Need Help To Merge Two Partitions

[DZuroff]

I have Windows XP Professional installed. I guess I am old school in the sense that when I installed Windows, I created two partitions. A 5gb FAT32 partition and 55gb NTFS data partition. Windows XP is installed on the FAT32 partition and I have since learned there is no longer a great benefit to this type of setup (other than easier system backups). Is there an easy way to merge the two partitions into one 60gb NTFS partition while keeping my current data (and system) intact? Also, are there any tips on how to optimize an NTFS partition? (i.e. cluster size) and can these changes be made without re-formatting? Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[gargouille]

Think you're gonna' need 3rd party stuff...i.e. Partition Magic (just 1 of many).
Yes it can be done.

 

[gargouille]

If you're feeling adventuresome...here's a free one:

http://www.xosl.org/

I'm gonna' give it a try.

 

[gargouille]

oops: wrong url. Try this 1:

http://www.ranish.com/part/

 

[wolluf]

gargouille - good luck with ranish - last time I tried to use it I ended up with some 'interesting' partition tables & structures! (it was only a test machine)

 

[gargouille]

Why does this make me laugh?
Thanks for the heads up and the laugh...
Mine will also be a test machine...
BTW, were yours recoverable?
(he says, still laughing)

 

[wolluf]

yes (I can't remember how - it was a couple of years ago - but I did manage to get back to where I'd started).