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Partition manager

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Partition Manager overview

Partition Manager is advanced Active@ UNDELETE tool, that allows you to perform disk partitioning tasks, such as creating partitions and volumes, formatting them, and assigning drive letters. Initialize raw disk, edit partition tables and more.

Partition Manager is advanced disk utility that allows you to perform disk partitioning tasks, such as creating partitions and volumes, formatting them, and assigning drive letters. Initialize raw disk, edit partition tables and more.

Most of these changes to disk partitioning are recorded in dedicated backup files thus at any time these changes could be rollback at certain point. See Rollback Partition Changes for more information.

Rollback Partition Changes

To open Partition Manager click > Tools bullet-gray Partition Manager in main application menu or use shortcut Ctrl+M at any time when running Active@ UNDELETE.

The main features of Partition Manager are:

Partition Manager is a separate module of Active @ UNDELETE - advanced data recovery toolbox. For more features, like:

  • Recovery deleted files or files from deleted or damaged partitions.
  • Restore deleted or damaged partitions.
  • Work with Disk Images.
  • Recover data from damaged RAID's.
  • Low level disk editing and more please visit Active@ UNDELETE web site.
 

Initialize new disk (physical device)

Physical Disks Initialization

To make disk accessible for application it needs to be initialized first by one of the following partition style:

  • Master Boot Record (MBR)
  • GUID Partition Table

Danger: Do not initialize disk if you are about to recover lost data from it! Use Scan for deleted partitions and files by their signatures to retrieve your files fist.

To initialize physical disk proceed as follows:

1. Select disk to initialize

In Partition Manager select not-initialized Disk (Physical Disk).

2. Open the Initialize Disk dialog

  • From the Partition Manager toolbar click Initialize button or use command Actions > Initialize... from main menu
  • Right-click the selected item and click Initialize... command from the context menu

Confirm disk selection and other options in opened dialog.

Initialize Disk dialog. Active@ UNDELETE

Figure 56: Initialize Disk dialog

Partition style

Select either MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT (GUID Partition Table) partition style.

Note: GPT partition style is not supported by older versions of Windows. It is recommended for disks larger then 2TB. For all other purposes we recommend to use MBR partition style Create typical bootstrap code Default generic bootstrap code will be written if this option is on.

Clear primary partition table

Primary partition table records will be cleared.

Warning: It is highly recommended to not clear primary partition table in case of restoring deleted or damaged disk partitioning.

3. Click OK to complete disk initialization

After disk initialization it should be visible and accessible in Partition Manager for other actions, such as Create partition and more.

 

Partition manipulation

Partition Manager provides essential functionality to handle disk partitioning under windows environment, such as:

One of the unique feature of Partition Manager is Rollback partition changes — ability to revert any if the actions mentioned above.

 

Create partition

To create new partition (logical drive or volume):

1. Select partition location

In Partition Manager select a disk (physical device) or unallocated space node.

2. Open the Create New Partition dialog

3. Adjust dialog options

Use sliders to specify partition boundaries — offset and size. Mouse click on unallocated space will select it to utilize all space available.

Create Partition dialog. Active@ UNDELETE

Figure 57: Create Partition dialog

Primary or Extended

Partition can be created as Primary partition (of number of available Primary partitions are not exceeded) or as Extended partition.

Sector Offset

First sector of created partition. It can be set exact by numerical value entered in text box or by moving left slider in Device View control

Partition Size

Partition size can be set in megabytes or in sectors, depending on state of Measure in Sectors check box

Mark Partition as Active

Newly created partition will be set as Active Partition

Assign Drive letter

For Primary Partition or Logical Drive on extended partition drive letter can be assigned from the list of available in the system drive letters

Volume label

Text label of partition (disk). This field can be blank

File System

Select file one of the supported file systems: FAT, FAT 32 or NTFS.

Unit Allocation Size

Depending on selected file system and total partition (disk) size available allocated unit size may be different. Default value of unit size is recommended.

4. Click Create button to create new partition

After partition created, it should appear in Partition Manager available for other actions like formatting.

