Some terms of this guide might be unfamiliar. Chapter 7 Hard Disk And File Systems and Appendix B Glossary provide descriptions of some hard disk data storage components and used terms.
Whats new in Acronis Disk Director Server 10.0?
Splitting/merging partitions You can split a partition in two, moving the selected folders to the new partition and leaving the rest of the data on the old one. This operation can also be used for creating an empty partition from another partitions free space. You can merge two partitions, as well, even if their file systems are different. All data will stay intact and reside on the resulting partition.
Exploring and managing partitions contents You can explore or manage partition contents before configuring operations on that partition directly from Acronis Disk Director Server. It enables you to copy, paste, rename and delete files and folders, create folders on the selected partition, and even edit text files.\
Working in the command-line mode An administrator might need a console interface to create, delete and resize the partitions. Acronis Disk Director Server supports this mode with
diskdirectorcmd.exe utility. The file is located in a folder where Acronis Disk Director Server has been installed, by default it is C:\Program Files\Acronis\DiskDirector. Viewing logs Acronis Disk Director Server now keeps working logs. They store information about implemented partition operations, including reasons for failure, if any. The new Bootable Media Builder, common for all Acronis products The new Bootable Media Builder is able to create bootable media for every Acronis product installed on the computer, or one bootable disk for several products. It also supports creating a bootable disk ISO image on the hard disk and storing the bootable programs versions on PXE server.

Software use conditions

The conditions of use are listed in the supplied License Agreement. The unique serial number is the confirmation of your legal purchase and usage of Acronis Disk Director Server on your system. Under current legislation, the License Agreement is considered a contract between you and Acronis Inc. The contract is a legal document and its violation may result in legal action. Illegal use and/or distribution of this software will be prosecuted.

If you regularly work with Windows or X Window applications, you should not encounter any problems with the Acronis Disk Director Server interface.
Acronis Disk Director Server uses a series of dialogs requiring the user to choose among several actions or to mark partitions or disks to be manipulated.
Before You Run Acronis Disk Director Server
PLEASE NOTE: Operations on system, application or data partitions must be done very carefully to avoid potential hard disk booting or data storage problems.
Acronis Disk Director Server has been thoroughly tested to work with numerous hard disks, so if problems arise, they are likely caused by improper use, not the software.
A power loss, turning off the PC or pressing the Reset button on your PC during the repartitioning procedure could result in partition damage and data loss.
Please take all necessary precautions and following these simple rules: 1. Create a disk image of the disk on which partitions are to be reconfigured. This will ensure that your data will not be lost under any circumstances. Almost all current PCs feature CD-RW drives. Having your most important data backed up to a hard disk or CD will enable you to work on the disk partitions with full confidence that your data is safe.
Acronis offers extremely effective hard disk and partition disk imaging software Acronis True Image (visit http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/). It creates a backup stored in a compressed archive file whose contents can be restored at any time.
2. Test your disk to make sure its fully functional and does not contain bad sectors or file system errors.
You can invoke system hard disk checking tools directly from Acronis Disk Director Server by selecting Disk Check or clicking Check the selected partition for errors toolbar button.
3. Do not perform any partition operations while running other software that has lowlevel disk access, such as antivirus or backup tools. Close such programs before running Acronis Disk Director Server. If you follow these simple rules, you will protect yourself against data loss.
Running Acronis Disk Director Server
Running under Windows Programs Acronis DiskDirector Acronis Disk
Under Windows, select Start Director Server.
Under Windows, Acronis Disk Director Server can perform operations on any partitions, including primary, logical, system or data without rebooting your PC.
Running Acronis Disk Director Server for the first time
When you run the program for the first time, you will be prompted to choose whether you want to work in Automatic Mode or Manual Mode. Automatic Mode provides enough functionality to create almost any partition configuration on your PC hard disks. If you need a detailed partition structure representation with a complete set of partition operations and controls, select Manual Mode. You can switch between modes at any time (see 3.1.3 Switching modes).

