Paragon Partition Manager - 9.0 Owner's Guide

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Partition Manager™ 9.0

User Manual

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Paragon Partition Manager™ 9.0

User Manual

CONTENTS

Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 4

Partition Manager Editions .................................................................................................... 5

Product Components ............................................................................................................... 7

Features Overview ................................................................................................................... 8

Key Features ..................................................................................................................................................... 8

Supported Technologies .................................................................................................................................. 8

Supported File Systems ................................................................................................................................... 9

Supported Media .............................................................................................................................................. 9

Getting Started ...................................................................................................................... 10

Distribution ..................................................................................................................................................... 10

Contacting Paragon Technology GmbH ...................................................................................................... 12

System Requirements .................................................................................................................................... 12

Installing the Program ................................................................................................................................... 13

Booting from the Linux/DOS Recovery CD ................................................................................................ 15

Basic Concepts ....................................................................................................................... 18

Drive Partitioning .......................................................................................................................................... 18

Backup Operations ........................................................................................................................................ 18

Paragon Hot Processing & Volume Shadow Copy Service ........................................................................ 19

Dynamic Disks ................................................................................................................................................ 20

64-bit Support................................................................................................................................................. 21

Copy Operations ............................................................................................................................................ 21

Scheduling ....................................................................................................................................................... 22

Interface Overview ................................................................................................................ 23

General Layout............................................................................................................................................... 23

Main Menu ..................................................................................................................................................... 24

Tool Bar .......................................................................................................................................................... 26

Virtual Operations Bar.................................................................................................................................. 26

Common Tasks Bar ....................................................................................................................................... 27

Disk Map ......................................................................................................................................................... 28

Explorer Bar ................................................................................................................................................... 29

List of Partitions ............................................................................................................................................. 30

Legend Bar ..................................................................................................................................................... 31

Status Bar ....................................................................................................................................................... 32

Settings Overview .................................................................................................................. 33

General Options ............................................................................................................................................. 33

General Copy and Backup Options ............................................................................................................. 34

Hot Processing Options ................................................................................................................................. 35

Partitioning Options ...................................................................................................................................... 35

E-Mail Options ............................................................................................................................................... 36

Virtual Mode Options .................................................................................................................................... 38

File System Conversion Options ................................................................................................................... 38

Operation Dependency Options.................................................................................................................... 40

CD/DVD Recording Options ......................................................................................................................... 40

Backup Image Options .................................................................................................................................. 41

Password Protection Options ........................................................................................................................ 42

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Getting Information about Disks and their Images ........................................................... 44

Viewing Disk Properties ................................................................................................................................ 44

Viewing Image Properties ............................................................................................................................. 45

Partition Management .......................................................................................................... 48

Basic Partitioning Operations ....................................................................................................................... 48

Advanced Partitioning Operations ............................................................................................................... 55

Changing Partition Attributes ...................................................................................................................... 68

Hard Disk Management ........................................................................................................ 73

Update MBR ................................................................................................................................................... 73

Convert to Basic ............................................................................................................................................. 73

Change Primary Slot ..................................................................................................................................... 74

Data Backup and Rescue ...................................................................................................... 76

Creating Backup Images ............................................................................................................................... 76

Restoring System and Data ........................................................................................................................... 82

Build Recovery Media ................................................................................................................................... 90

Copy Tasks ............................................................................................................................. 92

Copy Hard Disk.............................................................................................................................................. 92

Copy Partition ................................................................................................................................................ 94

Boot Management .................................................................................................................. 97

Creating Dual Boot Systems ......................................................................................................................... 98

Scheduling Operations ........................................................................................................ 107

Save to Scheduler ......................................................................................................................................... 109

Scripting ............................................................................................................................... 110

Extra Functionality ............................................................................................................. 112

View Partition/Hard Disk Properties ......................................................................................................... 112

Volume Explorer .......................................................................................................................................... 112

File Transfer Wizard ................................................................................................................................... 113

Mount Partition ............................................................................................................................................ 115

Partition Defragmentation .......................................................................................................................... 117

MFT Defragmentation................................................................................................................................. 118

Compact MFT .............................................................................................................................................. 118

Downgrade NTFS Version .......................................................................................................................... 119

Change SID ................................................................................................................................................... 120

Test Surface .................................................................................................................................................. 120

Check File System Integrity ........................................................................................................................ 121

Edit/View Sectors ......................................................................................................................................... 121

Send Log Files .............................................................................................................................................. 122

Glossary ................................................................................................................................ 124

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Introduction

Paragon Partition Manager™ 9.0 is an integrated set of powerful tools that is specially designed to tackle most of the problems the user might face while using PC. A highly intelligent program engine together with built-in advanced recovery facilities make it possible to securely carry out partitioning operations of any complexity, optimize performance of NTFS and FAT file systems, migrate the system to another hard disk, etc. without fear to lose precious data. The key features of the program are listed in the special chapter.

Setting up major operations is accomplished by using practical wizards. Each step of the wizard includes indepth information in order to allow the user to make the right choice. Graphical representations of the data help the user to gain a better understanding.

In this manual you will find the answers to many of the technical questions, which might arise while using the program.

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Personal

Professional

Server

Enterprise

Server

Windows 95

Windows 98

Yes

Windows Me

Windows NT

Yes

Windows NT Server Family

Yes

Windows 2000 Professional

Yes

Windows XP Home Edition

Yes

Windows XP Professional

Yes

Windows XP Professional 64-bit

Yes

Windows 2000 Server Family

Yes

Windows Storage Server 2003

Yes

Windows Server 2003 Web

Yes

Partition Manager Editions

The product is being released in several editions, Personal, Professional, Server and Enterprise Server which vary in price and provided functionality:

Personal Edition Peculiarities

 The Personal edition does not support dynamic disks:

- It cannot perform any operations on dynamic disks, but entire deletion;

- It cannot convert dynamic disks back to basic;

- However, it can recognize the layout of dynamic disks.

 Backup to a Network Drive and Perform Incremental Copy functions are unavailable in the Personal

edition.

 There is no File Transfer Wizard in the Personal edition.  Change Cluster Size, Change Root Size (FAT16), Change Boot Size (FAT16/FAT32), Downgrade

NTFS Version, Defragment MFT, Compact MFT, Change Primary Slots, Change Serial Number, Change Partition ID, Change SID, Convert to Basic program’s dialogs are unavailable in the Personal

edition.

 There is no possibility to send notifications by e-mail on the carried out operations in the Personal

edition.

Enterprise Server Edition Peculiarities

 Only the Enterprise Server edition supports scripting, i.e. it provides the possibility to perform batch

tasks in the unattended mode.

 Only the Enterprise Server edition enables to schedule tasks for later execution.  Only the Enterprise Server edition offers an advanced backup functionality.  Only the Enterprise Server edition allows the user to restore a partition/hard disk directly under

Windows.

 Only the Enterprise Server edition provides support of the Microsoft VSS (Volume Shadow Copy

Service) technology.

Supported Operating Systems

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Windows Server 2003 Standard/ 64-bit

Yes

Windows Server 2003 Enterprise/ 64-bit/ Itanium

Yes

Windows Server 2003 Datacenter/ 64-bit/ Itanium

Yes

Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard/ Premium

Yes

Windows Vista

Yes

Windows Vista 64-bit

Yes

Please take into consideration the mentioned above peculiarities of the certain versions when working with the program.

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Product Components

In order to cope with different tasks, the product contains several components:

 Windows based set of utilities is the crucial part of the product. With the help of an easy to use

launcher the user may find and run tasks in the field of hard disk partitioning and optimization, data and system backup, hard disk/partition cloning, etc.

 Linux/DOS based Recovery CD is a multi-platform bootable media that enables to run utilities

under Linux or PTS DOS, and that way to get access to the hard disk for maintenance or recovery purposes. Both platforms have their strong sides, for instance Linux can boast support of FireWire (i.e. IEEE1394) or USB devices. It enables to burn CD/DVD disks. However there can be some difficulties with detecting new hardware. DOS in its turn has no problems of that kind but is limited in features. The Linux/DOS Recovery CD requires no installation and can be of great help when the system fails to boot. Besides it offers a Windows XP like environment.

 WinPE based Recovery CD. Especially for keen followers of Windows, our product also offers a

WinPE based bootable media. Unlike Linux/DOS Recovery CD it can boast an excellent hardware support and the same interface as for the Windows version. However its system requirements are much tougher.

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Features Overview

This chapter dwells upon key benefits and technical highlights of the product.

Key Features

Let us list some of the key features:

 User friendly interface. Easily understood icons accompany all functions of the program.  Previewing the resulting layout of hard disks before actually executing operations (so-called

virtual operations).

 Basic functions for initializing, partitioning and formatting hard disks. Instead of the standard

Windows disk tools, the program supports all file systems.

 Carrying out advanced partitioning operations such as redistribution of available disk space or

merging of adjacent partitions of NTFS, FAT or FAT32 file systems with the help of easy-to-

use wizards.

 Boot Manager Setup Wizard to easily manage several operating systems on one computer.  Hot Resize NTFS upward allows the user to enlarge NTFS partitions (system, locked) without

rebooting Windows and interrupting its work.

 Conversion of FAT and NTFS file systems without reformatting.  Install New OS Wizard to make your system ready to install a new operating system.  Effective tools for file system optimization. Defragmentation of FAT and NTFS file systems

will help improve the hard disk performance while working with these systems.

 Copy Partition/Hard Disk Wizards that enable to successfully transfer all on-disk information

including standard bootstrap code and other system service structures, thus maintaining the operating system’s working capability.

 Back up a partition/hard disk including service data of the file system. The program supports

all five types of dynamic volumes (simple, spanned, striped, mirrored, RAID-5).

 Restore an entire disk or separate files from the disk archive (image).  Restore with Shrink function provides the possibility to restore a backup image to a free block

of smaller size taking into account only the amount of actual data of the image.

 Recovering of any accidentally deleted partition by using the Undelete Partitions Wizard.  Schedule the operation. The user can set a convenient time for the program to perform the

operation automatically.

 File Transfer Wizard assists the user with copying of separate files/directories or burning of

them to CD/DVD. Besides it provides access to Paragon backups as regular folders to browse through their contents or copy required files.

 Shutdown After Apply function enables to set the computer to automatically switch off on the

successful accomplishment of any operation.

 Volume Explorer utility allows the user to browse and export contents of the local

mounted/unmounted volumes of any file system as well as Paragon backups.

 Build external recovery media that help the user to restore the system even when the current

operating system cannot boot anymore.

Supported Technologies

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Along with using innovative technologies from outside, Paragon has developed a number of its own original technologies that make its products unique and attractive for customers:

 Paragon Hot Backup™ technology to back up locked partitions and hard disks under Windows NT+

family operating systems providing both high operating efficiency as well as low hardware requirements.

 Paragon Power Shield™ technology to provide data consistency in case of a hardware malfunction,

power outages or an operating system failure.

 Paragon UFSD ™ technology to browse partitions of any file system including hidden and

unmounted, modify and copy files and folders, etc.

 Paragon Hot Resize™ technology to enlarge NTFS partitions (system, locked) without rebooting

Windows and interrupting its work.

 Paragon Restore with Shrink™ technology to restore a backup image to a free block of smaller size

taking into account only the amount of actual data of the image.

 Paragon Smart Partition™ technology to securely perform hard disk partitioning operations of any

complexity.

 Paragon BTE ™ technology to set tasks for execution in the Windows blue screen mode, thus saving

from the need to use a bootable media when modifying system partitions.

 Paragon Shutdown After Apply™ technology to set the computer to automatically switch off on the

successful accomplishment of any operation.

 Microsoft Dynamic Disk (simple, spanned, striped, mirrored, RAID-5) to offer more management

flexibility without the partition limitation of basic disks. Dynamic storage can be particularly beneficial for large-scale businesses when dealing with many physical hard disks involving complex setup.

Supported File Systems

Paragon Partition Manager 9.0 provides support of major file systems presented on the market today:

 Full read/write access to Ext2FS/Ext3FS partitions under all versions of Windows, DOS 5.0 and later.  Full read/write access to NTFS (Basic and all five types of Dynamic Disks) under Windows

95/98/ME, Linux and PTS DOS. Compressed NTFS files are also supported.

 Basic partitioning operations (create, format, delete) for Linux Swap.

Supported Media

 Large hard disks (up to 1,5 TB tested, 2 TB limit in theory)  IDE, SCSI and SATA hard disks  CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW and also DVD-R, DVD+R double layer

discs

 FireWire (i.e. IEEE1394), USB 1.0, USB 2.0 hard disks, ZIP® and Jazz® disks, MBR Flash Cards  PC card storage devices (MBR flash memory, etc.)

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The File option enables just to save the image as an ISO file in the required location.

Getting Started

In this chapter you will find all the information necessary to get the product ready to use.

Distribution

Paragon Partition Manager 9.0 is distributed in two ways:

 Boxed package from Paragon Technology GmbH and resellers  Downloadable package over the Internet at the company’s web-site

Distributive CD

The boxed package includes a distributive CD that is in fact a bootable Recovery CD with auto-run of the Windows installation, thus it can be used as a ready-made solution (see Booting from the Linux/DOS

Recovery CD).

Thus in order to run the Windows components, you need to install them first (see Installing the Program).

If you want to download an update/upgrade of the product, it will be in form of the downloadable installation package as described in Online Distribution).

Online Distribution

Partition Manager 9.0 purchased over the Internet contains two downloadable files:

 Self-extracting file for Windows components installation;  Recovery CD ISO image-file with a built-in tool for CD/DVD burning

These files can be downloaded individually as found necessary.

To burn an ISO image of the Recovery CD, simply do the following:

1. Launch the Unpack & Burn Wizard by clicking on the downloaded executable file;

2. On the Destination page of the wizard select the CD/DVD option to write directly to a CD/DVD

disk;

3. On the CD/DVD Writing Parameters page choose the required recording device from the list of all

available devices, then define the writing options (speed and whether to eject the recorded disc after completing the operation or not);

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It is recommended to use Internet Explorer 5+ or any compatible browser.

