Hi I try to add more than four partitions in win 8, but I couldn't then I install win xp as a dual with win 8, after that I add fifth partition through win xp. Next I log in to win 8 then I saw that there are only 4 partitions with the new one, and one of the old partitions which had a tera of files appeared as an unallocated partition. what may I do now? please help.
too bad. If you made a backup of your files as we ALL know to do, you could sleep quite well tonight. Too much playing around without knowledge gets you there where you are now.
You have two options: 1. Either bring the hdd to some data recovery center and tell them exactly what did you do. 2. Fix it yourself, but then you have to: a) Tell if partitioning was GPT or MBR a1) If MBR, which your partitions were primary and which extended b) what filesystem you used NTFS, FAT32, ReFS c) whole disk capacity and capacities of each partitions and also their order. BTW: If you will restore files (with something like Ontrack EasyRecovery) you will need another drive to where the recovered files will be saved... That will hardly help him...
Thanks moderate for your positive response . Second option is better for me because in my city we don't have data recovery center. a) partioning was MBR. a1) these are all info that I had seen: in win 8 : C NTFS 127.06 GB primary (has win 8) system D NTFS 19.32 GB logical (has win xp) E NTFS 739.97 GB primary (has only files) Unallocated <was> NTFS 976.56 GB logical (has only files) in win xp C NTFS 100 MB primary system D NTFS 19.32 GB logical (has win xp) E NTFS 739.97 GB primary (has only files) Unallocated <was> NTFS 976.56 GB logical (has only files) I don't know how to know their orders, so give the steps to know it? b) NTFS c) whole disk capacity is 1.82 TB.
Sometimes you just need to be told the truth in order to understand the consequences of your actions. And sometimes the process is painful.
There are several important questions: ...so, disk had 4 partitions and free space before you created 5th one in WXP? (I can only see 4 (3+1) partitions, but maybe some present partitions are not seen by OS...) Or did you resized the last one? What did you use (diskpart, mmc console disk management...)? How exactly you did proceed (step by step)...? 100MB is MBR system reserved only... In W8, if you will run C:\Windows\System32\diskmgmt.msc the graphical view will tell you partition order. Also some partition should appear invisible, because the order <primary>, <extended>, <primary>, <extended> is really unfortunate and source of your problem... Also unfortunate is to have WXP on extended partition... When I used Kroll Ontrack Easy Recovery in past, it worked that way, that it just read the selected area (I selected read from 48% to 100%) as I had 2nd partition (50/50% size) lost... ...and then wrote it to another drive. Maybe some other tools could work different way, that they will try to recover partition header directly.... BTW: You should avoid switching from W8 to WXP. Until you will fix it, run only one system (W8).
BTW: there is a feature in MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition which called Partition Recovery Wizard, should I try it?
Yes if partition can be recovered then the files will still be there. If that does not work then you need to try file recover software, another point before working with partitions you should name the partitions so you know exactly what one you are working on.
BTW: What was the last partition you have created? Was it (drive letter) E: 740GB? It should be, because without 100MB you will not boot (as it is only one active), 128Gb is W8 one, 20GB is WXP one and it also wasn't the last one 980Gb, what has disappeared, so it was 740GB one. If yes, I know what has happened... You had (before creating the last one partition): 1. 100MB Reserved 2. 128GB Primary 3. Extended Envelope (the rest) (This sounds logical/nice.) In extended envelope (green frame in graphical view - diskmgmt.msc) you had: A. 20GB Logical 1 B. 740GB empty hole C. 980GB Logical2 (This doesn't sound logical/nice, but the "hole B." and maybe even A. is I think remnant from your previous actions - former partition already deleted at A.+B. together or only B.) (These A., B., C. aren't drive letters of course, it is just my marking...) But you did mistake by creating new B. as PRIMARY, so logical envelope was resized and ended just after A., so C. is out of extended envelope and undetectable. So partition recovering will NOT help (it can only make the things worse), because it is not possible to recover extended envelope at C. with B. being Primary. So you have three options: -1- Safe way: recover files only by reading section of the disk from 45% to 100% (5th partition begins at 888Gb/1868GB that is 47,5%)... -2- Risky way: I. backup B. files to different disk II. scrap B. III. resize extended envelope from current "end of Logical1 A." to drive end, but keep A. itself intact without resing it. Then point recovery tool to 45% and recoved C. under extnended envelope, but DO NOT try to recover scrapped primary B. IV. when C. is recovered as Logical2 at the end of the envelope, create B. (BUT as Logical-1.5 NOT as primary), then transfer files from backup you made in point I. to created logical B. -3- If you will visit data recovery center, print this my post together with diskmgmt.msc current partition order picture and give them to recovery guys. You can also draw 2nd picture for them (former state before creating the 5th partition), according my 1st two paragraphs of this text. Backup other partitions before you gave HDD to recovery center.
Presume that your logical drive D: is XP as you described before, make up your mind to delete D: partition. Then you can use recovery partition tool to claim your last partition without any primary partition limitation. ☺