Acronis Disk Director Server Main Window
The program is controlled through the main window. It includes the menu, toolbar, and disk and partition tree (shown/hidden through the View menu). This represents the computer disk and partition list. The main window appearance differs depending on the selected operation mode (see 3.1 Acronis Disk Director Server Logical Organization). The difference applies to the available operation list in the main menu, partition context menus, sidebar and toolbar, and the amount of partition structure details represented.
Acronis Disk Director Server main window, Automatic Mode
In the manual partition operations mode, the main window also includes all unallocated disk space, while only partitions are shown in the automatic mode. Partition creation, free space and copy wizards automatically recognize unallocated disk space in this mode.
Acronis Disk Director Server main window, Manual Mode
1. Disk and partition information The main window shows the partitions disk number, assigned letter, label, type, status, size, free space size and file system. Disk and partition information is also provided in the partition and disk tree. The bottom part of the main window graphically indicates the selected disk and its partitions as rectangles with basic data on them (label, letter, size, type, file system).
Calling Partition Operations
All partition operations in both modes are called and executed similarly. 3.3.1 Calling the main operations
Any operation can be launched:
By selecting it from the Disk submenu From customizable toolbars From the partition context menu (both in the main window and the graphical panel) From Operations and Advanced sidebar lists
Note that the list of available operations in the Disk submenu and the Operations sidebar depends on the selected partition type. This holds true for unallocated space as well.

Advanced operations

Advanced operations are:
Convert convert the FAT16 partition file system to FAT32, Ext2 to Ext3, and vice versa
Hide/Unhide hide/unhide a partition Set Active set an active partition Resize Root resize FAT16 partition root Change Bytes per i-node resize i-node table (Linux Ext2/Ext3) Change Cluster Size change FAT16/FAT32 partition cluster size Change Type change partition type Recover recover deleted or damaged partitions (see Chapter 6Chapter 7 Working with Acronis Recovery Expert). Edit edit hard disk data (see Chapter 8 Working with Acronis Disk Editor).

those just created.

Created partition in the disk partition structure
Clicking Finish on this page will make Acronis Disk Director Server create a pending operation for new partition creation, (your actions may only modify an existing operation. See 3.4.5 Modifying pending operations). The new partition structure will be graphically represented in the Acronis Disk Director Server main window.
More details about the Finish command results are provided in 3.4.7. Wizard operations.
3. If you want to create a new partition using other partition free space: 1. On the Action Selection wizard page, set the switch to Free space of the existing partitions.
On the Select Hard Disk Drive wizard page, select a disk on which to create a partition.
Partition disk selection page Note that this wizard page represents physical disks actually connected to your PC. The next page shows logical disks (or partitions) on the selected physical disk. See also Appendix B Glossary Physical disk, Logical disk.
On the next Select Partitions wizard page, select the disk partition(s) whose space you want to use to create a new partition.
This means that if these partitions have free space, their size can be reduced. As a result, the freed space will be automatically considered as unallocated (not used by any partitions). A new partition can be created in this space.
The window of existing partition selection to create a new partition By creating a partition using the free space of other partitions, Acronis Disk Director Server can collect it in such a way that the final partition size is not smaller than 110% of data-occupied space. When creating a partition with the switch set to Free space of the existing partitions, you provide a small partition size. If it is possible to create it using unallocated disk space, the partition will be created this way; the existing partitions will not be resized. If a partition cannot be created using unallocated space only, then the deficit will be taken from existing partitions.
If you do not select a partition to take space from on the Select Partitions wizard page and there is no unallocated disk space, you will see an error message:
Error message of deficient disk space for partition creation 28
In this case, you will have to return to the previous wizard page and select a different partition from which to take the necessary space. 4 On the Partition Size wizard page, enter the size of the created partition (the wizard automatically determines minimum and maximum partition sizes).
Created partition size window
The next wizard pages provide partition type, file system, letter (if you work in Windows NT/2000/XP), and optional labeling.

