formatting hard disk with 2 partitions

It would be good to know what file system you are trying to use and what utility you are using. From this I would guess you may be trying to create a fat16 partition, which is limited to 2GB or so. (I am assuming you're working with Windows 9x) In this case you will need a utility that supports fat32 (such as the Windows 98 version of Fdisk) and make sure you choose to enable large drive support. Early (all?) revs of Windows 95 will only support fat16 and won't allow you to format a partition over the 2GB limit.

Hope this helps...

I have to assume you are running some flavor of Microsoft OS. I think you are asking how to get back to just one drive of 6 GBytes. You will have to use fdisk to delete both partitions, then create one primary partition. Then you have to reboot and finally format the drive.... now 6 GBytes.

You could format the 2G and the 4G as-is and get "two drives", probably c: and d:.

After all of that I hope we are not discussing your Linux computer!

What OS are you using? There might be some other options to consider.

Bill

You've got to use fdisk and you must delete the logical DOS drive first, then the extended DOS drive before deleting the primary DOS partition.

Hope this helps

hi Martin,
first boot with a DOS boot diskette with fdisk.exe on it. Then run fdisk, and delete the logical units inside the extended partition. then delete the primary partition. Reboot with the floppy disk again, then run fdisk.exe, and create the primary partition as big as you wish. Hope this helps.

I encountered something of the same sorts when I first set up linux, I couldn't figure out how to remove the linux partitions. I ened up using the software that came with my Maxtor drive. MaxBlast or the Western Digital equivalent, should do the trick to remove all your partitions, and reformat the drive to the full 6GB, if your using FAT32.

If your just wanting a utility to remove partitions I have a small program called mbrwipe that will also remove any partition types, (NTFS, FAT, EXT2, etc.) If you would like a copy of it I would be happy to provide you with it. But be warned, it gives no prompt that the partitions are being removed when run. If you run it it cleans everything instantly.

Hope this helps.

you are probably going about the dismantling of the existing partitions wrong ..Use fdisk
remove lolical drives first then extended dos partition then active partition..Then go back and fdisk again setting up required Primary drive (active and extended dos partition and logical drive.exit
restart machine and detect drives then format
restart machine.

As you can see from the responses, a little more information on what you're trying to accomplish, and about your environment would help.

As I read it, you want to try to extend the existing 2GB primary partition to include some or all of the remaining 4GB extension.

Depending on your environment, you can do this through your O/S's disk management applications. Certainly NT4 (and I assume by extension W2KPro, and perhaps other Windoze), and most Unix-flavours have this built-in capability.Any data on the extension will be lost, but you will retain whatever is in your existing primary.

Otherwise, you'll just have to scratch the whole HDD (both partitions), lose everything, and start over. Create as large a partition as you need/want/can handle. Sounds like you want to go for the whole 6GB.

From your message it was not know which os you had installed, but if it is win9x and u want to install only one partition u should enable large disk access support , which would allow u to use full hdd space for single partition (Fat32),
If there was Nt installed and u did created primary partition while installing nt and then created an extended partition afterwards, it shows primary partition and extended partition when u do fdisk. But on trying to delete extended partition it would say cant delete extended partition while logical drives exists, but u wont see any logical drives. so delete the extended partition through nt and then do delete the primary partition.

ashutosh

Hi,
I think you have Windows 9x, and you wannt to format the Disk and delet the Partitions so that you will have again the 6GB in one place....

Start the Computer with the StartDisk(BootDisk), you don't need to select "start with CD-Rom support", so wil it run faster.
At the Promt (A:\) type Fdisk.
At the Mesage type yes(j)
selct 3(delet Logical or .... Partitions),
Then again 3(delet Logical in the Extended Partition),
Shoose the Drive to delet(d:\)
select 3 again(delet Logical or .... Partitions), and selct 2(delet extended Partition)
select3 nad then 1 (delet Primary Partitions)
press ESC so many times till you get out at the Promt.
Restart the computer, type fdisk again
type y, 1, 1, y. In this order you will make a new Primary Partition that will ocupy the total capacity of the HDD.
With ESC get to the Promt again, restart the Computer again, and then at the Promt type "Format C:"
All this have you donne with th eStartDisk (Bootdisk) from Windows9x.

Good Luck.
Cecil