The most important field in the form is an E-mail address, as it serves as a login to enter the system. Besides your access password will be sent to this address as well.

4. Insert a blank disk into the recording CD/DVD drive and click the Next button to start the

operation.

Registration

Paragon Technology GmbH provides a wide range of online services through its web-service - KB (Knowledge Base):

 Registration of new users;  Registration of purchased products for registered users;  Available around-the-clock downloading center, where registered users can get product

updates/upgrades as well as all the necessary documentation;

 Downloadable free demo versions and open documentation for all users.

To enter the Knowledge Base, please visit the web-site: http://kb.paragon-software.com/.

To Register as a New User

To register as a new user, simply do the following:

1. Run the Internet browser and visit the page: http://kb.paragon-software.com/;

2. Select Registration in the menu;

3. On the renewed page, select your country and language;

4. Fill out the registration form.

To Register a New Product

If you are a registered user and would like to register Partition Manager 9.0, simply do the following:

1. Click Login in the menu;

2. On the Login page, in the User Name field, enter an E-mail, which you have used for registration;

3. In the Password field enter the password you received with registration confirmation. Click the

Submit button;

4. If the user name and password are valid, you will enter the system;

5. In the opened menu click the Product Registration item to see a list of all registered products with a

new registration form;

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Service

Contact

Visit Paragon GmbH web site

www.paragon-software.com

Registration & updates web-service

kb.paragon-software.com

Knowledge Base & Technical Support

kb.paragon-software.com

Pre-sale information

sales@paragon-software.com

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

6. Select Paragon Partition Manager 9.0 from the list of products;

7. Type in your product serial number in the Serial Number field. Click the Submit button.

That is all. You will receive a confirmation by E-mail.

How to Download Updates/Upgrades

Downloading of updates/upgrades can be fulfilled in the following way:

1. Enter the Paragon Software web-service;

2. In the menu click the Download Update to see what updates are available for you;

3. Select the desired update and click the Download button.

Contacting Paragon Technology GmbH

If you have any questions about the company products, please do not hesitate to contact Paragon Technology GmbH.

System Requirements

Windows based set of utilities

To use the Windows utilities, you should install them first. But before that, make sure your computer meets the following minimum system requirements:

 Operating systems: Windows 98/NT/2000/XP/Vista/Server 2000/2003 and XP/Vista/Server

2000/2003 64-bit

 Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher  Intel Pentium CPU or its equivalent, with 300 MHz processor clock speed  128 MB of RAM  Hard disk drive with 40 MB of available space  SVGA video adapter and monitor  Mouse

Linux/DOS based Recovery CD

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In case there is some previous version of the program installed on the computer, the program will offer the user to uninstall it first.

To use the Paragon Linux/DOS Recovery CD on your computer (it doesn’t matter what operating system is

installed), make sure that it meets the following minimum system requirements:

 IBM AT compatible computer with i486 or higher CPU  256 MB of RAM  SVGA-compatible monitor  Mouse (recommended)  On-board BIOS supports booting from CD first

There may be additional requirements if you want to use advanced features:

 Network card is required to send partition/hard disk backups to a network computer or to retrieve

previously made backups

 Recordable CD/DVD drive is needed to burn data to compact disks  To save copy or backup of a hard disk or partition, removable USB disks can be used. The program

supports USB Drives 1.0, 2.0.

WinPE based Recovery CD

To use the WinPE based Recovery CD on your computer, (it doesn’t matter what operating system is

installed), make sure that it meets the following minimum system requirements:

 Intel Pentium CPU or its equivalent, with 300 MHz processor clock speed  At least 384 MB of RAM (512+ is recommended)  Hard disk drive with 40 MB of available space  SVGA video adapter and monitor  Mouse

Installing the Program

As we have already mentioned only Windows components of the product require installation. So to install Paragon Partition Manager 9.0 under Windows, please do the following:

1. Run Setup Application From the folder, where the setup files are kept, run the SETUP.EXE file. This application will guide the user through the process of the program installation. The setup utility is compiled with the InstallShield SDK, hence it contains the standard user interface and set of installation steps.

2. Starting Setup The Welcome page informs that the application is being installed. Click the Next button to continue.

3. Confirm License Agreement The License Agreement page displays the Paragon License Agreement. Read the agreement and then click the Yes button to accept. If the user does not agree with any conditions stated there, the installation process will be interrupted.

4. Select an Installation Folder The Destination Location page allows the user to choose the folder where the program will be installed. By default, the installation folder will be created as:

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Do not install the program on network drives. Do not use Terminal Server sessions to install and run the program. In both cases, the program functionality will be limited

Partition Manager 9.0 will be installed anyway as it is the main component.

C:\Program Files\Paragon Software\Paragon Partition Manager 9.0. To select another folder, click the

Browse button.

After you have selected the required folder, click the Next button to continue.

5. Select Components to Install

The Select Components page enables the user to choose what components are to be installed.

Besides Partition Manager 9.0 the user can also install a trial version of Drive Backup™ 8.51 as a bonus from Paragon Technology GmbH. So choose the required component(s) by marking a checkbox opposite its title. A brief description to the selected feature on the right will help make no mistake.

Click the Next button to continue.

6. Select a Program Group The Program Folder page enables the user to select the application's program group for the Start Menu. By default, it will be the program group:

Start > Programs > Paragon Partition Manager 9.0.

Click the Next button to continue.

7. Verify Setup Settings The Start Copying page allows the user to verify settings, which have already been made and correct them if necessary. Press the Back button to return to the previous page and modify the installation settings. Click the Next button to complete the installation process.

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To accomplish online backup/copy of locked partitions/hard disks the program uses a kernel mode hotcore driver, thus the system reboot is required to complete the installation procedure.

8. Copying Files The Setup Status page shows the overall progress of the installation. Click the Cancel button to abort the setup.

9. Finishing the Installation The Final page reports the end of the setup process.

Booting from the Linux/DOS Recovery CD

The Linux/DOS Recovery CD can be used to boot your computer into PTS DOS or Linux to get access to the hard disk without use of the failed operating system.

You also have an option to boot in the PTS DOS safe mode. The reboot of the computer from the Recovery CD in the safe mode may be of great use in a number of non-standard situations such as interfering hardware settings or serious problems on the hardware level. In this case, only basic files and drivers (such as hard disk drivers, a monitor driver, and a keyboard driver) will be loaded.

Boot Menu

After you have inserted the Recovery CD into CD/DVD drive and restarted the computer, the Boot menu appears.

The Boot menu contains the following commands:

 Normal Mode. Boot into the Linux normal mode. This mode uses the full set of drivers

(recommended).

 Safe Mode. Boot into the PTS DOS mode. This mode can be used as an alternative of the Linux

normal mode if it fails to work properly.

 Low Graphics Safe mode. Boot into the PTS DOS safe mode. In this case, only the minimal set of

drivers will be included, like hard disk, monitor, and keyboard drivers. This mode has simple graphics and a simple menu. No partitions mounted.

 Floppy Disk. Reboot the computer from a system floppy disk.  Hard Disk 0. Boot from the primary hard disk.  Find OS(s) on your hard disks. The program will scan hard disks of your computer to find any

bootable operating system.

To move within the menu, please use the arrow keys of the computer keyboard.

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To automatically boot from the Recovery CD make sure the on-board BIOS is set up to boot from CD first.

While working with the Recovery CD you might experience some inconvenience caused by possible video artifacts. It is just a result of changing video modes and in no way will affect the program functionality. If this is the case, please wait a bit and everything will be OK.

If you are going to use network resources, first launch the Network Configuration Wizard to establish a network connection.

Linux/DOS Recovery CD assigns drive letters to partitions the way it is done in DOS, i.e. one after another, primary partitions at first. Thus mounted partitions may have different drive letters from Windows.

Normal Mode

When the Normal mode is selected, the Linux launch menu appears:

 Paragon Partition Manager (enables to carry out partitioning operations of any complexity, copy

and back up separate partitions or entire hard disks, defragment FAT and NTFS volumes, etc.);

 Simple Restore Wizard (allows restoring hard disks and partitions);  File Transfer Wizard (allows coping files/folders to another disk or a partition as well as recording

them to CD/DVD);

 Boot Corrector (helps to correct the Windows System Registry without Windows being loaded);  Network Configurator (starts the Network Configuration Wizard);

 Log Saver (helps to collect and send the necessary log files to the Technical Support)  View the mounted partitions (the list of all mounted partitions will be displayed);

 Command Line (allows experienced users to execute any operation);  Reboot the computer;  Power off the computer.

To move within the menu, please use the arrow keys of the computer keyboard.

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By default the Normal mode will be automatically initiated after a 10 second idle period.

To automatically boot from the Recovery CD make sure the on-board BIOS is set up to boot from CD first.

Safe Mode

When the Safe mode is selected, the PTS DOS launch menu appears. It has nearly the same functionality as for the Normal mode except the Network Configurator and Log Saver commands. Besides due to certain limitations of the PTS DOS environment, there is no possibility to burn CD/DVD disks.

Low Graphics Safe Mode

When the Low Graphics mode is selected, the PTS DOS launch menu appears. It has the same functionality and looks similar to the Safe mode but graphically simpler.

Running Commands

To launch the required command you should take the following steps:

1. Insert Paragon Linux/DOS Recovery CD into your CD/DVD drive;

2. Reboot the computer;

3. Select one of the boot modes (Normal, Safe, Low Graphics) in the Boot menu;

4. Choose a command by using the arrow keys of the computer keyboard to move within the menu;

5. Launch the command by pressing the Enter button.

6. After it has been launched consult the help system by pressing ALT+F1 to know more on the

subject.

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Basic Concepts

This chapter explains terms and ideas that show how the program works. To understand these helps to obtain a general notion of the operation performance and makes it easier for the user to operate the program.

Drive Partitioning

As you probably know a hard drive is to be split into one or more partitions, since it cannot hold data until it is carved up and space is set aside for the operating system. Until recently most PCs used to have just one partition, which filled the entire hard disk and contained the OS. The situation has changed however, thanks to new cost-effective high capacity hard drives, thus opening up numerous possibilities for PC users, such as editing video, archiving music, backing up CD images, etc. Huge increase in space is great, but it poses a number of problems, most important of which are effective data organization and speed.

Large drives are always going to take longer to search than smaller volumes, and an operating system is going to have its work cut out both finding and organizing files. It is for this reason that many people decide to invest in multiple hard drives, but there is an easy solution – drive partitioning. Partitioning lets you divide a single physical drive into a number of logical drives, each of which servers as a container with its own drive letter and volume label, thus enabling the operating system to process data more efficiently. Besides partitioning makes it possible to organize data so that it is easy to find and manage. You can set aside, for instance, 40 GB of a 160 GB hard drive for the OS, 70 GB for storing video and another 50 GB for your favorite music collections to provide transparent data storage.

It is also worth mentioning to that with a hard drive properly partitioned, such routine operations as files de-

fragmentation or consistency check will not be that annoying and time-consuming any more.

By detaching the OS from the rest of the data you can tackle one more crucial issue – in case of a system malfunction, you can get the system back on track in minutes by recovering it from a backup image located on the other partition of the hard drive.

But that is not all drive partitioning may be used for. If you are willing to play games in Windows while browsing the Internet in Linux, 100-percent sure that no virus will attack your PC, drive partitioning is a necessity. In order to run several OSs on a single hard drive you are to create a corresponding number of partitions to effectively delineate the boundaries of each OS.

All of the above-mentioned partitioning applications are implemented in the program. And all the necessary actions are performed by using the system of convenient wizards. This means that the user simply has to follow easy step-by-step instructions to make the appropriate settings.

Backup Operations

Since the advent of the computer age the best way to protect valuable information was to store it in form of archives on external media. In case of hard disk malfunction, its contents could be restored from the archive. Then backup soon became a common term to mean making duplications of data for protection purposes.

Nowadays backup has become an essential routine operation for any serious information work. A modern backup archive uses the so-called image, a snapshot of the whole disk system (or its separate partitions). It not only includes the contents of all user-made files, but additionally contains the exact structure of directories, information about file allocation, file attributes and other related data. A backup image can be copied or moved like any ordinary file.

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

The user can store backup images on external media (CD/DVDs). This guarantees a high level of data protection as long as the backup media is kept secure. It is possible to store backup images on a local

network drive as well. Special server-side software enables to secure and store backup images for the entire

network. For this purpose computers named backup servers are used. Such a backup server provides nearly the same level of protection as external media.

However, should the user not have a local network and/or it is inconvenient to record data onto external media, then the backup images can be stored in a specially secured place on the hard disk. This place is referred to as the backup capsule, which has an independent system layout (e.g. a separate partition) that will stay operable should the active file system be damaged. To avoid an accidental removing or unauthorized access of the backup data, this partition is hidden and thus cannot be mounted in the operating system. A single hard disk may contain only one backup capsule. However, the user can attach another hard disk with an existing backup capsule to the computer and restore from that as well without any problems.

It is only possible to browse the contents of the backup capsule by using special software. The system of wizards that is implemented into the program is designed to work with the backup capsule. Thus, by storing disk images in the backup capsule the user obtains a reliable level of data protection.

Paragon Hot Processing & Volume Shadow Copy Service

Offline versus Online Backup

In the course of time there have been developed various methods of backing up data. Despite different work concept, all of them can be divided into two principal groups: offline (cold) and online (hot) backup techniques.

As the name infers, offline backup can only be accomplished when the data is in consistent state (the operating system and all the applications are completely shut down). Actually it is the most preferable way of image creation, since backup software obtains an exclusive right to process data that guaranties high level of operating efficiency. However an offline backup is absolutely out of question when dealing with 24/7 production environments.

In contrast, online backup enables to create a consistent snapshot even as the data is currently modified. Online backups are particularly useful for systems with high availability requirements, but they won’t be accomplished until all active transactions are complete. The point is to provide a coherent state of all open files and databases involved in a backup, taking into account that applications may still keep writing to disks. As a result an online backup cannot boast high operating speed.