Further actions for partition creation are the same as described in 4.1 Creating A New Partition section. Clicking Finish on the last wizard page allows Acronis Disk Director Server to create a pending operation list for new partition creation (these actions may only modify an existing operation. See 3.4.5 Modifying pending operations). The list will include not only the operation of partition creation itself, but also operations of partition resizing for creating a new partition. If you want to create a new partition and there is no free space on disks: Run the create partition wizard, by clicking Create a new partition.
You will immediately see the Select Hard Disk Drive wizard page, passing the Action Selection page. Further actions for partition creation are the same as described in 4.1 Creating A New Partition section.
Click Finish on the last wizard page to allow Acronis Disk Director Server to create a pending operation list for new partition creation (these actions may only modify an existing operation. See 3.4.5 Modifying pending operations).
Increasing Partition Free Space
You might need to increase partition free space in some cases:
There is no free space to install new applications or store data Some programs, like defragmenters, could stop working correctly if partition free space is smaller than a certain value
Reducing system partition free space below a certain value might cause operating system problems. The Increase free space wizard will enable you to enlarge a partition using other partitions' free space. If there is not enough free space in other partitions, it can use unallocated disk space. If you need to increase partition free space: 1. Run the Increase free space wizard by selecting Wizards similar item in the Wizards sidebar list or by clicking partition on the toolbar. 2. Increase free space or a Increase free space on a
On the Select Partition To Increase wizard page, select a partition that you want to enlarge.
Selecting a partition to increase free space
On the Select Partitions wizard page, select a disk partition whose space will be used to increase the selected partition.
Enlarging a partition at the expense of another partition is described above: see 4.1 Creating A New Partition.
Selecting a partition to use to increase free space
On the next wizard page, you will see the maximum size available for the selected partition. You must select the size yourself.
Entering the size to increase partition free space

Note that although selected partition size is increased at the expense of other partition space, unallocated space also will be used if needed. Unallocated space is automatically considered to be the maximum partition size.
In the last Preview wizard window, you will see a graphical representation of the new partition structure, including the resized partition.
Clicking Finish on the last wizard page will allow Acronis Disk Director Server to create the pending operation list for partition resizing (your actions may only modify an existing operation. See 3.4.5 Modifying pending operations). The new partition structure will be graphically represented in the Acronis Disk Director Server main window.
Similar to creating a new partition (see 4.1 Creating A New Partition), Acronis Disk Director Server considers the results of partition free space increase as a single complex operation that can be undone only as a whole.

Copying Partitions

Having copied a partition, you get the duplicate of all its data. Partition copy can be used:
As a partition backup (or rather as a data backup) A system partition backup is advised if you want to upgrade the existing operating system To quickly move all data from an old disk to a new disk
We again recommend our backup solution Acronis True Image. It enables you to create a backup (image) of a partition and/or entire hard disk in a compressed archive file, while allowing comments and password protection. See http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/).
The copy partition wizard will let you create a partition copy on the selected disk space. It can be created on unallocated disk space or at the expense of existing partition space, inserted between other partitions or resized after comparison with the original. It can also change the type or file system and assign a label or a letter if needed. If you need to copy a partition:
1. Run the wizard by selecting Wizards
Copy partition or a similar item in the
Wizards sidebar list, or by clicking
Copy a partition on the toolbar.
2. On the Select Partition To Copy wizard page, select a partition to copy.
Selecting a partition to copy 3. On the next Partition Location wizard page, a record of copied partition parameters

will be created.

The page for selecting a disk location for partition copy
You will have to select a copy location on one of the disks, among existing partitions. To make your selection, click before or after a partition to mark where you want to locate the copy. In this example, the copy will be located before the PROGRAM(H:) partition in the figure below.
The copy will be located after the PROGRAM(H:) partition in the figure below.
The figure below shows the result of locating a partition copy after clicking after the PROGRAM(H:) partition.
You can locate a copy anywhere on your disk(s). The copy partition wizard will automatically perform all necessary operations, even if it has to resize or move other partitions. 1. The selected disk might lack space for a copy. Nevertheless, you can copy a partition

Main Partition Operations
Main hard disk partition operations include the typical, most frequently used operations of partition creation (selecting a type, file system, formatting, etc.), assigning label and letter partition, resizing, relocating, clearing, deletion, etc. 5.1.1 Creating partitions If there is unallocated space on a disk, you can create a partition using manual disk operations.
Note that the Create partition wizard mentioned above can create a partition using both unallocated disk space and the space of existing partitions (see 4.1 Creating A New Partition). It will enable you to create a partition on unallocated space only. If there is no such space, it should be provided by resizing and moving existing partitions.
If you need to create a disk partition: 1. Select hard disk and unallocated space in the Acronis Disk Director Server main window. The Create partition button will become available on the toolbar, and the Create Partition operation on the sidebar and in the context menu.
Selecting unallocated disk space

Select Disk

Create partition or a similar item in the Operations sidebar list, or click
In the Create Partition window, enter a partition label and select a file system and partition type (Primary Logical) from the list; you can also enter partition size and location using a mouse or by direct input to Partition size, Unallocated space before (and Unallocated space after) fields.
As a rule, Primary is selected if a partition is to contain an operating system. If a partition is meant for data storage, Logical should be selected.
Created partition parameters window
By clicking OK, you'll add the pending operation of new partition creation.
The new partition structure will be graphically represented in the Acronis Disk Director Server main window.
Creating a partition in unallocated disk space in Windows 98/Me can change the order of letters assigned to other partitions. As a result, some shortcuts might stop working. A detailed discussion of partition letter assignment rules for various operating systems appears in 4.1 Creating A New Partition.