 

Change partition attributes

To change logical drive (partition) attributes:

1. Select volume

In Partition Manager, select a logical drive (partition) node.

2. Open the Partition Attributes dialog

Create Partition dialog. Active@ UNDELETE

Figure 58: Create Partition dialog

Select new drive letter from drop-down list of available drive letters and enter volume label if necessary.

3. Click OK to complete changes

After command is complete, volume item should appear in Partition Manager with new attributes.

 

Resize a partition or logical drive (volume)

Existing logical drive (volume) can be extended to use unallocated space available right after that partition or shrunk to utilize unused space. To resize Logical Drive (Partition):

1. In Partition Manager select a Logical Drive (volume) node.

2. Open the Resize Volume dialog:

3. Define new partition size

Using Resize Volume dialog to define new partition (volume) size

Create Partition dialog. Active@ UNDELETE

Figure 59: Resize Volume dialog

Resize options

Use radio buttons to expand to use maximum space available or shrink to last used cluster. Use custom option to define exact new size of partition.

Note: Use device control drug'n'release feature to set approximate partition size.

Warning: Logical drive (volume) resize is not part of Rollback feature - all changes are final and can not be undone.

4. Click Resize to complete changes

 

Format partition

To format volume (partition):

1. Select volume

In Partition Manager select a Logical Drive (Partition) node.

2. Open the Format Partition dialog

3. Adjust dialog options

Format Partition dialog. Active@ UNDELETE

Figure 60: Format Partition dialog

Volume label

Text label of partition (disk). This field can be blank.

File System

Select file one of the supported file systems: FAT, FAT 32 or NTFS.

Unit Allocation Size

Depending on selected file system and total partition (disk) size available allocated unit size may be different. Default value of unit size is recommended.

4. Click Format button to start formatting process

Danger: All data on formatting Logical Drive (partition) will be lost! Backup all your valuable data before formatting. When formatting is complete, volume item should appear in Partition Manager with new attributes and file system.

 

Rollback partition changes

Some critical partition layout changes made to a physical device are backed up by default. Users can rollback these changes at any point by using the Rollback Partition Changes tool. These changes are:

To open the Rollback Partition Changes dialog, do one of the following:

To rollback changes made to a physical device, select a restore point in the chronologically ordered list and click the Roll Back button to complete the changes.

 

Disk editing

Disk editing in Partition Manager includes:

These features available not only from Partition Manager itself, but also from any other view that uses partition of hard drives in a same manner as in Partition Manager view.

 

Edit boot sectors

Primary Boot Sector and Copy Boot Sector (if applicable) can be edited and synchronized by individual fields. Active@ UNDELETE provide "suggested" boot sector with most appropriate values for reference.

To Edit (synchronize) boot sectors:

1. Select logical drive (partition)

In Partition Manager or Recovery Explorer select a logical drive (partition) node.

2. Open the Edit Boot Sectors dialog

3. Edit boot sectors

Use radio buttons near the value fields to select and click OK button to confirm changes.

Synchronize Boot sectors dialog box. Active@ UNDELETE

Figure 61: Synchronize Boot sectors dialog box

4. Click OK to complete changes

 

Edit partition table

You can edit Disk system records (MFT, Boot sector etc.) by using specially designed forms.

To edit partition table:

1. In Recovery Explorer select a physical device

2. In Partition Manager select a physical device

3. Open the Edit Partition Table dialog:

4. Change desired fields to appropriate values

Edit Partition Table dialog. Active@ UNDELETE

Figure 62: Edit Partition Table dialog

Warning: Saving incorrect values might render the partition useless. You may not undo changes that you make in this dialog.

5. Click OK to complete changes

 

Convert MBR and GPT disks

For freshly initialized (empty) physical disk partition style can be changed at any time from MBR to GPT or from GPT to MBR.

To convert partition style:

1. Select disk in Partition Manager

2. Change partition style

If conversion is successful, then device partitioning will be changed and property label will indicate new attribute.

Disk partitioning style. Active@ UNDELETE

Figure 63: Disk partitioning style

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