Our program supports both offline and online methods of image creation. As far as online backup is concerned it offers its own hot processing algorithm together with the possibility to use snapshot technologies provided by the Microsoft VSS framework.

Paragon Hot Processing Technology

Paragon Hot Processing is an online backup technology for Windows NT+ family operating systems. Developed back in 2001, nowadays it is integrated with all backup solutions offered by the company.

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It is not recommended to use Paragon Hot Processing with active SQL Server 2003, Exchange 2003 or Oracle databases since the backup image contents may be corrupted.

To use VSS it is necessary to have a mounted 300 MB+ NTFS partition.

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Paragon Hot Processing is not exactly a snapshot technology, though it has much in common with it. During an online backup, the program uses the kernel mode driver HOTCORE.SYS to intercept and control disk write activity of applications and the operating system. The hotcore driver as an integral part of the program

is installed during the setup procedure (that’s why the system reboot is required to complete the setup

procedure). For the most part the driver is in the idle mode until it is activated with the program. While in this mode it bypasses any calls having no effect on the overall system performance, but a few kilobytes of the system memory.

Paragon Hot Processing technology offers copy/backup of locked partitions and hard disks under Windows NT+ family operating systems providing both high operating efficiency as well as low hardware requirements.

Volume Shadow Copy Service

Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is designed to provide the backup infrastructure for the Microsoft Windows XP/Server 2003 operating systems. It offers a reliable mechanism to create consistent point-in-time copies of data known as shadow copies. Developed by Microsoft in close cooperation with the leading backup solution vendors on the market, it is based on a snapshot technology concept.

Initiated by a VSS aware backup utility, VSS creates snapshots for the selected volumes and represents them as virtual read-only devices, called volume shadow copies. Once the shadow copies are created, the backup utility starts processing the data while applications keep writing to original volumes.

Unlike Paragon Hot Processing the VSS technology provides a unique possibility to make a synchronous snapshot of multiple volumes. This very feature can be particularly beneficial when backing up active SQL Server 2003, Exchange 2003 or Oracle databases located on multiple volumes the way it is recommended by Microsoft to improve the level of database performance and reliability, thus providing 100-percent data consistency.

Dynamic Disks

One of the key features of our program is the possibility to process dynamic disks. As you probably know, MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista support four primary partitions per physical hard disk, one of which can be extended. Certainly there is the possibility to create logical drives within the extended partition. Such types of disks are called basic. Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista follow the same strategy: You can have a maximum of four primary partitions, one of which can be an extended partition with logical drives. However, these operating systems also introduce a new disk configuration type - dynamic disk - which must be understood to effectively configure and manage hard disks.

Dynamic disk is a physical disk that doesn't use partitions or logical drives. Instead, it contains only dynamic volumes. Regardless of what format you use for the file system, only Win2K computers can access dynamic volumes directly. However, computers that aren't running Win2K can access the dynamic volumes remotely when connected to the shared folders over the network.

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Dynamic disks can co-exist on a system with basic disks. The only limitation is that you cannot mix Basic and Dynamic disks on the same hard drive.

There are five types of dynamic volumes: simple (uses free space from a single disk), spanned (created from free disk space that is linked together from multiple disks), striped (a volume the data of which is interleaved across two or more physical disks), mirrored (a fault-tolerant volume the data of which is duplicated on two physical disks, and RAID-5 volumes (a fault-tolerant volume the data of which is striped across an array of three or more disks).

With dynamic storage, you can perform disk and volume management without the need to restart Windows.

Limitations:

 Dynamic disks are not supported on portable computers.  Dynamic disks are not supported on Windows XP Home Edition-based computers.  You cannot create mirrored volumes or RAID-5 volumes on Windows XP Home Edition, Windows

XP Professional, or Windows XP 64-Bit Edition-based computers.

Thus, the dynamic disk is a new way of looking at hard disk configuration. Dynamic disks offer you more management flexibility without the partition limitation of basic disks. Dynamic disks can contain an unlimited number of volumes, but they cannot contain partitions or logical drives. Dynamic storage can be particularly beneficial for large-scale businesses when dealing with many physical hard disks involving complex setup.

64-bit Support

The bulk of software today is written for a 32-bit processor. It can meet the requirements of almost any end user. However that is not the case when dealing with servers processing large amounts of data with complex calculations of very large numbers. That is where 64-bit architecture comes into play.

It can boast improved scalability for business applications that enables to support more customer databases and more simultaneous users on each server. Besides a 64-bit kernel can access more system resources, such as memory allocation per user. A 64-bit processor can handle over 4 billion times more memory addresses than a 32-bit processor. With these resources, even a very large database can be cached in memory.

Although many business applications run without problems on 32-bit systems, others have grown so complex that they use up the 4 GB memory limitation of a 32-bit address space. With this large amount of data, fewer memory resources are available to meet memory needs. On a 64-bit server, most queries are able to perform in the buffers available to the database.

Some 32-bit applications make the transition to the 64-bit environment seamlessly others do not. For instance, system-level utilities and programs that provide direct hardware access are likely to fail. Our program offers a full-fledged support of the 64-bit architecture providing fault-tolerant work for such system dependent modules as Hot Processing.

Copy Operations

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Hard drive duplication nowadays is becoming highly popular among PC users. That is due to some definite

advantages it can offer. First of all, many people clone hard disks just to back up data for security reasons. The present day copy utilities enable to successfully transfer all on-disk information including standard

bootstrap code and other system service structures, thus maintaining the operating system’s working

capability. In case of a system malfunction, the user can get the system back on track in minutes. No additional configuration is required, what is very convenient.

The second possible application is the upgrade of a hard disk to a new one. The capacity of a modern hard drive doubles every two years, thus opening up new possibilities for software developers. As a result programs become more complicated and require considerable amount of free space. One day the user realizes that there is no more free space left on the hard disk and the only way out is to upgrade. Usually that means that besides purchasing a new hard disk, the user is to face a large re-installation procedure spanning several days of tedious work. But all of this can be avoided just by copying the contents of the old hard disk to a new one proportionally resizing the partitions.

And the last but not least is the copying of hard disks for cloning purposes. It may be of great use when setting up similar computers. There is no need for a system administrator to install an operating system from scratch on every one of them. It is enough just to configure one and then clone it to the others.

Scheduling

The automation of the program’s operations is particularly effective when the user has to repeat a sequence

of actions on a regular basis. For example, when a specific project is being developed on a computer on a day-to-day basis and a backup copy is made every evening so as not to lose the valuable data, it should be possible to simplify certain routine operations. Certain operations really need to be automated to facilitate the task of multiple executions and setting a precise time for its completion.

Another aspect of any automation process is that it runs automatically without the user having to be present. The program is able to execute operations without the user being involved. In addition, it allows an optimization of your computer’s work-load. This is especially important when operations require a considerable amount of computer resources – processor time, memory and more. A number of operations, which can decrease the performance, can be run during the night or whenever the computer has the least work-load to perform.

The program has a special tool for scheduling. The user can set out a timetable for various operations. For example, some operations may be performed daily, others - weekly and so on. The scheduled operation starts at a specified time without interrupting the user's current activity.

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1. Main Menu

2. Tool Bar

3. Virtual Operations Bar

4. Common Tasks Bar

5. Explorer Bar

Interface Overview

This chapter introduces the graphical interface of the program to the user. The design of the interface precludes any mistake being made on the part of the user. Most operations are performed through the system of wizards. Buttons and menus are accompanied by easy understandable icons. Nevertheless, any problems that might occur while managing the program can be tackled by reading this very chapter.

General Layout

When the user starts the program, the first component that is displayed is called the Launcher. It enables the user to run wizards and utilities, to specify program settings, to visualize the operating environment and the hard disk configuration.

The Launcher’s window can be conditionally subdivided into several sections that differ in their purpose and functionality:

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6. List of Partitions

7. Disk Map

8. Legend Bar

9. Status Bar

MENU ITEM

FUNCTIONALITY

Tools

Generate Script…

Generate a script for the task

Save to Scheduler…

Schedule pending operations

Send Log Files

Compress and send the log to the Paragon Support Team

Boot Manager…

Manage several operating systems on one computer

Recovery Media Builder…

Restore the system even when the current operating system cannot boot anymore

Settings...

Edit the general settings of the program

Exit

Exit the program

Changes

Undo "the last virtual operation"

Cancel the last virtual operation on the List of Pending Operations

Redo "the last virtual operation"

Cancel the last undo virtual operation on the List of Pending Operations View Changes…

Display the List of Pending Operations

Apply Changes

Launch the real execution of virtual operations

Discard All Changes

Cancel all virtual operations on the List of Pending Operations

Reload Disk Info

Refresh the current information about disks

Wizards

Create Partition…

Create a partition of any file system

Format Partition…

Format a partition of any file system

Delete Partition…

Delete a partition of any file system

Back Up Disk or

Partition…

Create a new backup archive

Restore Disk or Partition…

Restore a disk from the backup image

Copy Hard Disk…

Create a hard disk copy

Copy Partition…

Create a partition copy

Some of the panels have similar functionality with a synchronized layout. The program enables the user to conceal some of the panels to simplify the interface management.

All panels are separated by vertical and horizontal expandable sliders, allowing the user to customize the screen layout.

Main Menu

The Main Menu provides access to the entire functionality of the program. The available functions are as listed below:

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Merge Partitions…

Merge adjacent partitions of NTFS, FAT or FAT32 file systems

Redistribute Free Space…

Redistribute available disk space of existed partitions

Undelete Partitions…

Recover any of accidentally deleted partition

Install New OS…

Make your system ready to install a new operating system

Hard Disk

Update MBR

Update MBR (Master Boot Record) of the selected hard disk

Change Primary Slots…

Modify the primary partitions enumeration for the selected hard disk

Convert to Basic…

Convert a dynamic disk containing simple volume(s) into basic

Change SID…

Change SID (Security Identifier) value of any found Windows installation

Edit/View Sectors…

View/edit sectors of the selected hard disk

Properties…

Get in-depth information on the properties of selected hard disk

Partition

Create Partition…

Create a partition of any file system with the Create Partition dialog

Format Partition…

Format a partition of any file system Format Partition dialog

Delete Partition…

Delete a partition of any file system Delete Partition dialog

Move/Resize…

Move/Resize the selected partition

Convert File System…

Convert file system of the selected partition

Assign Drive Letter…

Assign drive letter to the selected partition

Remove Drive Letter…

Remove drive letter for the selected partition

Hide Partition…

Make the selected partition unavailable for the operating system

Unhide Partition…

Make the selected partition available for the operating system

Mark Partition as Active

Make the selected partition bootable by default

Mark Partition as Inactive

Make the selected partition non-bootable by default

Change Cluster Size…

Change cluster size of the selected partition

Change Boot Size…

Change boot size of the selected partition

Change Root Size…

Change root size of the selected partition

Change Volume Label…

Change volume label of the selected partition

Change Serial Number…

Change serial number of the selected partition

Change Partition ID…

Change identifier of the selected partition

Downgrade NTFS

version…

Decrease version of the selected NTFS partition

Compact MFT…

Shrink MFT of the selected NTFS partition

Change SID…

Change SID (Security Identifier) value of any found Windows installation

Make Partition Primary…

Make the selected partition Primary

Make Partition Logical…

Make the selected partition Logical

Defragment Partition…

Defragment data on the selected partition

Defragment MFT…

Defragment MFT (Master File Table) of the selected NTFS partition

Test Surface…

Test surface of the selected partition/block of free space

Check File System

Check the selected partition for possible file system errors

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Integrity…

Edit/View Sectors…

View/edit sectors of the selected partition

Properties…

Get in-depth information on the properties of selected partition

View

Toolbar

Manage the Tool Bar representation: show / hide standard and navigation buttons, text labels and large icons.

Status Bar

Display the Status bar

Common Tasks Bar

Display the Common tasks bar

Disk Map Legend

Display the Disk map legend

Properties and Commands

Display the Explorer bar

Disk Map Location

Select whether the Disk map will be located on the top of the main window or at the bottom

Choose Columns…

Select properties to display on the List of partitions

Help

Open the Help system

About

Open the dialog with information about the program

The Main Menu contents available at the moment may vary depending on the selected object.

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

BUTTON

FUNCTIONALITY

Create a partition

Copy a partition

Copy a hard disk

Format a partition

Delete a partition

Open the Help system

Tool Bar

The Toolbar provides fast access to the most frequently used operations:

Virtual Operations Bar

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BUTTON

FUNCTIONALITY

Cancel the last virtual operation on the List of Pending Operations

Cancel the last undo virtual operation on the List of Pending Operations

Display the List of Pending Operations

Launch the real execution of virtual operations

Cancel all virtual operations on the List of Pending Operations

Virtual mode is an effective way of protection from any troubles, since no operations will be executed until clicking the Apply button for confirmation, thus giving a second chance to weigh all pros and cons of this or that particular operation. The program politely reminds the user that there are unsaved changes by showing the following window:

Basic Partitioning Tasks

Starting the Create Partition Wizard. The Create Partition Wizard assists the user to create partitions of any file system.

Starting the Format Partition Wizard. The Format Partition Wizard allows formatting existing partitions to one of the file systems supported by the program.

Starting the Delete Partition Wizard that enables to delete partitions of any file system.

The program supports previewing the resulting layout of hard disks before actually executing operations (socalled virtual mode of execution). In fact, when the virtual mode is enabled, the program does not accomplish operations immediately, but places them on the List of Pending Operations for later accomplishment.

The Virtual Operations Bar enables to manage pending operations.

Common Tasks Bar

The Common Tasks Bar is located on the left side of the main window. It is intended for easy access to the program's wizards that provide all the functionality needed to manage copy operations.

The bar contains several tabs named Basic Partitioning Tasks, Advanced Partitioning Tasks, Backup Tasks, Copy Tasks, Tools and News and Documentation. Each of these contains a separate button bar which can be folded by clicking it.

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Advanced Partitioning Tasks

Starting the Merge Partitions Wizard. The Merge Partitions Wizard allows merging adjacent partitions of NTFS, FAT, FAT32 file systems.