In Windows, partition labels are shown in the Explorer disk and folder tree: WIN98(C:), WINXP(D:), DATA(E:), etc. WIN98, WINXP and DATA are partition labels. A partition label is shown in all application dialog boxes for opening and saving files. (See Appendix B Glossary Label.)
If you need to change a partition label: 1. 2. Select Disk Change Label or a similar item in the Operations sidebar list, or click
Change the selected partition label on the toolbar. Enter a new label in the Partition label window.

Partition label window

By clicking OK in the Partition Label window, you'll add the pending operation of partition label changing (your actions may only undo or modify an existing operation; see 3.4.5 Modifying pending operations).
The new label will be graphically represented in the Acronis Disk Director Server main window. 5.1.9 Formatting a partition
Acronis Disk Director Server lets you logically format a partition. It includes organizing a file system that supports files and folder data storage. If you need to format an existing partition: 1. Select a disk and a partition.
Select Disk Format or a similar item in the Operations sidebar list, or click Format the selected partition on the toolbar. Enter the partition label in the Format Partition window.

Format Partition window

Select a file system to be created on a partition after formatting.
Acronis Disk Director Server supports the following file systems (see A.9 File System Main Specifications):
FAT16/FAT32, NTFS Windows file systems Linux Ext2, Ext3, ReiserFS, Swap Linux file systems Select cluster size (Auto, 512 bytes, 1, 2, KB).
Note that: (1) (2) The smaller the cluster size, the less disk space will be lost (see A.9.2 FAT16 Table 3). The smaller the cluster size, the bigger the file allocation table (FAT). The bigger the FAT, the slower the operating system works with the disk. If you select Auto, you allow Disk Director Server to automatically determine the cluster size depending on selected file system and partition size.
By clicking OK in the Format Partition window, you'll add the pending operation of partition formatting (your actions may only modify an existing operation. See 3.4.5 Modifying pending operations).
Attention! Partition formatting destroys all its data, including files and folders! Take special care when performing this operation. Remember that each operation described must be executed by selecting Operations Commit or clicking operations). Commit Pending Operations (see 3.4.4 Performing pending

5.1.10

Deleting a partition
After a partition is deleted, its space is added to unallocated disk space. It can be used for a new partition or to resize an existing partition. If you need to delete a partition: 1. 2. 3. Select a hard disk and a partition to be deleted. Select Disk Delete or a similar item in the Operations sidebar list, or click Delete the selected partition on the toolbar. Select the deletion method in the Delete Partition window; you can: (1) (2) just delete a hard disk partition (without wiping disk sectors) set the switch to Delete partition. delete a hard disk partition and fully wipe partition sectors set the switch to Delete partition and destroy data.

Selecting manual recovery mode
The next Searching Method window enables you to select one of two deleted partition searching methods: 1) Fast; 2) Complete. What's the difference? Using the Fast search method, Acronis Recovery Expert checks the beginning of each side of every cylinder of a hard disk. Using the Complete method, Acronis Recovery Expert checks every hard disk sector. The Fast method takes less time, while the Complete method is slower but more thorough.
Note that the Fast method should find all deleted partitions in most cases!
Searching method selection
The Searching for Deleted Partitions window shows you parameters of a partition that existed on the selected unallocated space before it was deleted.
A deleted hard disk partition found by Acronis Recovery Expert Unlike in the automatic recovery mode, you do not have to wait until the search for deleted hard disk partitions is finished in the manual mode. As a found partition or multiple partitions are added to the list, you can select them for immediate recovery. Selecting a partition enables the Next button. Clicking it, you'll stop the search and proceed to recovery.
The manual recovery mode allows you to select all found partitions for recovery. For example, if one of your partitions was deleted intentionally and another by mistake, the manual mode enables you to select and recover only the partition you deleted by mistake. Partitions are selected for recovery by clicking them.
Click the partition rectangle to select the deleted partition and continue recovery.
A deleted partition selected for recovery
This finishes partition recovery preparations. To complete this operation, select Commit in the Operations section of the Main menu.
If you exit Acronis Disk Director Server without confirming a partition recovery operation, it will be canceled.
Working with Acronis Disk Editor
Chapter 8. Working with Acronis Disk Editor

8.1 General information

Acronis Disk Editor is a professional-grade program that performs a variety of actions on a hard disk: restore boot records and files and folder structure, find lost clusters, remove computer virus code from a disk and much more. This program has much to offer a beginner as well. It can be used as an educational tool. It is one thing to read a few books about hard disk construction and data storage, but its quite another to observe it yourself with the Acronis Disk Editor.

