. When you delete or modify a partition, all files on that partition are deleted.

To back up your files, use the BACKUP command to back up files on your hard disk. For example, to back up every file in every directory on drive C onto disks in drive A, you would type the following:

backup c:\ a: /s

The /S switch specifies that every file in every directory will be backed up.

NOTE: Use the BACKUP command to back up files on every partition and each logical drive on your hard disk.

You can also use a backup program such as FASTBACK.

Step 3: Repartitioning Your Hard Disk

After you back up your hard disk, the next step is to repartition it. Repartitioning your hard disk involves:

  • Deleting any non-DOS partitions.
  • Deleting the logical drives in the extended DOS partition, if your system has any.
  • Deleting the extended DOS partition, if your system has one.
  • Deleting the primary DOS partition.
  • Creating a new primary DOS partition.
  • Specifying the maximum disk size for the partition, and making the partition active.
To repartition your hard disk:

  1. Type the following at the MS-DOS command prompt and then press ENTER:

    fdisk

    The FDISK Options screen appears.
  2. Press 3 to choose Delete Partition or Logical DOS Drive, and then press ENTER. The Delete DOS Partition or Logical DOS Drive screen appears.
  3. If one of your partitions was not created by using DOS, press 4 to choose Delete Non-DOS Partition, and then press ENTER. If your partitions were created by using DOS, skip to step 9 of this procedure.

    If you chose option 4, the Delete Non-DOS Partition screen appears.
  4. Type the number of the partition you want to delete, and then press ENTER.
  5. To confirm the deletion, press Y, and then press ENTER.
  6. Press ESC to return to the FDISK Options screen.
  7. Repeat steps 3 through 6 if you have any other partitions that weren't created by using DOS.
  8. The FDISK Options menu should be on your screen. If you have a partition that was created by using DOS, press 3 to choose Delete Partition or Logical DOS Drive, and then press ENTER. If you have just one non-DOS partition, skip to step 20 in this procedure.

    If you chose option 3 on the FDISK Options screen, the Delete DOS Partition or Logical DOS Drive screen appears.
  9. If you have a logical drive, press 3 to choose Delete Logical DOS Drive(s) in the Extended DOS Partition, and then press ENTER. If you don't have a logical drive, skip to step 17 in this procedure.

    If you chose option 3, the Delete Logical DOS Drive(s) in the Extended DOS Partition screen appears.
  10. Type the letter of the drive you want to delete, and then press ENTER.
  11. Type the volume label if there is one, and then press ENTER.
  12. To confirm the deletion, press Y, and then press ENTER.
  13. If there are other logical drives you want to delete, repeat steps 10-12.
  14. When all logical drives have been deleted, press ESC. An information screen appears.
  15. Press ESC again to return to the FDISK Options screen.
  16. Press 3 to choose Delete Partition or Logical DOS Drive, and then press ENTER. The Delete DOS Partition or Logical DOS Drive screen appears.
  17. Press 2 to choose Delete Extended DOS Partition, and then press ENTER. The Delete Extended DOS Partition screen appears.
  18. To confirm that you want to delete the extended DOS partition, press Y, and then press ENTER.
  19. Press ESC to return to the FDISK Options screen.
  20. Press 3 to choose Delete Partition or Logical DOS Drive, and then press ENTER. The Delete DOS Partition or Logical DOS Drive screen appears.
  21. Press 1 to choose Delete Primary DOS Partition, and then press ENTER. The Delete Primary DOS Partition screen appears.
  22. Press ENTER to delete your primary partition.
  23. Type the volume label if there is one, and then press ENTER.
  24. To confirm the deletion, press Y, and then press ENTER.
  25. Press ESC to return to the FDISK Options screen.
  26. Press ENTER to choose Create a DOS Partition or Logical DOS Drive. The Create DOS Partition or Logical DOS Drive screen appears.
  27. Press ENTER to choose Create Primary DOS Partition. The Create Primary DOS Partition screen appears.
  28. Press ENTER to specify the maximum size for the partition, and make the partition active.
  29. Insert your system disk in drive A and press any key.

Step 4: Reformatting Your Hard Disk

You cannot use your hard disk until you format it.

To format your hard disk:

  1. Make sure you are running MS-DOS 5.0 from the system disk in drive A.
  2. At the command prompt, type the following:

    format c: /s

    The /S switch copies system files to your hard disk.
  3. Press Y, and then press ENTER, to proceed with formatting.
  4. Once formatting is complete, type a volume label if you want one, and then press ENTER.

Step 5: Restoring Your Files

The last step is to restore your files, as follows:

  1. Make sure you are running MS-DOS 5.0 from the system disk in drive A.
  2. At the command prompt, type the following:

    restore <drive1:> c:\*.* /s

    The parameter <drive1:> specifies the drive on which the backed-up files are stored. For example, if you insert your backup disk in drive A, you would type the following:

    restore a: c:\*.* /s

    The /S switch restores every file in every subdirectory you backed up. You can also restore your files with the backup program (such as FASTBACK) you used to back up your files.
  3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 if you have other backup disks.
  4. When you are finished restoring your files, remove your system disk and restart your computer by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/22/1999
Keywords:KB77821
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.