Starting the Redistribute Free Space Wizard that enables to redistribute available disk space of existed partitions.

Starting the Undelete Partitions Wizard that helps to recover accidentally deleted partitions.

Starting the Install New OS Wizard that assists the user to install a new operating system.

Backup Tasks

Starting the Backup Wizard. The Backup Wizard assists the user with the backup of the hard disk’s data.

Starting the Restore Wizard. The Restore Wizard helps to restore data from a previously made backup image.

Copy Tasks

Starting the Copy Hard Disk Wizard that helps to make an exact copy of a hard disk.

Starting the Copy Partition Wizard that helps to make an exact copy of a partition.

Tools

Starting the Boot Manager Setup Wizard that enables to easily manage several operating systems on one computer.

Starting the File Transfer Wizard. The File Transfer Wizard allows copying of separate files/directories or burning of them to CD/DVD. Besides it provides access to Paragon backups as regular folders to browse through their contents or copy required files.

News and Documentation

Opening the page which contains information about the program. This page will be displayed in the Explorer bar.

Launching the Help system.

Opening a brief review on the Paragon Scripting Language.

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Disk Map

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The user can click a large-sized bar to display information about the appropriate physical disk in the Explorer bar. A click on a small-sized bar will lead to displaying information about the appropriate logical disk.

The Disk Map is displayed in the Explorer bar when the Disk View tab is selected. It is located either at the top or at the bottom of the window, depending on the state of the Disk Map Location option (Main menu: View > Disk Map Location). The user can change the current location of the map with this option.

As the name infers, the Disk Map displays the layout of physical and logical disks. Physical disks are represented with rectangle bars that contain small-sized bars. These small-sized bars represent logical disks. Their color depends on the file system of the appropriate partition.

Large-sized bars display the following information about physical disks:

 Manufacturer,  Model.

Small-sized bars display the following information about logical disks:

 Serial number,  Drive letter,  Total size,  File system.

Furthermore, it is possible to estimate the used disk space by looking at the size of the bar’s shaded area.

Disk Map is synchronized with the Explorer bar. When the user selects a disk on the Disk Map the Explorer bar displays detailed information of the selected disk.

Explorer Bar

The Explorer Bar is located in the center of the main window which emphasizes its importance. The bar displays reference information including:

 User Manual,  Information about the program consisting of the product's name, the version of the program and a list

of helpful links,

 Detailed information about disks selected on the Disk Map,  List of scheduled operations,  Volume Explorer utility,  Disk Editor utility.

According to these categories the Explorer bar has several tabs:

 Disk View, which offers the user the following options:

- Disk Editor to view/edit sectors of the selected partition/hard disk;

- Volume Explorer to browse and export contents of the selected partition/hard disk;

- Properties to view detailed information on the selected partition/hard disk in the bright graphical form.

 Scheduled Tasks, which gives the user the possibility of browsing and editing scheduled operations.

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BUTTON

FUNCTIONALITY

Return to the previously browsed page

Open the next browsed page

Stop loading the current page

Refresh the contents of the current page

 Help System, which contains the User Manual and information about the program.

The user is able to access the desired information by clicking on the appropriate tab.

The Explorer Bar is a fully-functional embedded HTML browser, which enables the user to address, for example, our company's website to look through important technical notes or download the latest updates without having to close the program. The Help System of the program is HTML-oriented. The user can read the user manual and follow external links from to get additional information.

To easily navigate through browsed pages, the program provides the following functionality:

List of Partitions

The List of Partitions is another helpful tool that enables the user to get a clear-cut picture of the current state of the system hard disks/partitions. Partitions are sorted according to their starting position. For every item of the list there is the possibility to call the context-sensitive popup menu with available operations. Besides, the program provides detailed information on all hard disks/partitions found in the system including the following properties:

- Name,

- Volume label (if exists),

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- Partition type (Primary/Extended /Logical),

- File system type,

- Size,

- Amount of used and unused (free) space,

- Start/End cylinder,

- Start/End head,

- Start/End sector

- Free size in sectors/bytes

- Active/Inactive attribute

- Hidden/Unhidden attribute

The user may customize the outlook of the List of Partitions with the appropriate Main menu item: View > Choose Columns…

By marking checkboxes the user can choose whether the required item will be displayed or not.

Furthermore, the List of Partitions is synchronized with the Explorer bar and the Disk Map.

Legend Bar

The Legend Bar explains the color scheme used for disk and partition presentation. The user can hide (or show) the bar with the appropriate Main menu item: View > Disk Map Legend. When it is activated it can be found at the bottom of the Explorer bar.

The program distinguishes between the following types of known file systems:

- FAT16/32,

- NTFS,

- Linux Ext2/3,

- Linux ReiserFS.

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Status Bar

This is the bottom part of the main window. The status bar displays menu hints, for each item the cursor points to.

The user can hide (or show) the bar with the appropriate Main menu item: View > Status bar.

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Settings Overview

The Settings dialog is available from the Main menu: Tools > Settings. All the settings are grouped into several sections of which the functions are described in the following paragraphs. The list of sections is placed on the left side of the dialog. By selecting a section from the list, the user opens a set of options.

General Options

This section contains a set of general options that will be taken into account during all the operations carried out with the program. The user can switch between the following modes:

 Verify data written. If this option is marked, every write-to-disk action is followed by the

read-and-compare action. This feature may be helpful in case of running an unstable hard disk, however it will negatively affect the overall performance.

 Enable data loss protection. Activate the option to force the program to work in the fail-safe

mode (also referred to as data-loss protection mode), which ensures more safety for

operations by maintaining the special journal of operations’ progress. In case of hardware malfunction, power outages or operating system failure, the modified partition may become corrupted and non-operable. However, the program will be able to complete the interrupted operation, thus "reviving" the partition.

If the system has crashed during the operation in the fail-safe mode, insert the bootable Recovery CD and restart the computer. The program will automatically detect the journal of the interrupted operation and complete the operation.

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It is strongly recommended to enable this option.

 Try to access non-BIOS disk cylinders. The option works only under Windows 95, 98, ME.

When activated, the program performs a special procedure to define the disk capacity and does not use the value that is returned by BIOS.

 Enable Initial Backup reminders. If this option is marked, the program will automatically

offer the user to make a backup before accomplishing any critical partitioning operation, thus minimizing the risk of data loss.

General Copy and Backup Options

This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account during copy and backup operations. The user can switch between the following modes:

 HDD raw processing. Activate the option to copy a hard disk in the sector-by-sector mode to

successfully process unknown file systems. However it is not recommended to enable this option when working with supported file systems as it takes more time to accomplish the operation.

 Partition raw processing. Activate the option to copy a partition in the sector-by-sector mode to

successfully process unknown file systems. However it is not recommended to enable this option when working with supported file systems as it takes more time to accomplish the operation.

 Perform incremental copy. Once the complete copy of a hard disk is created, it can be used as a

base for the incremental copy. Mark the option to make the program perform the exact bit-wise comparison of the previous data (saved in the parental copy) with the current data (that is actually the hard disk itself). After that only most recent information will be processed. It considerably decreases the amount of data written.

 Skipping OS auxiliary files during backup operation.

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Hot Processing Options

This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account in case the Hot Processing mode is enabled. The Hot Processing mode is a part of the backup/copy operation that allows the program to process a disk without restarting the computer. The program forces the system to restart to obtain exclusive access to the processing data. The Hot Processing mode may be used to process locked partitions or any backup/copy operation. The user defines the method in this section.

The user can also set a Temporary drive. This option defines a partition (by default – C:) for the Hot Processing temporary file. The temporary file will be deleted when the hot backup/copy is performed which may require a large amount of disk space. Should there not be enough space on drive C:, then another drive needs to be selected.

Partitioning Options

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This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account during partitioning operations. The user can activate the following modes:

 64 KB cluster size for FAT16 partitions. Only Windows NT 4.0/2000/XP/2003 support 64 KB

clusters.

 Request confirmation before partition deletion.  Request confirmation when converting FAT16 to FAT32 during such partitioning operations as

copy disk/partition, restore disk/partition.

 Surface test level. The option affects the following operations: format partition, copy partition,

restore partition, retest the surface. While performing the surface test, the program detects corrupted sectors and marks them as unusable.

E-Mail Options

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account during the Send log files and Send email notification operations. The user can define:

 Outgoing mail server (SMTP). To send messages by using the built-in mail client, it is necessary to

have access to a computer running an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server. All outgoing messages are first sent to the SMTP server, which in its turn delivers them to the required recipients. The address may be represented as a traditional Internet host name (e.g.: mail.com) or as an IP numeric address (e.g. xxx.xxx.xxx.xx).

 User e-mail address. Specify an e-mail address that has been assigned by the Internet Service

Provider or organization's e-mail administrator.

 My outgoing server requires authentication. Activate the option to allow the program to make

authentication on the server before sending messages.

- User name. Enter the name that will be used to log in to the e-mail account.

- Password. Enter the password that will be used to access the mail server.

 Send e-mail notification on apply. Specify an e-mail to send notifications on the carried out

operations.

- Send mail in HTML format. Activate the option to create messages in the HTML format instead of plain text.

- Send complete report after applying operations. Activate the option to create an in-depth report on the carried out operations and send it after performing the last operation.

- Send graphical view of the disk sub-system before and after apply. Activate the option to allow the program to attach two pictures of the disk layout made before and after the operation is completed.

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Virtual Mode Options

 Allow virtual mode. In this section the user can choose whether to allow operations to carry out

immediately or to place them on the List of Pending Operations for later execution. Just mark the option to enable virtual operations.

 Close progress dialog automatically. Mark the option to automatically close the progress dialog

when the required operation(s) is completed.

File System Conversion Options

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In some cases incorrect use of the time zone may lead to inability to run certain software.

Incorrect settings will result in corruption of non-English filenames.

This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account while converting file systems. By default, the program takes locale (regional) settings from the system. However, the user can customize default locale settings such as: time zone and language of file names.

These parameters affect the conversion of file systems "FATxx ->NTFS" and "NTFS -> FATxx". The problem lies in the use of different standards for file names and file time stamps (Created, Modified and Last access time) of NTFS and FATxx file systems.

Initially, the program displays the default locale settings, which may be changed:

 Time zone. Specify the time zone to use during a file system conversion. NTFS keeps file

timestamps in GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) while FAT uses the unadjusted local date and time. The program takes proper account of the difference between internal formats of file timestamps and enables to use the time zone information to adjust the timestamp values.

 Language for file names. Choose the correct code page value. NTFS stores file names in

Unicode while FAT/FAT32 file systems use ANSI encoding for saving short filenames (also called DOS aliases). The code page information is required for correct conversion of nonEnglish filenames from Unicode to ANSI and vice versa.

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

 Request confirmation of settings before NTFS < - > FAT/FAT32 conversion. Mark the option to

automatically display the dialog of the locale settings confirmation every time the Convert file system operation is performed.

Operation Dependency Options

This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account when the Send e-mail notification on apply function is enabled. By marking the appropriate operations the user can choose whether to receive an

e-mail notification after the particular operation is completed or not. However, the user will not be notified by e-mail in case operations (if any) require the system reboot.

CD/DVD Recording Options

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account during the CD/DVD burning operation. The user can define:

 Recording speed. The user may define how fast a CD/DVD will be recorded (minimum, normal and

maximum). Besides there is an automatic mode when the program will set the most appropriate speed

for every CD/DVD.

 Folder where the ISO image is to be placed. When the user decides not to physically burn a

CD/DVD, but create an ISO image file, this very folder will be used to contain these images.

 Data buffer size. Allocating the RAM memory for buffering data will make the process of recording

more reliable.

 Verify media after burn. Mark this option to be sure the backup data has been recorded without any

mistakes.

Backup Image Options

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Checking archive integrity enables to guarantee that all backup images created with the program are 100 percent flawless. Nevertheless if you decided not to control the archive integrity, the backup operation would take about 3-5% less time.

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account during the creating backup images and restoring disks from them. The user can activate the following modes:

 Controlling archive integrity,

 Automatic setting file names in case of complex archives,  Splitting images to several files,  Compressing a backup image. The user can also define the compression level.

Password Protection Options

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

 Protect archive with password. In this section the user can choose whether to automatically

password protect all backup images created with the program or not. Just mark the option to enable password protection and type in the required password in the opened field.

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Getting Information about Disks and their Images

The program provides some helpful tools to get information on the properties of disks and peculiarities of existing backup images.

Viewing Disk Properties

The user is able to view in-depth information on the properties of hard disks. The main tools to extract this information are the Disk Map and the List of Partitions. The two represent the actual state of the computer’s hard disks.

Generally the hard disks are represented on the map by rectangular bars, which also contain small-sized bars. The small-sized bars represent logical disks (partitions). When the user selects a large-sized bar, the

Explorer bar displays information about the disk in a bright, graphical form.

The model and serial number of the disk serve as the title of the browsed page. The disk layout is shown in form of a circular graph, where the color of a sector corresponds to a file system of an appropriate partition. On the right the user may see a table, which contains the following information:

 Type of hard disk (basic or dynamic),  Total size (in GB),  Information on geometry of the disk (amount of sectors per track, heads and cylinders).

Below there is a list of wizards available for the user. If the user clicks a corresponding record the appropriate wizard will be started. All default values for the operation parameters will correspond to the

disk’s settings. The list of wizards contains a detailed description of tasks that can be performed by the

wizard. This nullifies the possibility of selecting the wrong wizard.

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When the user selects a small-sized bar (i.e. corresponding to a logical disk), the Explorer bar will display information on it as well. The page title will contain a drive letter, which is assigned to the disk. The disk layout graph will be colored in accordance with the volume ratio of the used space to the free space (the light colored sector). The table on the right will contain the following information:

 Volume label (if available),  Type of the logical disk,  File system (represented by the color of the graph and the selected bar),  Total size, used space and free space (in GB or MB).

Below there is a list of wizards, which may be called for this disk. All default values of parameters will correspond to the disk settings.