The Search menu allows you to search a hard disk for some line and to go to a disk sector according to its absolute offset.

Search Menu

Selecting the Search item in the same menu will give you access to functions for searching lines in the disk being edited. (You can do the same by pressing Ctrl+F key combination.) Search parameters can be set in the Search dialog window.

The Search dialog window

A search line can be set both as char and numeric (hexadecimal) values. During a search, you can ignore letter case as well as search for a given line at a given offset inside the sector. During a search, disk data is interpreted according to the encoding selected. If you selected a search mode without letter case matching, not only case but also elements above the characters will be ignored. After the search process is finished, the current position will be moved to where a line was found, or will remain the same if no lines were found. You can search for the next line from the current position by selecting Find next item in the Search menu or by pressing F3 key. You can go to the necessary sector according to its absolute offset by selecting the Go to line the Search menu (or by pressing Alt+P key combination). Selecting this line opens the Go to dialog window.

Go to sector

The transition is performed by entering absolute sector offset, or cylinder, head and sector numbers. The listed parameters are bound by this expression: (CYL x HDS + HD) x SPT + SEC 1, Where CYL, HD and SEC are numbers of cylinder, head and sector in the CHS coordinates (Cylinder Head Sector); HDS is the number of heads per disk and SPT is the number of heads per track. You can return to a sector from another one by selecting the Back item in the Search menu (or by pressing Ctrl+Backspace key combination).
Working with Different Encodings
The main window of the program features a list of encodings available in Acronis Disk Editor. This list is shown closed and dropped down below.
The closed and dropped-down list of encodings
The list of encodings is intended for correct interpretation of hard disk sector contents. Selecting the necessary encoding, you will be able to view sector contents correctly. This is interpreted in the right part of the programs main window in the hex mode.

Bootable Media Builder

Chapter 9. Bootable Media Builder

There can be up to several tens of thousands of cylinders per disk. The greater the amount of data that can be stored on one side of a disk,, the more cylinders can be created on it and the larger the capacity of the disk. This design has a lot of technical implementation peculiarities, but those issues are not germane to this explanation.

Hard Disk Partition

After low-level formatting creates disk sectors, partitions must be created on the disk. A partition is an area on a hard disk that can be used to install an operating system and/or used as data storage. Creating separate sections on a disk is called partitioning. (Think of slicing a pie into different pieces.) Disk partitions are analogous to separate, physical disk drives and do not depend on each other. In fact, each partition can contain its own operating system. Different operating systems use different data storage means file systems. The process of creating a partition file system is called formatting. Each partition can have its own file system. Preparing a disk for use includes two stages: partitioning and formatting. Partitioning is useful and often necessary because:
Different partitions can have different operating systems for example, Windows 2000, XP and Linux. Partitioning provides more effective disk space usage. Partitioning enables you to separate system files from user data, making personal information storage safer. Partitioning provides more effective hard disk maintenance. In particular, more effective data integrity control, file defragmentation and data backup.

Partition Types

There are three main partition types:

Primary Extended Logical

Primary and logical partitions are the main partition types. Physical hard disks can contain up to four primary partitions or up to three primary and infinite logical partitions. Partition information is stored in a special disk area the 1st sector of 0 cylinder, 0 head, called the partition table. This sector is called the master boot record, or MBR. The number of primary partitions on a disk is limited, because the partition table contains four records itself. Extended partitioning supports additional division into logical partitions. The amount of logical partitions is unlimited. Special programs perform partitioning; usually they can:
Create a primary partition with a single logical disk Create an extended partition and divide it into logical partitions (disks) Set the active partition (a partition to boot an operating system from)

Table 2. Linux file systems.
File system Operating systems Max. partition size Max. file size Linux Ext2 Linux Ext3 Linux ReiserFS
Limited by partition Limited by partition size size
Max. file-name length Restoration (logging) Max. files in root Max. clusters/blocks Cluster/block size File record table/I-node

