partition wont delete.

[Fagin]

Could any one please help.

I have done a Google, but i have not found the answer. I am trying to install Windows XP Pro on to a hard drive that has windows already on it.

When i go to format the drive there are 2 partitions showing One is 8MB the other is the remaining hardrive space, i have tried to delete the smaller partition (8MB) but when i press the D to delete nothing happens. I have tried to install Windows on to the 8MB patition but i get the message that the partition is not big enough.

Could any one tell me what the 8MB partition could be, and how can i delete it.

Thanks in advance.

[carl33p]

http://www.killdisk.com/?gclid=CNaW-...FRNKLAodZ0RW_g
or Partition Magic

Why worry about 8mb's? (Although it may be nessasary...so dont go deleting it till sum1 here gives you the go ahead.. )

[excuzzzeme]

The 8Mb you cannot access is a buffer for use by the HDD and OS. No you cannot delete it or use it. This is vey common.. some HDD use this as a "hoding pen to be able to provide :bursts" of frequently accessed data thereby giving the illusion of fast I/O times

If you were to FDSK often that partition won't show up

[Fagin]

Thanks , carl33p and excuzzzeme, ime glad i waited for yopur advise.

[Cade Foster]

I've used Acronis Disk director suite and partition magic many times and both create a small partition like this, for partition data. I've deleted and reformatted many different types of hard drive and in every case I deleted the smaller partition first, leaving only unformatted space.

As long as you partition and format correctly prior to installation it doesn't really matter, though to be safe I'd always use any drive formatting software that the manufacturer has available such as Maxblast, for maxtor drives.

I also believe that the MBR or memory boot record is held on such a partition though Im not entirely sure as I use a boot manager from Acronis myself, which i think resides on the first sector of the primary partition - i.e the larger one.