Viewing Image Properties

Before restoring a disk from an image it is necessary to be sure that it is the image you need. To obtain general information about an image you can use the Restore wizard. It is very convenient to use because it provides the possibility to cancel the operation at any step.

There are several ways to launch the Restore Wizard:

 In the Main menu: select Wizards > Restore Disk or Partition…  In Common Tasks bar: click the Restore item of the Wizards menu

At first, the wizard displays the Welcome page – simply click the Next button at the foot of the dialog window.

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The next page refers to Browse for Archive. Here you can select an image on your disk in the browser-like window. The section below (i.e. Archive File Details) displays a short description of the selected image, including:

 information on a type of the archive contents (whether it contains the entire disk or just a partition),  whether the archive is compressed or not,  whether the archive is password protected or not,  the date, when the archive was created.

The next page (i.e. What to restore) displays detailed information about the contents of the archive. It includes a full description of properties about the archived disks or partitions.

If you want to restore the contents of the image click the Next button. In order to cancel, click the Cancel

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

button.

Viewing Image Contents

The user may browse contents of the archives with a special utility called Volume Explorer. To launch the Volume Explorer the user should click the Disk View tab in the Explorer Bar and then choose Volume Explorer.

In order to view contents of an archive, open it by double click of the left mouse button.

Volume Explorer also provides the possibility to extract separate files and folders from archives without restoring the whole archive.

Volume Explorer can work with any kinds of archives created by the program. For example, it can browse the Backup Capsule which is hidden from any standard Windows program.

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Partition Management

In this chapter you will find all the information necessary to carry out partitioning operations supported by the program.

Basic Partitioning Operations

Here you can learn how to accomplish basic partitioning operations (create, format, delete) supported by the program. To meet the requirements of any user these operations can be accomplished either with the help of easy-to-use wizards or through the corresponding dialogs.

Create Partition

The program provides the ability to create new partitions by using the DOS partitioning scheme.

Restrictions

1. Do not use the Create Partition function in order to undelete the last deleted partition.

2. The program cannot create new partitions on Dynamic Disks. The current version of the program supports only hard disks that use the DOS partitioning scheme (in Windows 2000 and XP these disks are named Basic Disks).

3. According to the rules of the DOS partitioning scheme, the following combinations of partitions cannot be created:

 Two Extended Partitions on one hard disk  Five or more Primary partitions on one hard disk  If there is an Extended Partition on the disk, only three Primary partitions are allowed

4. The program allows creating new partitions only within blocks of unpartitioned space. It cannot convert a free space on an existing partition to a new partition.

Starting Wizard

There are several ways to start the Create Partition Wizard:

 In the Main menu: select Wizards > Create Partition…  On the Common Tasks bar: click the Create Partition item of the Wizards menu.  In the Toolbar: click the Create Partition button.

After following one of the above mentioned actions, the Welcome page of the wizard is displayed.

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Starting Dialog

In order to start the operation the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a block of free space on the Disk Map.

2. Call the Create Partition dialog to define appropriate settings:

 Call the popup menu for the selected partition (right click of the mouse button) on the Disk Map or

on the List of Partitions, then select the menu item: Create Partition.

Settings

Despite different work algorithms, both the Create Partition Wizard and the Create Partition dialog provide the same level of functionality, thus let us just take as an example the dialog version of the operation.

Define the future partition parameters with the Create Partition dialog. Initially the program suggests some consistent values for all parameters. In most cases, the user can just press the Yes button to confirm the operation.

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Partition size and position may also be defined by using the drag-and-drop technique. To do that, just carry out the required operation on the Disk Map. The virtual operations are to be available.

 Define whether the partition will be Primary, Extended or Logical. Select the desired type of the

new partition from this pull-down list. As a matter of fact, the available alternatives fundamentally depend on the type of the selected block of free space - within the Logical free space, only Logical partitions can be created; Within the Primary free space, both Primary partitions or the Extended Partition can be created.

 Partition Size. Define the size (in MB) of the new partition.  Free space before. Define the position (in MB) of the new partition relative to the beginning of the

block of free space.

 Free space after. Define the amount of trailing free space (in Mb) at the end of the new partition.

 File system for new partition. From the pull-down list select a file system the newly created

partition will be formatted to, otherwise the partition will remain unformatted (so that it will not be ready to use).

In addition, there is the possibility to make further detailed settings (although the default values will do in most cases). To activate the advance mode, the user needs to click the More options button at the foot of the dialog page. Depending on the file system, the following options become available:

 Use OS built-in routine. Mark the option to restrict the available values according to the used OS.

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 Whether the surface test will be performed. Mark the option to make the program perform the

surface test on the formatted partition. In this case, the program will find bad and unstable sectors and mark them unusable in the file system metadata.

 The amount of sectors per boot. This parameter is available exclusively for FAT16 and FAT32 file

systems. Set the number of sectors to be reserved for the boot area on the partition with this spinner control.

 The amount of root entries. This parameter is available exclusively for FAT16 file system. Set the

maximum amount of files/directories to be placed in the Root Directory on the FAT16 partition.

 The amount of sectors per cluster. Define the Cluster Size for the formatted partition with this

spinner control.

Results

After the operation is completed the user receives a fully functional partition.

Format Partition

Any partition should contain some file system to be used for keeping data. The process of installing a file system is commonly known as formatting. A huge variety of file systems have been developed these days. The program provides the ability to format existing or newly created partitions of the following file systems:

- FAT12 & FAT16

- FAT32

- NTFS

- Ext2

- Ext3

- Linux Swap v. 2

- HPFS

Starting Wizard

There are several ways to start the Format Partition Wizard:

 In the Main menu: select Wizards > Format Partition…  On the Common Tasks bar: click the Format Partition item of the Wizards menu.  In the Toolbar: click the Format Partition button.

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After following one of the above mentioned actions, the Welcome page of the wizard is displayed.

Starting Dialog

In order to start the operation the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a block of free space on the Disk Map.

2. Call the Format Partition dialog to define appropriate settings:

 Call the popup menu for the selected partition (right click of the mouse button) on the Disk Map or

on the List of Partitions, then select the menu item: Format Partition.

Settings

Despite different work algorithms, both the Format Partition Wizard and the Format Partition dialog provide the same level of functionality, thus let us just take as an example the dialog version of the operation.

Define parameters of the formatting operation with the Format Partition dialog. Initially the program suggests some consistent values for all parameters. In most cases, the user can just press the Format button to confirm the operation.

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 File system. Select the desired file system type from this pull-down list. In fact, the program displays

only file systems that can be correctly placed to the selected partition, taking the capacity of the selected partition into account.

 Volume label. Enter a label for the selected partition in this textual field. The Volume label is an

irrelevant parameter of a logical drive that can be used for drive identification.

 Use OS built-in routine. Mark the option to restrict the available values according to the used OS.  Whether the surface test will be performed. Mark the option to make the program perform the

surface test on the formatted partition. In this case, the program will find bad and unstable sectors and mark them unusable in the file system metadata.

 The amount of sectors per boot. This parameter is available exclusively for FAT16 and FAT32 file

systems. Set the number of sectors to be reserved for the boot area on the partition with this spinner control.

 The amount of root entries. This parameter is available exclusively for FAT16 file system. Set the

maximum amount of files/directories to be placed in the Root Directory on the FAT16 partition.

 The amount of sectors per cluster. Define the Cluster Size for the formatted partition with this

spinner control.

Results

After the operation is completed the user receives a fully functional partition formatted to the file system specified.

Delete Partition

The program allows the user to delete partitions on hard disks partitioned with the DOS partitioning scheme. The program removes references to the partition from the Partition Table, so that the information from the deleted partition becomes inaccessible. The resulted disk space can be used to create new partitions.

Contents of the deleted partition do not disappear from the disk but merely are unavailable for the operating system.

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Starting Wizard

There are several ways to start the Delete Partition Wizard:

 In the Main menu: select Wizards > Delete Partition…  On the Common Tasks bar: click the Delete Partition item of the Wizards menu.  In the Toolbar: click the Delete Partition button.

After following one of the above mentioned actions, the Welcome page of the wizard is displayed.

Starting Dialog

In order to start the operation the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a block of free space on the Disk Map.

2. Call the Delete Partition dialog to define appropriate settings:

 Call the popup menu for the selected partition (right click of the mouse button) on the Disk Map or

on the List of Partitions, then select the menu item: Delete Partition.

Settings

Despite different work algorithms, both the Delete Partition Wizard and the Delete Partition dialog provide the same level of functionality, thus let us just take as an example the dialog version of the operation.

Define parameters of the delete operation with the Delete Partition dialog.

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 Enter the volume label to confirm deleting. To confirm the deletion of the selected partition, enter

its Volume Label. The actual Volume Label value is displayed above.

 Do not ask volume label next time. Mark the option to inhibit confirmation of the partition deletion.

Results

The deletion of a partition takes only a fraction of a second. However, the program waits until Windows completes the modification of the disk layout.

Advanced Partitioning Operations

Here you can learn how to accomplish advanced partitioning operations (merge, redistribute free space, undelete, etc.) supported by the program.

Merge Partitions

The Merge Partitions Wizard enables to consolidate the disk space, which originally belongs to two adjacent partitions, into a single, larger partition. The order, in which two partitions have been chosen, is important since the contents of the second selected partition will be placed in the folder of the first selected partition.

The program provides the ability to merge only NTFS, FAT16 or FAT32 partitions.

Starting

There are several ways to start the Merge Partitions Wizard:

 In the Main menu: select Wizards > Merge Partitions…  On the Common Tasks bar: click the Merge Partitions item of the Wizards menu.

After following one of the above mentioned actions, the Welcome page of the wizard is displayed.

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Settings

The Merge Partitions Wizard allows the user to configure the settings and then start the operation in accordance with the entered parameters. Here the user sets the parameters of the operation defining:

 The partition to expand. Select a partition that will be expanded to take contents of an adjacent

partition.

 The partition to merge with. Choose the second partition for the merge operation, the contents of

which will be placed in the folder of the first selected partition. By default the program automatically offers a folder name to store files of the second partition, which however can be customized by the user.

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Be particularly careful when selecting system partitions to process, since the incorrect order, in which two partitions have been chosen, will result in inability to boot the operating system.

Results

After the operation is completed the disk space of the two adjacent partitions will be consolidated.

Redistributing Unused Space between Partitions

The Redistribute Free Space Wizard helps to increase free space on one partition at the expense of unused space on others. By default, the wizard adds to the target partition the 50% of unused space of other partitions, which have been selected to donate space. The user can manually control what part of unused space will be left on a partition. The wizard automatically recalculates the positions of the partitions and moves their contents to new locations.

Starting

There are several ways to start the Redistribute Free Space Wizard:

 In the Main menu: select Wizards > Redistribute Free Space…  On the Common Tasks bar: click the Redistribute Free Space item of the Wizards menu.

After following one of the above mentioned actions, the Welcome page of the wizard is displayed.

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Settings

The Redistribute Free Space Wizard allows the user to configure the settings and then start the operation in accordance with the entered parameters. Here the user sets the parameters of the operation defining:

 Partition to enlarge. Select a partition, the size of which will be increased at the expense of other

partitions. Blocks of free space, if any will be automatically added to the target partition.

 Partition to donate. Choose any partition(s) (not only adjacent) to donate free space if available.

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 Partition size. By default, the program leaves 50% of the unused space on a partition and removes

another 50% to add it to the target partition. However, the size to take can be customized by moving the slider at the bottom of the page or manually entering the exact value.

Results

After the operation is completed free space of the specified partition will be increased by using unallocated space of the hard disk and/or at the expense of unused space of the other partitions.

Undelete Partition

When deleting a partition, disk management software only removes references to it in the Partition Table so that a previously deleted partition can still be recovered (in case of valid restoration of the record in the Partition Table). The program provides the ability to find and recover these partitions. This function minimizes the hazard of occasional partitions deletion and is usually known as undelete.

A restored partition will be fully functional, as long as other partitions were not created, moved or exceeded the disk space occupied by the partition. That is why the program enables the Undelete Partition function only for blocks of free space.

The operation can be accomplished with the Undelete Partition Wizard.

Starting

There are several ways to start the Undelete Partition Wizard:

 In the Main menu: select Wizards > Undelete Partitions…  On the Common Tasks bar: click the Undelete Partition item of the Wizards menu.  Select a disk on the Disk map and click the Recover Lost Partitions item on the page that appears in

the Explorer bar.

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After following one of the above mentioned actions, the Welcome page of the wizard is displayed.

Settings

The Undelete Partition Wizard allows the user to configure the settings and then start the operation in accordance with the entered parameters. Here the user sets the parameters of the operation defining:

 Free blocks to scan for lost partitions. Choose a free block from a tree-like list of available disks

and their partitions.

 Manual setting of search criteria. Activate the advance mode

- A particular file system to look for;

to manually specify:

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To use the advance mode, a good knowledge of hard disk structure is required.

- Required search criteria.

Results

After the operation is completed the user receives a fully functional partition.

Installing a New Operating System

Getting your computer ready to install a new operating system, especially when it is going to be an additional OS in the system, is a rather complicated task that implies quite a number of operations, from allocating space to create a new partition (resize, redistribution of free space) to formatting of the newly created partition to a particular file system and checking its surface for bad sectors to avoid possible data loss. Operating systems today are being supplied with basic tools of partitioning that only provide the ability to create a partition (in case there is enough unallocated space on the disk) and then format it to the specified file system type. To tackle this issue our program offers a handy Install New OS Wizard with the help of which the user can easily carry out all the necessary operations to install a new operating system.

Starting

There are several ways to start the Install New OS Wizard:

 In the Main menu: select Wizards > Install New OS…  On the Common Tasks bar: click the Install New OS item of the Wizards menu.

After following one of the above mentioned actions, the Welcome page of the wizard is displayed.

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Only primary partitions can be used to install an operating system.

Settings

The Install New OS Wizard allows the user to configure the settings and then start the operation in accordance with the entered parameters. Here the user sets the parameters of the operation defining:

 Partition to install a new operating system. The program offers two ways of installing a new OS,

i.e. to create a new primary partition for it or use an existing one.