No Unlimited

Yes Unlimited

Set at formatting

In case you've forgotten your computer engineering units: 1 Kbyte = 1024 Bytes, 1 Mbyte = 1024 Kbytes, 1 Gbyte = 1024 Mbytes, 1 Tbyte = 210 Gbytes= 1024 Gbytes, 1 Pbyte = 210 Tbytes= 1024 Tbytes, 1 Ebyte = 210 Pbytes= 1024 Pbytes.
The FAT16 file system is widely used by DOS (DR-DOS, MS-DOS, PC-DOS, etc.), Windows 95/98/Me, Windows NT/2000/XP operating systems and is supported by most other systems.
Main features of FAT16 are the file allocation table (FAT) and clusters. The FAT is the core of the file system. To increase data safety, it is possible to have several instances of the FAT (there are usually two of them). A cluster is a minimum data storage unit in the FAT16 file system. One cluster contains a fixed number (some power of 2) of sectors. The FAT stores information about what clusters are free, what clusters are bad, and also defines in what clusters files are stored. Maximum size of a FAT16 file system is 4 Gigabytes, and the maximum number of clusters is 65,525, the largest cluster being 128 sectors. Usually the smallest possible cluster size is selected so that the resulting number of clusters is less than 65,526. The larger the partition size, the larger the cluster has to be. Most operating systems incorrectly perform with 128-sector clusters, thus reducing the maximum FAT16 partition size to 2 Gigabytes.
Usually the larger the cluster size, the more disk space is wasted.
Table 3. The following table gives the approximate dependence of these losses versus the cluster size:
Partition Size Cluster Size
<127 MB 128255 MB 256511 MB 5121023 MB 10242047 MB 20484096 MB
2 KB 4 KB 8 KB 16 KB 32 KB 64 KB

2% 4% 10% 25% 40% 50%

Like many others, the FAT16 file system has a root folder. Unlike others however, its root folder is stored in a special place and is limited in size (standard formatting produces a 512-item root folder). Initially, FAT16 had limitations to file names that could only be eight characters long, plus a dot, plus three characters of name extension. However, long name support in Windows 95 and Windows NT bypasses this limitation.

Hidden partition. A partition that is somehow made invisible to the operating system. Usually partitions are hidden by changing their type. Label. An optional name that can be assigned to a partition to simplify its identification. Usually has the same limitation as file names. For example, FAT partitions have labels up to 11 characters long, but may contain spaces. Letter (of a drive, partition). All operating systems that are DOS-compatible use Latin letters to identify drives and partitions. Letters A: and B: are usually reserved for floppy drives. Starting with C:, letters are assigned to hard disk partitions that can be recognized by the operating system. Separate letters may be assigned to CD-ROMs, DVDs, or other disk drives, and to network drives. Logical disk is a partition whose file system is recognized by the operating system. Usually each logical disk is assigned with a letter that uniquely identifies it. Logical partition. Partition information that is located not in MBR, but in the extended partition table. The number of logical partitions on a disk is unlimited. Master boot record (MBR) is located in the first sector of the first hard disk and stores information about the hard disk partitioning and code that is loaded with BIOS. All the actions that follow depend on the contents of this code. Operating system is a set of programs that usually includes kernel, drivers, shell and system programs that are used for centralized hardware management and hiding the details of hardware management from the user and applications. Operating system booting is initiated by loading its boot sector to memory at 0:7C00h address and passing control to it. Since every operating system has its own boot sector, it is able to perform all the necessary actions to load and initialize system and configuration files. A boot manager usually supports multiple operating systems on one computer and even one partition, so it has to perform some preparatory actions (create the boot context) before booting an operating system. Partition. An independent area on a hard disk where a file system can be located. A partition can be either primary or logical, depending on its position in the partition structure. One of the primary partitions of a hard disk may be active. A partition has the following attributes: type, beginning and size. Some partition management software and boot managers allow for the hiding of partitions. Information about partitions is stored in the partition table. Partitioning. The process of creating the logical structure on a hard disk. Partitioning is usually done with programs such as FDISK a component of DOS and Windows. Disk Administrator completely replaces FDISK where functionality is concerned and allows performance of many additional useful operations. Partition structure. All the partitions on a hard disk make a tree with the root in the MBR partition table. Many operating systems and programs assume that any partition table but