The data about the position and size of the partitions, also the indicator of the partition type is recorded in a small block at the beginning of the drive.This data is called the partition table.

The hard drive is split into several partitions. At many times,only the partition table gets damaged, so it's good to back-up the partition-table before doing risky operations.

There are two main kinds of partitions :

Quote:

1 - Primary partitions : The main difference between the Primary and Extended partitions is the fact that MS-DOS and older Windows versions can boot only from a primary partition.The limit for primary partitions is usually 4 for each hard driver.

2 - Extended partitions : The Extended partitions split into logical drives.Linux and newer versions of windows like WinXP and Win2K can boot from them. If the format of the partition (e.g. NTFS,FAT32,ext3) is recognizable in Windows,the Primary Partitions and the logical drives will show-up in My Computer.

Note : If you have purchased an copy of Windows with your Notebook/PC,you would have a hidden partition for the recovery purposes.The recovery partition would usually be either on the beginning(like ASUS notebooks) or at the very end (like some of HP laptops).If you have not been given a recovery cd, make sure to take the best care you can of this partition.

The Recovery partition is usually a FAT32 drive.With some kind of Windows installed on it.

The boot partition (the drive from which the bios tries to boot) is the recovery partition,it waits for the special key (e.g. F12 on ACER, F9 on ASUS),if the key is pressed the recovery partition brings up the recovery menu,if not after a few seconds it proceeds to booting from the first partition.

Doing Partition from scratch :

If you are doing partition from a completely blank hard-drive,you can do it with Ranish Partition manager, it's complete,free and runs under DOS. Another option is to do the partition using Linux,but remember, the vfat partition done by the Linux installer are not completely recognized by Windows so you might be forced to reformat them. You can also install Windows XP/2K on the empty drive and let it do the partitioning.If it,by some reason,formatted the whole drive into a single-large partition,you can resize it by the steps below. Some people might like to have their drives to exactly have 1,500,000 Kilobytes or something,this is usually impossible (except some special numbers),because this size depends on the number cylinders on the disk (the size of the cylinders is unchangeable)

How to Resize,Merge Partition :

If you delete/make files too much (don't worry,Windows does it all the time) the data gets fragmented, if you want to know how your hard-drive looks like do this : bring up the run window (windows key+R) or from the start menu,and type in : "dfrg.msc",select one of your drives and press the analyze button.

If you try to resize a partition using newer software like partition magic,you see that even if 10% of your drive is used you only can diminish the size to (for example 30%),if you do defragmentation,you will be able to do it. Merging partitions,this sometimes proves to be a risky one,sometimes some software makes little changes to the drives,so trying to merge the two drives simply failes and makes the second drive unusable.Once when I was trying to merge two partitions,Partition Magic mumbled something about wrong size or something,failing in the middle of the operation and thus destroying the second drive.

So,you might want to back-up your second drive somewhere if the data is important.

How to avoid partition-disaster :

1 - Do not use every partition software you can reach,some utils like the ancient MS-DOS partitioning ones, like the old FDISK might not recognize your "large" hard-drive.

2 - If no CD has been supplied with the notebook,burn to recovery partition to a CDs/DVDs at once. This can be done with Norton Ghost or similar software.At some notebooks like a friend's HP Pavilion, at some place the laptop itself suggests this thing to do(refer to your user manuals to find out how to do it).

3 - Use good software to do the partitioning,Paragm Partition manager is good,runs under Windows and user friendly.

What to do after a Partition-disaster :

Edit :

0 - Partition Recovery software is also availible,it tried to find the volumes themselves without consulting the partition table.there are also free edition availible,sadly,when I once came to use one of them, it was too late.(Partition Magic had made sure of that)

1 - Healing the damage : Before you go wiping all the data you have,the good thing will be to try to revive the data.On many cases the only damaged data is the partition table. For example many users, had their partition table messed up after Trying to Install Fedora Core 2, the problem arises from doing the first partitioning using that ancient MS-DOS FDISK. For this particular problem a very easy solution can be found by google... (Instead of fixing the partition table in 3-minutes, I proceeded with step 3)

2 - Trying to contact some of the support/crisis centers,they know how to do stuff...