- In case the first option has been marked, the wizard enables to specify: A hard disk (if several) where a new partition will be created. Thanks to an advanced program engine it is possible to use unallocated space of the disk (if any) and unused space of existing partitions to create a new partition;

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To avoid any possible problems, a new partition will in no way be created as the first partition of the disk which already contains at least one partition.

You computer may fail if any other OS has already been installed on the selected partition.

And its size. If there are blocks of free space on the disk, the wizard merges them all and allocates the resulted space for a new partition in the first place. If not, it takes 50% of unused space of an adjacent partition. However, the size to take can be customized by moving the slider at the bottom of the page.

- In case the second option has been marked, the wizard enables to choose an existing primary partition to install a new operating system.

 Partition properties. On the next page of the wizard the user can set a number of additional

parameters:

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In order to launch the installation process you need to insert a bootable distributive CD/DVD of the required operating system.

- Partition type. From the pull-down list select the desired file system type. In fact, the program displays only file systems that can be correctly placed to the selected partition, taking its capacity into account.

- Drive letter assignment. The pull-down list contains vacant drive letters that can be associated with the newly formatted partition.

- Surface test level. Define the level of the surface check to make the program find bad and unstable sectors and mark them unusable in the file system metadata.

 OS Label. Enter a label for the selected partition in the textual field. It will later be used for drive

identification.

Results

After the operation is completed the wizard offers to restart the computer and launch installation of a new operating system.

Move & Resize Partition

The Move & Resize Partition function allows the user to modify the size and position of partitions on the hard disk keeping all on-disk information intact.

In order to move/resize a partition the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call the Move/Resize Partition dialog to define appropriate settings. There are several ways to do it:

 Select in the Main menu: Partition > Move/Resize Partition …  On the Explorer bar: click on the current total size value.  Call the popup menu for the selected partition (right click of the mouse button) on the Disk Map or

on the List of Partitions, then select the menu item: Move/Resize Partition…

3. Define parameters of the operation with the Move/Resize Partition dialog.

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Partition size and position may also be defined by using the drag-and-drop technique. To do that, just carry out the required operation on the Disk Map. The virtual operations are to be available.

When resizing a FAT16 partition beyond the 2GB limit (maximum file system size), the partition will be automatically converted to FAT32.

The program enables to enlarge NTFS partitions (system, locked) without rebooting Windows and interrupting its work providing 100 percent guarantee that your data is kept intact.

 Partition preview. The disk map displays the resulting disk layout after the move/resize operation is

completed.

 Partition size. Define the size (in Mb) of the modified partition.  Free space before. Define the position (in Mb) of the partition relative to the beginning of the

available range of disk space.

 Free space after. Define the amount of trailing free space (in Mb) at the end of the available range

of disk space.

 Verify write operation. Define whether the Writing Verification test will be accomplished during

the operation or not.

 Sector to sector move. Activate the sector-to-sector mode (allows to process any file system, even

unknown one).

 Surface test level. Select from the pull-down list the level of the surface test.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Convert File System

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The option is only available for FAT16>NTFS and FAT32>NTFS conversion.

The user can only decrease the current cluster size.

The program provides the ability to change the file system type without destroying data. While performing the operation, the program first checks for consistency the current file system and then verifies whether the on-partition data meet the requirements of the desired file system or not. After having passed the testing, the program re-organizes the file system metadata and user files.

The program enables to convert the following file system types:

- FAT16 > NTFS, FAT32

- FAT32 > NTFS, FAT16

- NTFS > FAT16, FAT32

- Ext2 > Ext3

In order to convert file system of a partition the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call the Convert file system of partition dialog to define appropriate settings:

 Select in the Main menu: Partition > Convert file system…  On the Explorer bar: click on the current file system type.  Call the popup menu for the selected partition (right click of the mouse button) on the Disk Map or

on the List of Partitions, then select the menu item: Convert File System…

3. Define parameters of the operation with the Convert file system of partition dialog. Initially the program suggests some consistent values for all parameters. In most cases, the user may just press the Convert button to confirm the operation.

 Current file system. The dialog allows the user to get information on the selected partition.  New file system. The pull-down list contains file systems to convert to. The program only displays

available variants, taking into account current parameters of the selected partition and the file system limitations.

 Convert options.

- New cluster size. Define the Cluster Size for the partition to convert.

- Surface test level. Select from the pull-down list the surface test level.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

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The Cluster Size value is expressed in Sectors Per Cluster. To get the Cluster Size in Kbytes, divide it into half.

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Change Cluster Size

Cluster Size is one of the important parameters of any file system. The Cluster Size value affects implicitly the performance of the files input-output activity since it defines the size of the file system metadata. Besides, the so-called waste space factor also depends on the Cluster Size value.

The program provides the ability to change the Cluster Size to any available value without destroying data.

In order to change the cluster size of a partition the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call the Change Cluster Size dialog to define appropriate settings:

 Select in the Main menu: Partition > Modify > Change Cluster Size…  On the Explorer bar: click on the current sectors per cluster value.

3. Define a new value with the Change Cluster Size dialog.

Sectors per cluster. Select a new cluster size value from the pull-down list.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Make Logical/Make Primary

The program provides the ability to include a Primary Partition in the Extended Partition, or exclude a Logical Partition from the Extended Partition, without partition duplication.

In order to change a partition type the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a primary or logical partition on the Disk Map.

2. There are several ways to Make Partition Logical/Primary:

 Select in the Main menu: Partition > Modify > Make Partition Logical/Primary.  On the Explorer bar: click on the current partition type.

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The Make Primary > Logical option is only available when the selected partition is adjacent to the Extended partition and vice versa.

The Make Primary > Logical option of the system partition will result in inability to boot the operating system.

There can only be one active partition on a hard disk, otherwise the operating system will fail to boot.

3. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Changing Partition Attributes

This chapter explains how the user can change partition attributes (Active flag, Hidden flag, Partition ID, Volume Label, etc.).

Mark Partition Active/Inactive

The program enables to set Active/Inactive flag for primary partitions of the hard disk. By default the operating system will boot from the active (bootable) partition at startup.

In order to mark partition Active/Inactive the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a primary partition on the Disk Map.

2. There are several ways to Mark Partition Active/Inactive:

 Select in the Main menu: Partition > Mark Partition Active/Inactive.  Call the popup menu for the selected partition (right click of the mouse button) on the Disk Map or

on the List of Partitions, then select the menu item: Mark Partition Active/Inactive.

3. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Hide/Unhide Partition

The program allows the user to Hide/Unhide primary and logical partitions. The operating system does not mount hidden partitions, thus preventing access to their contents.

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It is strongly recommended not to hide the system partition, otherwise the operating system will fail to boot.

In order to Hide/Unhide a partition the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. There are several ways to Hide/Unhide partitions:

 Select in the Main menu: Partition > Hide/Unhide Partition.  Call the popup menu for the selected partition (right click of the mouse button) on the Disk Map or

on the List of Partitions, then select the menu item: Hide/Unhide Partition.

3. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Set Label of a Partition

The Partition Label is a small textual field (up to 11 characters) that is located in the partition's boot sector. This value is detectable by any partitioning tool; it is used for notification purposes only.

In order to change a partition label the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call the Change Volume Label dialog to define appropriate settings. There are several ways to do it:

 Select in the Main menu: Partition > Modify > Change Volume Label.  On the Explorer bar: click on the current volume label.  Call the popup menu for the selected partition (right click of the mouse button) on the Disk Map or

on the List of Partitions, then select the menu item: Change Volume Label.

3. Define the label of the partition with the Change Volume Label dialog:

New volume label. Enter the new value of the Partition Label. The length of the Label is limited to 11 characters.

The dialog also displays the current partition label.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Change Partition ID

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Partition ID is an identifier of a file system that is placed in the partition. Partition ID is saved in the Partition Table; it is used to quickly detect partitions of supported types. By manually changing the Partition

ID value, it is possible to manipulate the accessibility of partitions.

In order to change a Partition ID the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call the Change Partition ID dialog to define appropriate settings. There are several ways to do it:

 Select in the Main menu: Partition > Modify > Change Partition ID…  On the Explorer bar: click on the current partition ID.  Call the popup menu for the selected partition (right click of the mouse button) on the Disk Map or

on the List of Partitions, then select the menu item: Change Partition ID…

3. Define the ID of the partition with the Change Partition ID dialog:

 Predefined ID. Select from the pull-down list ID values for various file systems.  Enter ID manually. The textual field contains a hexadecimal presentation of the Partition ID.

Generally, the Partition ID should be presented as 1-2 digits hexadecimal number; only hexadecimal digits {0..9, A..F} are allowed to be used.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Change Serial Number of a Partition

FAT16, FAT32, HPFS and NTFS file systems include the Serial Number parameter. The partition's Serial Number is saved in the boot sector; its value is generated while formatting a partition.

The program enables to modify the partition's Serial Number on formatted FAT16, FAT32, HPFS and NTFS partitions without re-formatting.

In order to start the operation the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

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2. Call the Change Partition Serial Number dialog to define appropriate settings. There are several ways to do it:

 Select in the Main menu: Partition > Modify > Change Serial Number.  On the Explorer bar: click on the current serial number.

3. Define the parameter value with the Change Partition Serial Number dialog.

New serial number. The user can enter the new Serial Number value in this textual field. The Serial Number should contain 8 hexadecimal figures (0..9 or A..F). The operation cannot be accomplished until the user enters all 8 symbols.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Change Boot Size

Major file systems use initial sectors of a partition to store the bootable code of an operating system. This area of a partition is generally known as the Bootable Area, or the Boot Sector (actually it takes up several sectors).

The program provides the ability to modify the Bootable Area size of the FAT formatted partitions without destroying data.

In order to start the operation the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a FAT partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call the Change Boot Size dialog to define appropriate settings. There are several ways to do it:

 Select in the Main menu: Partition > Modify > Change Boot Size…  On the Explorer bar: click on the current sectors per boot value.

3. Define parameters of the operation with the Change Boot Size dialog.

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Sectors per boot. Specify a new Boot Size value.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Change Root Size

The maximum capacity of the Root Directory is an essential parameter of old FAT12 and FAT16 file systems.

In order to start the operation the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a FAT partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call the Change Root Size dialog to define appropriate settings. There are several ways to do it:

 Select in the Main menu: Partition > Modify > Change Root Size…  On the Explorer bar: click on the current root entries value.

3. Define parameters of the operation with the Change Root Size dialog.

Root entries. Specify a new Root Directory Size value.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

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Hard Disk Management

This chapter lists various scenarios of hard disk operations which may be accomplished by the program.

Update MBR

The program allows the user to overwrite the current bootable code in the MBR (Master Boot Record) by the standard bootstrap code.

This feature can repair corrupted bootable code on a hard disk as a result of boot virus attacks or malfunction in the boot managing software.

In order to start the operation the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a hard disk on the Disk Map.

2. There are several ways to run the operation:

 Select in the Main menu: Hard Disk > Update MBR.  Call the popup menu for the selected hard disk (right click of the mouse button) on the Disk Map,

then select the menu item: Update MBR.

3. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Convert to Basic

The program provides a unique possibility to convert a dynamic disk containing simple volume(s) into basic keeping its contents intact.

In order to start the operation the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a dynamic disk containing simple volume(s) on the Disk Map or on the List of Partitions.

2. Call the Convert to Basic dialog selecting in the Main menu: Hard Disk > Convert to Basic…

3. Define parameters of the operation with the Convert to Basic dialog.

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The program can only process dynamic disks containing solid simple volumes (without extension).

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Number of primary partitions. According to the DOS partitioning scheme a hard disk can only have no

more than four Primary partitions. If there is an Extended partition on the disk, only three primary partitions are allowed. That is why if a dynamic disk contains several simple volumes the program allows the user to choose the number of primary partitions. The rest of them if any will automatically be converted to logical disks within the Extended partition.

Change Primary Slot

Operating systems use the following partitions enumeration:

In Linux: In Linux, every partition has a special symbolic name that encodes a hard disk containing a partition, and a partition itself. Partitions are addressed and accessed by using their symbolic names. Symbolic names are automatically generated by Linux in accordance with the order of hard disks in BIOS and the order of partition records in the Partition Table. The modification of primary partitions enumeration can lead to the changing of paths to some important resources.

In DOS: The last versions of MS-DOS use a rather sophisticated algorithm for drive letters assignment. A drive letter, which is assigned to a partition, depends on the order of records in the Partition Table. The modification of primary partitions enumeration affects the drive letters assignment. In early versions of MS-DOS, it can even lead to the unavailability of a partition. In any case, the user may want to change the enumeration of primary partitions.

The program provides the ability to change the enumeration of primary partitions. This feature allows the user to fix problems concerning the inappropriate order of partitions.

In order to modify the enumeration of partitions the user should take the following steps:

1. Select a hard disk on the Disk Map.

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2. Call the Change Primary Slot dialog to define appropriate settings. There are several ways to do it:

 Select in the Main menu: Hard Disk > Change Primary Slot.  Call the popup menu for the selected hard disk (right click of the mouse button) on the Disk Map,

then select the menu item: Change Primary Slot.

3. The dialog displays the actual enumeration of Primary Partitions in the Partition Table (it exhibits the order of appropriate records, which refer to primary partitions in the primary part of the Partition Table referencing records. The top part of the dialog displays the enumeration order of partitions with the parameters that can help to distinguish partitions:

- Slot

- Volume

- Partition type

- File system

- Partition size

- Volume label

There are two buttons on the right of the list of primary partitions, which allow the user to move the selected partition up and down within the primary part of the Partition Table.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

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Data Backup and Rescue

In this chapter you will find all the information necessary to establish a reliable data protection system.

