Powerquest PartitionMagic 6.0

There are several reasons why you want to partition your PC's hard disk, the most likely of which are to run two or more operating systems in parallel on a single machine, to create a secure storage bay for critical data, or to offload weighty application files to a separate area to boost performance. Then again, you might just like tinkering under the hood.

Whatever the task, if it involves splitting a hard disk into smaller, more manageable and more efficient segments, PartitionMagic has long been the tool of choice. This latest release continues a strong tradition.

Version 6 sports a few welcome tweaks. It now offers native support for Windows 2000 and Windows Millennium Edition, and a slightly revised interface that makes it easier to see what's happening disk-wise (amazing what a splash of colour-coding and an Explorer-style tree can do). Pretty much every task is aided by a Wizard, so it's fairly straightforward to create new partitions, resize or merge existing ones, or copy an entire partition from one location to another.

A useful Undelete feature makes it possible to recover an accidentally deleted partition if you act fast enough - in other words, before new data is written to that area of the disk.

As before, PartitionMagic sets up its tasks in Windows and then drops down to DOS to do all heavy-duty stuff. It takes sensible precautions not to write data to damaged areas of the disk - that way lies disaster - and, while you can override the default safety settings to speed up the process, we wouldn't recommend it. Nor would we advise doing anything at all without making a full backup first.

An updated version of Boot Manager is included here for anyone installing multiple operating systems. It's not the most intuitive utility in the world but it lets you choose which system to boot each time you restart.

The only serious quibble is that the manual really could use an overhaul. The language of partitioning is complex and this 150-page tome is far from the friendliest introduction to the subject. In part this is because PartitionMagic supports a range of operating and file systems and has to cover a multitude of permutations and eventualities. Power partitioners will have a field day here. But the fact remains that most people probably have simple goals - installing Windows 2000 or Linux alongside Windows 98, for example, or creating a secure partition for data storage - and a few step-by-step guides to the most common tasks would be welcome.

A further grumble is that when you first come to create a new partition, the Wizard asks whether you wish to install a new operating system and then lists the supported options. Windows 95/98, NT and 2000 are there alongside Linux and OS/2, but Windows Me is nowhere to be seen - and this in a product that makes a show of its support for Me. Selecting the Windows 95/98 box works fine - after all, Windows Me runs in a FAT32 environment just like its predecessors - but it's an irritating omission.

One final point: if you are looking to install a second operating system, you'll find the full extent of PartitionMagic's help on p38 of the manual - 'Install the operating system'. In other words, you're on your own. So, if you've never so much as opened the jewel case on your OEM version of Windows, proceed with care.

Contact
Powerquest: 0118 945 0200; www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic

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