Review

PowerQuest Partition Magic 5.0

Update: Seeking to download Partition Magic 7? Click here

By Andy Walker, Cyberwalker Media Syndicate 

Once upon a time, disk partitioning was achievable only by experts. Partition Magic allows non-experts to create new partitions through a series of wizards and allows multiple operating systems on one computer.

Why do we need partitions? Giga-drive sizes available these days are useful only if they can be segmented into multiple virtual drives.

For example, a 10-GB (gigabyte) drive should be divided up into a C:, D:, and possibly E: and F: drives.

This keeps data clusters -- slots where data gets stored on a hard drive -- small. This minimizes slack, the extra space in a cluster that is not filled. If a file is 5 K (kilobytes) in size and the clusters on the hard drive are 32 K in size, there will be 27 K wasted in the cluster where that file is stored.

Many megabytes of space can be wasted. The smaller the partition size, the smaller the clusters can be. So it saves disk space by dividing a 10-GB drive into four drive partitions. Another advantage to this is that data on a drive is segmented by partition-like walls.

Yet another is each that partition can potentially hold a different operating system. So you could run Windows 3.1, Windows 98 and Windows 2000 and even Linux on the same machine. Possible partition formats include FAT16 (file allocation table used by early editions of Windows 95), FAT32 (for Windows 98), NTFS (NT file system, for Windows NT Workstation only), HPFS (high performance file system for OS/2 and Windows NT 3.51 and earlier) as well as Linux, the free Unix-like operating system that is beloved by geeks and network administrators everywhere.

Partition Magic's strengths are the ability to change, delete and grow partition sizes with the drag of a mouse. Complex tasks can be automated with wizards in Windows.

When all tasks have been set up, Partition Magic reboots the machine and works in its own operating environment to deployed all the tasks. New to this version is the ability to merge FAT16 and FAT32 partitions, as well as partition conversions.

It also includes a DriveMapper utility to reassign drive letters and BootMagic to allow, on boot-up, a selection of two or more operating systems on the same computer. Partition Magic does simplify the process of partition management. But it could make it more intuitive -- and provide clear, jargon-free recommendations on optimizing a drive and its partitions.

You still need to have a fundamental understanding of drive partitioning to use this tool to its potential. PowerQuest needs to build and deploy an analysis and idiot-proof tool that the non-technical user can come to trust.

The non-technical user will be completely frightened by its current version. The other issue of concern is that this tool will not work on removable media. PowerQuest warns against this and says using Partition Magic on such media could cause unpredictable results. But every new version of Partition Magic moves closer to addressing these concerns -- and that's good news.

Review's rating: 4 / 5

Comments: You'd be hard pressed to find a better utility for what would be a complicated hard disk partition procedure using DOS's FDISK. But Partition Magic remains daunting to the non-technical user.

System requirements: Windows 95a or later (Windows 95b or 98 for FAT32 support), 486-33MHz or better processor, 16 MB (32 MB recommended) RAM, 12 MB of hard disk space, 3.5 inch floppy dive, CD-ROM 4x or greater.

Where to buy: Chumbo (Version 7.0)

Price: $65 US, $100 Canadian