Creating Backup Images

We have already mentioned that the most prevalent way to protect valuable data is to create backup copies (backup images in terms of the program) of it. This operation can be accomplished with a handy wizard (Backup Wizard for the Enterprise Server edition and Simple Backup Wizard for the other editions). The two wizards have much in common, except the following features:

 Only the Backup Wizard provides the possibility to store backup images on:

- Local unmounted (without drive letter assigned) partitions;

- External media (CD/DVD) to guarantee a high level of data protection as long as the backup media is kept secure;

- A special secured place on the hard disk called the Backup Capsule;

 Only the Backup Wizard enables to set a number of additional parameters (compression level, image

splitting, password protection, recording speed, OS auxiliary files skipping etc.)

Starting

There are several ways to start the Backup Wizard/Simple Backup Wizard:

 In the Main menu: select Wizards > Back Up Disk or Partition…/Simple Backup  On the Common Tasks bar: click the Back up hard disks or selected partitions/Simple Backup

item of the Wizards menu.

After following one of the above mentioned actions, the Welcome page of the wizard is displayed.

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In Paragon Drive Backup the company offers a number of more sophisticated solutions of data and system backup. To know more on the subject, please follow the link on the first page of the wizard.

Settings

Since the work algorithm of both wizards is the same, but the Backup Wizard is richer in the provided functionality, let us just take it as an example. The Backup Wizard allows the user to configure the settings and then start the operation in accordance with the entered parameters. Here the user sets the parameters of the backup operation defining:

 The object to back up. The user can backup either an entire disk or separate partitions of the

disk (primary, extended or logical). In case of backing up an entire disk, the user has the possibility to include into the image such disk elements as the Master Boot Record (MBR) and the first track of the hard disk. This can be very helpful for serious disk recovery procedures.

 Backup destination. The Backup Wizard allows saving backup archives to local or network

drives, to physical partitions (without drive letters assigned), the Backup Capsule or burning them to CD/DVDs. The user needs to select a destination, taking the estimated archive size and available space on the backup destination into account.

 Name and location of the resulted image. Provide a file name for the new image and its

exact location. The program automatically offers an easy to understand name containing the date and the time of the archive creation, which can anyway be modified.

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The program automatically calculates size of the future archive and informs the user about space available on the selected destination.

Splitting images enables to tackle issues caused by a file size limitation of some file systems.

 Archive Comment. The user can add some additional description to the archive that will

later help to distinguish it from the others.

In addition, there is the possibility to make further detailed settings (although the default values will do in most cases). To activate the advance mode, the user needs to mark the appropriate option on the second page of the wizard (i.e. the What to back up page). The checkbox is to be found at the foot of the page

. When it is marked, the next page allows the user to define:

 Whether the archive integrity will be controlled.

 Whether image file names will be set automatically in complex archives.  Compression level for the backup image (including the No compression variant).  Whether the archive will be split (if this is the case the user can set the maximum size for the archive

files).

 Whether the archive will be protected by password.  Whether the selected disk (or the selected partition) will be copied in the sector-to-sector mode

(including unused sectors as well).

 Whether the OS auxiliary files (pagefile.sys, hyberfil.sys) will be included in the backup image.  Recording speed when the user wants to burn the backup image onto CD/DVDs.  ISO image folder where the archive that is to be recorded on a disc, is placed.

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The program allows the user to back up all five types of dynamic volumes (simple, spanned, striped, mirrored, RAID-5).

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Please take into account values of the parameters Estimated archive size and Space available on backup destination - if the archive size exceeds the available space, another drive needs to be selected.

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

 Whether the operation will be performed without rebooting the system. The program needs to

reboot the system in order to have exclusive access to processing data. In a Windows environment this is difficult to achieve because even when all the other applications are closed, the system service programs are still running. However, there is a way to avoid rebooting. The mode of processing the backup operation without rebooting is named Hot Processing. The user is also able to define specific parameters for the Hot Processing mode.

Results

After the backup operation is completed the user receives an image of the selected disk (or the selected partition). This image is placed into the specified destination (a local (mounted/unmounted) or network disk, the Backup Capsule or a CD/DVD disc), its features defined by the wizard.

Backup to a Local Partition

Backup Wizard

To save a backup archive on a local mounted/unmounted (without drive letter assigned) drive with the Backup Wizard, please do the following:

1. Click the Backup hard disk or selected partitions item of the Wizards menu (any of the

ways described earlier can also be used here to call the Backup Wizard).

2. On the Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

3. On the What to back up page, mark the appropriate option opposite a hard disk’s name or a

partition’s name depending on the chosen task. Click the Next button.

4. On the Backup Destination page, select the Save data to local/network drives or Save data

to physical partitions option. Click the Next button.

5. Depending on the choice, select a local mounted/unmounted disk as a backup destination.

6. Edit the archive name if necessary and click the Next button.

7. Add comments to your backup describing its contents. Click the Next button.

8. On the Backup Summary page review all parameters of the operation and modify them if

necessary. Click the Next button to accomplish the operation.

Simple Backup Wizard

To save a backup archive on a local mounted drive with the Simple Backup Wizard, please do the following:

1. Click the Simple Backup item of the Wizards menu (any of the ways described earlier can

also be used here to call the Simple Backup Wizard).

2. On the Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

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Please take into account values of the parameters Estimated archive size and Space available on backup destination - if the archive size exceeds the available space, another network drive needs to be selected.

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

3. On the What to back up page, mark the appropriate option opposite a hard disk’s name or a

partition’s name depending on the chosen task. Click the Next button.

4. On the Backup Destination page, select a local disk. Click the Next button.

5. Edit the archive name if necessary and click the Next button.

6. On the Backup Summary page review all parameters of the operation and modify them if

necessary. Click the Next button to start the backup process.

Backup to a Network Drive

Backup Wizard

To save a backup archive on a network drive with the Backup Wizard, please do the following:

1. Click the Backup hard disk or selected partitions item of the Wizards menu (any of the

ways described earlier can also be used here to call the Backup Wizard).

2. On the Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

3. On the What to back up page, mark the appropriate option opposite a hard disk’s name or a

partition’s name depending on the chosen task. Click the Next button.

4. On the Backup Destination page, select the Save data to local/network drives option. Click

the Next button.

5. Select a network disk (it must be mounted and be available in the system by a drive letter).

6. Edit the archive name if necessary and click the Next button.

7. Add comments to your backup describing its contents. Click the Next button.

8. On the Backup Summary page review all parameters of the operation and modify them if

necessary. Click the Next button to start the backup process.

Simple Backup Wizard

To save a backup archive on a network drive with the Simple Backup Wizard, please do the following:

1. Click the Simple Backup item of the Wizards menu (any of the ways described earlier

can also be used here to call the Simple Backup Wizard).

2. On the Backup Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

3. On the What to back up page, mark the appropriate option opposite a hard disk’s name

or a partition’s name depending on the chosen task. Click the Next button.

4. On the Backup Destination page, select a network disk (it must be mounted and be

available in the system by a drive letter).

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Please take into account values of the parameters Estimated archive size and Space available on backup destination.

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

5. Edit the archive name if necessary and click the Next button to accomplish the

operation.

6. On the Backup Summary page review all parameters of the operation and modify them

if necessary. Click the Next button to start the backup process.

Backup to External Media (CD/DVD)

To store backup images on CD/DVD with the Backup Wizard, please do the following:

1. Click the Backup hard disk or selected partitions item of the Wizards menu (any of the

ways described earlier can also be used here to call the Backup Wizard).

2. On the Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

3. On the What to back up page, mark the appropriate option opposite a hard disk’s name or a

partition’s name depending on the chosen task. Click the Next button.

4. On the Backup Destination page, select the Burn the data to CD or DVD option. Click the

Next button.

5. Select a recordable device on the list and edit the archive name, if necessary. Click the Next

button.

6. Add comments to the backup describing its contents. Click the Next button.

7. On the Backup Summary page review all parameters of the operation and modify them if

necessary. Click the Next button to start the backup process.

Backup to the Backup Capsule

To place backup images into the backup capsule with the Backup Wizard, please do the following:

1. Click the Backup hard disk or selected partitions item of the Wizards menu (any of the ways

described earlier can also be used here to call the Backup Wizard).

2. On the Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

3. On the What to back up page, mark the appropriate option opposite a hard disk’s name or a

partition’s name depending on the chosen task. Click the Next button.

4. On the Backup Destination page, select the Save data to the Backup Capsule option. Click the Next

button.

5. Edit the archive name if necessary and click the Next button.

6. Add comments to your backup describing its contents. Click the Next button.

7. On the Backup Summary page review all parameters of the operation and modify them if necessary.

Click the Next button to start the backup process.

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All contents on the disk selected for restoring purposes will be deleted during the operation.

Restoring System and Data

The program includes a convenient and reliable restore wizard. It provides easy to understand instructions which allow the user to configure and perform all the necessary settings.

Starting

There are several ways to start the Restore Wizard:

 In the Main menu: select Wizards > Restore Disk or Partition…  On the Common Tasks bar: click the Restore item of the Wizards menu.

After any of the mentioned actions the Welcome page of the wizard will be displayed.

Settings

The Restore Wizard allows the user to configure the settings and start the operation in accordance with the entered parameters. In our case we set the following parameters of the restore operation:

 A backup image to be restored. The Browse for archive page enables to browse disks for an

appropriate backup image.

The user can find the required image in the browser-like window. The section below (i.e. Archive File Details) displays a short description of the selected image.

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Moreover, on this page the user has the possibility to create new folders or delete existing files/folders by clicking the appropriate buttons.

 An item of the selected archive to be restored. The program allows the user to restore not only an

entire archive, but also separate items of the archive. It is very convenient in case of restoring separate partitions from the entire disk archive.

 A place to restore the archive to. Selecting the destination, please note - all contents on the disk

selected for restoring purposes will be deleted during the operation.

To help the user get a clear-cut picture of the operation outcome, the program allows inspecting the resulted disk layout.

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The user has the ability to restore original dynamic volumes as dynamic volumes of any type, providing the targeted dynamic disk is of the appropriate size. Moreover the program enables to restore dynamic volumes as basic partitions and vice versa.

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Restoring Partition:

 Size of the restored volume and free space before and after it on the disk.

 Drive letter assignment after restore. The pull-down list contains vacant drive letters that can be

associated with the restored partition.

Restoring Hard Disk:

 Copy data and resize partitions proportionally. If this option is activated, the program

proportionally changes the size of partitions keeping their relative order intact. The option can be useful when restoring to a larger hard disk.

 Perform surface test. Define whether the surface test will be accomplished during the operation or

not.

Results

The wizard will restore a disk (or partition) that has been archived, and make it available to use in the operating system.

Restoring from the Backup Capsule

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

In case the backup image is stored on several CD/DVD disks, please insert the first one.

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

OS is still bootable

To restore a hard disk/partition from the backup image contained in the Backup Capsule with the Restore Wizard, please do the following:

1. Click the Restore disk or partition item of the Wizards menu (any of the ways described earlier can

also be used here to call the Restore Wizard).

2. On the Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

3. On the Browse for Archive page, select the required archive in the browser-like window. The

Archive File Details section displays a short description of the selected image. Click the Next button.

4. The What to Restore page displays detailed information about the contents of the archive. It

includes a full description of properties about the archived disks or partitions. In case you have a complex archive, select the required item to restore.

5. On the Where to Restore page select a place you would like to restore the archive to.

6. On the Restore Results page review all parameters of the operation and modify them if necessary.

Click the Next button to start the restore process.

Restoring from External Media (CD/DVD)

OS is still bootable

To restore a hard disk/partition from the backup image located on CD/DVD with the Restore Wizard, please do the following:

1. Insert a CD/DVD disk containing the previously prepared backup image into a CD/DVD drive.

2. Click the Restore disk or partition item of the Wizards menu (any of the ways described earlier can

also be used here to call the Restore Wizard).

3. On the Restore Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

4. On the Browse for Archive page, select the required archive in the browser-like window. The

Archive File Details section displays a short description of the selected image. Click the Next button.

5. The What to Restore page displays detailed information about the contents of the archive. It

includes a full description of properties about the archived disks or partitions. In case you have a complex archive, select the required item to restore.

6. On the Where to Restore page select a place you would like to restore the archive to.

7. On the Restore Results page review all parameters of the operation and modify them if necessary.

Click the Next button to start the restore process.

OS is not bootable due to some failure

To restore a hard disk/partition from the backup image located on CD/DVD when the current OS is down, please do the following:

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This scenario implies that you have got a bootable archive on your CD/DVD.

In case the backup image is stored on several CD/DVD disks, please insert the first one.

Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

1. Insert a CD/DVD disk containing the previously prepared backup image into a CD/DVD drive (the

BIOS must be enabled to boot the system from the CD/DVD device).

2. Restart the computer.

3. The Simple Restore Wizard™ will be started automatically. Click the Next button on the Welcome

page.

4. On the What to Restore page, either type the full path to the backup image of the disk, which

you are going to restore, or click the standard browse button [...] to find it. Click the Next button.

5. On the Image Properties page, make sure that you select the correct image viewing the provided

information about the archive. When the archive has been chosen, click the Next button.

6. On the disk layout map, select a disk, to be restored. Click the Next button.

7. Set the size of the partition. The user can compress or expand it at the expense of available unused

space. Click the Next button.

8. Click the Finish button to initiate the restoring process.

9. After completing the operation reboot the computer.

Restoring from a Network Drive

To restore a hard disk/partition from the backup image located on a network drive, please do the following:

WinPE Recovery CD

1. Insert Paragon WinPE Recovery CD (the BIOS must be enabled to boot the system from the

CD/DVD device).

2. Restart the computer.

3. Launch the Restore Wizard by clicking the Backup and Rescue button of the Express Launcher

and then selecting the Restore/Simple Restore item.

4. On the Restore Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

5. On the Browse for Archive page, select the required archive in the browser-like window. The

Archive File Details section displays a short description of the selected image. Click the Next button.

6. The What to Restore page displays detailed information about the contents of the archive. It

includes a full description of properties about the archived disks or partitions. In case you have a complex archive, select the required item to restore.

7. On the Where to Restore page select a place you would like to restore the archive to.

8. On the Restore Results page review all parameters of the operation and modify them if necessary.

Click the Next button to start the restore process.