3 - Sometimes the partition table has been completely messed up.In these cases even linux's FDISK, Ranish partition manager and any software I tried,get's confused and failes to edit the hard-drives. If the data is not crucial,you might want to try "Killdisk",the most brutal way to clean a drive. This thing starts setting every single bit of the data on the hard-disk to zero.I tried it once, let it wipe 6~8% of the hard-disk,skipped the rest,then started partitioning...

Some partition software :

Paragm Partition : this one is very good,under Windows.

Newer Versions of FDISK.

PowerQuest Partition Magic : One of the most famous partition software,

Ranish Partition Manager : A very good software,under dos,but very intelligent.

Linux's FDISK : A good software - 100% user enemy but powerful

Disk Druid : The partition software running on Linux setup on many distributions (e.g. Fedora Core 5)

QTParted and GParted : The partitioning utilities coming with KDE and GNOME.

KILLDISK : The most brutal way to clean a drive.This thing starts setting every single bit of the data on the hard-disk to zero.

I will begin by Essential Li-On Information :

Lithium-Ion batteries have a finite life, they slowly degrade from the day they are first made. The life of the battery will depend upon how you charge and discharge the battery and the temperature at which the battery is kept. A manufacturer will rate a Notebook battery to the point where it holds 50% of its original capacity. At this point you should consider replacing the battery.

Li-ion batteries are not as durable as nickel metal hybride or nickel-cadmium designs and can be extremely dangerous if mistreated. They are usually more expensive.

Lithium ion batteries can be formed into a wide variety of shapes and sizes, so as to efficiently fill available space in the devices they power, but li-ion batteries are lighter than other equivalent secondary batteries .

The energy is stored in these batteries through the movement of lithium ions . Lithium is the third lightest element, giving a substantial saving in weight compared to batteries using much heavier metals. However, the bulk of the electrodes are effectively "housing" for the ions and add weight, and in addition "dead weight" from the electrolyte, current collectors, casing, electronics and conductivity additives reduce the charge per unit mass to little more than that of other rechargeable batteries. The forte of the Li-ion chemistry is the high open circuit voltage in comparison to aqueous batteries (such as lead acid, nickel metal hybride and nickel cadmium ).

One important thing li-ion batteries do not suffer from the memory effect. They also have a low self-discharge rate of approximately 5% per month, compared with over 30% per month in nickel metal hydride batteries and 10% per month in nickel cadmium batteries.

Here is a quick list of Do's and Don'ts for the care of your Li-On batteries :

Do's

1. When you receive a new NoteBook or Tablet PC, leave the battery to fully charge overnight.

2. Condition a new battery by using it until it is fully discharged, and then re-charge it fully. Doing this once a month will help to accurately calibrate your battery.

3. Always ensure the battery is recharged as soon as possible after it becomes fully discharged. A battery will be permanently damaged if left for an extended length of time in a fully discharged state.

4. Remember that a Lithium-Ion battery will slowly deteriorate; a new battery will always perform better than one that is 6-months old.

5. Remember that the battery half-life is rated for a certain total number of charge/discharge cycles (see your User Manual or Quick Start Guide for the rating). For example, a battery that is rated for 3 hours and 500 charge/discharge cycles, will still be considered as within specification, even if it only lasts for 1 hour 45 minutes after 500 charge/discharge cycles.

6. Heat is the worst enemy of a battery. Allow plenty of air to circulate around the Notebook/Tablet PC, so that the battery is kept as cool as possible when charging and also when in use. If provided, use the integrated 'legs' under the Notebook to raise the notebook and improve air circulation.

7. Remove the battery if storing for several months (the battery should be at approximately 50% charge or higher).

8. If you use a NoteBus or if charging your Notebooks or Tablet PCs in a confined space, allow for adequate ventilation in order to keep the batteries as cool as possible.

Don'ts

1. Do Not - Expose the battery to excessive heat or cold (i.e. outside the range of 10-35 degrees Centigrade ambient).

2. Do Not - Store the battery in a fully charged state (store batteries with about 50% charge).

3. Do Not – Allow a nearly flat battery to be unused for more than a month or so. The battery will slowly discharge until it becomes fully discharged and this will permanently damage the battery cells.

4. Do Not - Charge your Notebook/Tablet PC inside a carry case - the battery may overheat.

5. Do Not - Charge your Notebook/Tablet PC when stacked on top of each other - the battery may overheat.

Remember : Your battery is slowly degrading all the time, even if it is not used. Keeping your battery as cool as possible will slow down this degradation considerably.