Software to Partition Legacy Drive

mchldpy · 08 Sep 2018

Hello,
My 3 MB's are from 2009. They must see the first partition starting on sector 63 not sector 2048. GParted will setup an MBR partition but starts the 1st partition on sector 2048 to be dcompatible with UEFI/GPT.
If I try to load any system on that partition scheme it gives a BCD/Boot config error at first boot but when the first partition starts at sector 63, I can install 7, 8.1 or 10. These are (non) 4K drives, I just need the right software.
Anyone know of any?

thanks in advance

fireberd · 08 Sep 2018

Don't know if this is what you need but give Mini Tool Partition Wizard a Try (free version).
Best Free Partition Manager for Windows | MiniTool Partition Free

mchldpy · 08 Sep 2018

I will check it out, thanks. I was thinking it had to run through windows for some reason. Shouldn't have been thinking.

michael

UPDATE -
As far as I can tell after installing, it only works through windows. You can't put it on a disk and run it on a machine w/no os.

billmcct · 08 Sep 2018

You will need an older version to create a boot disk. v7.6 and earlier had that option. It has been removed from the newer free versions and is only available in paid versions.

mchldpy · 08 Sep 2018

Thanks for the mini tool heads up. I just got a 2007 copy of GParted and it set the first partition at sector 63 like my other 2 785 boards are but I got the same generic error at about 4% of the files copied. either some remnants of the partitionb alignment from before or that wasn't the (only) problem.
I think Rod Smith who wrote GPT fdisk has a program called "fixparts" that will clean up remnants of one or the other. Any more ideas would be great.

michael

Megahertz07 · 08 Sep 2018

Are you sure you need specific disk partition to use on a GA-MA785GM?
Did you try to use M$ diskpart?
You boot from Win 7 installation disk, go to maintenance and launch a CMD window.
Diskpart (enter)

DISKPART> list disk
DISKPART> select disk (id)
DISKPART> clean
DISKPART> create partition primary
DISKPART> select part 1
DISKPART> active (if this is the boot partition)
DISKPART> format fs=ntfs label=(name) quick
DISKPART> assign letter (letter)
DISKPART> list volume
DISKPART> exit

Paul Black · 08 Sep 2018

Hi mchldpy,

Further to Megahertz07's excellent advice above.

You can use Diskpart from the X drive using this quick shortcut!
When you get to the first installer screen which shows Install now, press Shift + F10 to take you to the command prompt where you can run the diskpart commands.

Type Diskpart > Enter [to enter diskpart].
Type list disk > Enter[this lists all connected HDDs].
Type Select disk 0 > Enter [assuming that disk 0 is the desired disk for Windows to be installed on to].
Type Clean > Enter [this will erase the entire disk including ALL the partitions].

Now you can either carry on with the installation and setup your partitions and format in Where do you want to install Windows?, or, do as Megahertz07 has suggested and do all of it from within Diskpart!

I hope this helps!

mchldpy · 08 Sep 2018

1) Not special but ol;der. First partition can't start on sector 2048, which everything wants to do for compatibility with the newer non BIOS mode and GPT.
That part is fixed thanks to a 2007 version of GParted.

I don't remember about DiskPart but the format tool on the install disk will put a hidden partition before your main partition for sensitive startup files and others and the first time you backup with Acronis or other 3rd party s/ware they don't see the hidden partition and your stuck. I don't think DiskPart does it because disk management from inside Windows doesn't.

(That) part is fixed, as I stated in my previous post I'm still getting an error.

Thanks to both for your knowledge.