9. After completing the operation reboot the computer.

Linux/DOS Recovery CD

1. Insert Paragon Linux/DOS Recovery CD (the BIOS must be enabled to boot the system from the

CD/DVD device).

2. Restart the computer.

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

You can start up the File Transfer Wizard in the WinPE version of the program just the way it is done in Windows. However when dealing with the Linux/DOS Recovery CD, you can do it from the main menu.

3. Set up a network connection by selecting the Network Configurator item of the main menu.

4. Launch the Simple Restore Wizard. Click the Next button on the Welcome page.

5. On the What to Restore page, either type the full path to the backup image of the disk, which

you are going to restore, or click the standard browse button [...] to find it. Click the Next button.

6. On the Image Properties page, make sure that you select the correct image viewing the provided

information about the archive. When the archive has been chosen, click the Next button.

7. On the disk layout map, select a disk, to be restored. Click the Next button.

8. Set the size of the partition. The user can compress or expand it at the expense of available unused

space. Click the Next button.

9. Click the Finish button to initiate the restoring process.

10. After completing the operation reboot the computer.

Copying of data from the corrupted system disk to another hard disk

To retrieve valuable information from your hard disk and copy it to another hard disk when the system fails to boot, simply do the following:

1. Connect the second hard disk to the computer.

2. Insert Paragon WinPE or Linux/DOS Recovery CD (the BIOS must be enabled to boot the

system from the CD/DVD device).

3. Restart the computer.

4. Launch the File Transfer Wizard. Click the Next button to continue.

5. Select a disk where the files you need are stored from the pull-down list in the right pane of the

page.

6. Choose files you want to copy and place them to Clipboard by pressing the left arrow-button.

7. Choose the way the data will be stored. Select the Save data to local drives or physical

partitions item. Click the Next button to continue.

8. On the Select Destination Path page, select a hard disk to copy the data to by pressing the Browse

button. Click the Next button to accomplish the operation.

9. After the operation is completed, exit the wizard by pressing the appropriate button.

10. Eject the CD.

11. Turn off the computer.

Burning of data from the corrupted system disk to CD/DVD

To retrieve valuable information from your hard disk and burn it to CD/DVD when the system fails to boot, simply do the following:

1. Insert Paragon WinPE or Linux/DOS Recovery CD (the BIOS must be enabled to boot the

system from the CD/DVD device).

2. Restart the computer.

3. Launch the File Transfer Wizard. Click the Next button to continue.

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The program enables to burn data either to a CD/DVD or an ISO image.

4. Select a disk where the files you need are stored from the pull-down list in the right pane of the

page.

5. Choose files you want to copy and place them to Clipboard by pressing the left arrow-button.

6. Estimate the resulted data size by pressing the Calc button. Click the Next button to continue.

7. Choose the way the data will be stored. Select the Burn data to CD/DVD item. Click the Next

button to continue.

8. On the Choose a recorder page, select a recorder from the list and then set a volume label by typing

it in the appropriate field. Click the Next button to continue.

9. Insert a blank CD/DVD. In case the inserted disc is not empty, the program suggests the user

erasing its contents. Click the Next button to accomplish the operation.

10. After the operation is completed, exit the wizard by pressing the appropriate button.

11. Eject the CD.

12. Turn off the computer.

Copying of data from a backup to the corrupted system partition

The system fails to boot since some files are damaged. If you have a backup of the system partition, you can recopy these files to make the system be operable again:

1. Insert Paragon WinPE or Linux/DOS Recovery CD (the BIOS must be enabled to boot the

system from the CD/DVD device).

2. Restart the computer.

3. Launch the File Transfer Wizard. Click the Next button to continue.

4. Select a disk where the system backup is stored from the pull-down list in the right pane of the

page.

5. Open the required backup, choose files you want to copy and place them to Clipboard by pressing

the left arrow-button.

6. Choose the way the data will be stored. Select the Save data to local drives or physical

partitions item. Click the Next button to continue.

7. On the Select Destination Path page, select the required system disk to copy the data to by pressing

the Browse button. Click the Next button to accomplish the operation.

8. After the operation is completed, exit the wizard by pressing the appropriate button.

9. Eject the CD.

10. Turn off the computer.

Restoring Separate Files and Folders from a Backup

To restore separate files and folders from a backup image with the Volume Explorer, simply do the following:

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1. Click the Disk View tab and then choose Volume Explorer;

2. Browse for the required archive and then open it by double click of the left mouse button.

3. Call the popup menu (right click of the mouse button) for a file/folder you need and then select the

Export item.

4. Select a place on the disk where the file/folder will be extracted to.

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5. Click the OK button to accomplish the operation.

Build Recovery Media

The program provides the possibility to prepare a set of recovery tools on external media (CD, DVD or floppy disks). The tool set can be of assistance in case of operating system corruption, which means that the user is able to boot the computer even when the operating system is not able to do so. Creation of such recovery tools is performed with the Recovery Media Wizard.

Starting

To start the Recovery Media Wizard the user needs to select the Recovery Media Builder item of the Wizards menu on the Common Tasks bar. Then the Welcome page of the wizard is displayed.

Settings

The Recovery Media Wizard allows the user to configure the settings and start the operation in accordance with the entered parameters. In our case we set the parameters of the future recovery tool by defining:

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 Type of the recovery media the user is creating. The recovery tools can be placed either on a

CD/DVD disc or on a floppy disk.

 Contents of the recovery set. The recovery tools can include the standard Recovery Media image

(included in the installation package) or software defined by the user. In the last case the user can record a prepared image by setting the path to the image file on the disk.

 A recording device. The appropriate external media (CD/DVD or a floppy disk) needs to be inserted

into the selected device.

 CD/DVD writing parameters (in case the user selects this kind of media). Writing parameters

include writing speed (maximum or minimum) and the ability of ejecting the recorded disc after completing the operation.

The program supports CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW and also DVD-R, DVD+R double layer discs. If the inserted disc is not empty, the Wizard suggests the user erasing its contents. When the user confirms the operation, the program deletes the re-writable disc's contents and begins the recording process.

Results

The Recovery Media Wizard starts the operation after completing the settings mentioned above. As a result, the user receives recovery media, which can be used in most emergencies.

When purchasing the program online, Recovery Media is available as ISO-image files. The Recovery Media Builder can then write these files onto physical CD/DVDs.

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Copy Tasks

This chapter lists various scenarios of copy operations which may be accomplished by the program.

Copy Hard Disk

The program provides the ability to clone hard disks of any file system. During the hard disk copying process, the program moves controlling records of used partitioning scheme, the bootstrap code and on-disk partitions. This operation cannot be substituted by simply copying all on-disk partitions.

The operation can be accomplished with the Copy Hard Disk Wizard. The wizard is so well designed that the user simply needs to follow its easy instructions to make an exact copy of the disk.

Starting

There are several ways to start the Copy Hard Disk Wizard:

 In the Main menu: select Wizards > Copy Hard Disk…  On the Common Tasks bar: click the Copy Hard Disk item of the Wizards menu.  In the Toolbar: click the Copy Hard Disk button.  Select a disk on the Disk map and click the Copy Hard Disk item on the page that appears in the

Explorer bar.

After following one of the above mentioned actions, the Welcome page of the wizard is displayed.

Settings

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The Copy Hard Disk Wizard allows the user to configure the settings and then start the operation in accordance with the entered parameters. Here the user sets the parameters of the operation defining:

 The hard disk to copy. Select a hard disk you want to copy.

 The target hard disk. Select a hard disk (if several) where all data of the source disk will be

copied to.

 Copy parameters. The Copy Hard Disk Wizard allows the user to specify the following

options:

Copy options

- HDD raw copy to copy a hard disk in the sector-by-sector mode to successfully process unknown file systems.

- Partition raw copy to copy a partition in the sector-by-sector mode to successfully process unknown file systems.

- Perform incremental copy to make the program perform the exact bit-wise comparison of the previous data (saved in the parental copy) with the current data (that is actually the hard disk itself). After that only most recent information will be processed. It considerably decreases the amount of data written.

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Some features may be unavailable in the version of the product you have. To learn more about it please consult the Partition Manager Editions chapter.

Resize options

- Remove free blocks between partitions. If this option is activated, the program does not keep blocks of free space between partitions on the targeted hard disk.

- Copy data and resize partitions proportionally. If this option is activated, the program proportionally changes the size of partitions keeping their relative order intact. The option can be useful when upgrading the hard disk to a larger one.

Verification options This section allows the user to define whether the Surface and/or the Writing verification tests will be accomplished during the operation.

Results

After the operation is completed the user receives a fully functional duplicate of the existing hard disk.

Copy Partition

The copying of partitions can be used either for cloning sample partitions or for making backup copies of working partitions.

The user can duplicate partitions to protect oneself from downtime in case of a system malfunction. The partition can be copied back to the original place within a few minutes or can be used simply for copying separate files.

The program duplicates all usable partition data including files, the exact structure of directories and file system metadata: location of files, security information, access quotas and so on. The program allows to copy partitions only to blocks of free space.

Starting

There are several ways to start the Copy Partition Wizard:

 In the Main menu: select Wizards > Copy Partition…  On the Common Tasks bar: click the Copy Partition item of the Wizards menu.  In the Toolbar: click the Copy Partition button.  Select a disk on the Disk map and click the Copy Partition item on the page that appears in the

Explorer bar.

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After following one of the above mentioned actions, the Welcome page of the wizard is displayed.

Settings

The Copy Partition Wizard allows the user to configure the settings and then start the operation in accordance with the entered parameters. Here the user sets the parameters of the operation defining:

 The partition to copy. Select a partition you want to copy.

 Destination disk. Select a hard disk with enough unallocated space to perform the operation.

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The program enables to copy a partition to a block of free space, which is smaller than the partition itself, taking into account only actual amount of data.

Partition size and position may also be defined by using the drag-and-drop technique. To do that, just carry out the required operation on the Disk Map.

 Copy parameters. The Copy Partition Wizard allows the user to specify the following options:

- Partition size. Define the size (in Mb) of the copied partition.

- Free space before. Define the position (in Mb) of the copied partition relative to the beginning of the available range of disk space.

- Free space after. Define the amount of trailing free space (in Mb) at the end of the available range of disk space.

Results

After the operation is completed the user receives a fully functional duplicate of the existing partition.

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Boot Management

Our program enables to easily manage several operating systems on one computer with the help of the Boot Manager Setup Wizard. Among the key features of the wizard the following should be mentioned:

 Up to 16 operating systems on one PC;  Secure adding/removing of the Boot Manager startup record to/from the MBR;  Auto Boot option to automatically start up the previously chosen OS after a certain time period;  Hiding of any primary partition except selected at the moment.

The wizard is so well designed that the user simply needs to follow its easy instructions to properly configure the startup process.

Starting

There are several ways to start the Boot Manager Setup Wizard:

 In the Main menu: select Tools > Boot Manager…  On the Common Tasks bar: click the Boot Manager Wizard item of the Wizards menu.

After following one of the above mentioned actions, the Welcome page of the wizard is displayed.

Settings

The Boot Manager Setup Wizard allows the user to configure the settings and then start the operation in accordance with the entered parameters. Here the user should set the following parameters:

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The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation. No virtual mode is available.

 Hiding other primary partitions. By marking this option the program will automatically

assign the hidden flag to all primary partitions of the hard disk(s) except the one selected to boot. This will help to avoid any problems when dealing with different operating systems or different versions of one and the same OS, as they will be unaware of each other.

 Boot menu options. In this section the user can switch between the following modes:

- Normal mode. Choose this mode to display the boot menu every time the computer starts up and define a timeout on the expiry of which the program will automatically select the previously chosen item of the menu.

- Hidden mode. Choose this mode not to display the boot menu until pressing a hot key. For this mode the user should define a hot key used to enable the Boot Manager and a time period in seconds the startup message will be displayed.

 Deactivating/Configuring the Boot Manager. These two options will only be available once the

wizard has been completed and launched again. Select the Deactivate option to remove the Boot Manager from the MBR (Master Boot Record) or Configure to modify the previously set parameters of the startup process.

Results

After the Boot Manager Setup Wizard is completed the program updates the original record in the MBR to get control of the booting process and to be able to display the boot menu.

Creating Dual Boot Systems

Release of Windows Vista has given a new impetus to the problem of establishing a dual boot system. In this connection we decided to consider two the most frequently used situations a rank and file user may face, i.e. Windows Vista + Windows XP and Windows XP + Windows Vista. Please note that for reasons of

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This scenario implies that operating systems will be installed on different partitions to provide better security and system independence.

better security and system independence these operating systems will be installed on different partitions. That is why we need to hide the first system partition before installation of the second OS.

Windows Vista + Windows XP

Suppose you have got Windows Vista coming with your brand new computer. Everything is great except one thing – your favorite applications simply reject to work correctly on it. Software updates are expected to release in the near future, but you cannot wait any more. Thus the best way out is to leave Windows Vista intact and install the time-proved Windows XP.

Most likely you have only one hard disk with only one partition (the only partition is always system). To install the second operating system you need to repartition your drive first, as it requires a separate primary partition. If this case, the following scenario is just what you need:

1. In the main window of Partition Manager select your hard disk on the Disk Map to make a block

of free space on it;

2. Release some free space (not less than 10 GB to install Windows XP) from the partition. To do

that, please call the context menu for the selected partition (right click of the mouse button) and launch the Move/Resize dialog;

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The Move/Resize dialog offers a number of additional parameters that can also be of help. However here we pay attention on the most relevant to fulfill our task.

3. In the opened dialog shift the edge of the partition to the left by the drag-and-drop technique.

While doing this, free space from the partition will be released (displayed in aqua-green). You can also do it manually by entering the exact size of free space. Click the Yes button to continue;

4. Now the user has a block of free space sufficient in size to hold a new partition;

5. Create a new partition to install Windows XP. To do that, please call the context menu for a

newly created block of free space (right click of the mouse button) and launch the Create Partition dialog;

Paragon Partition Manager - 9.0 Owner's Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual