Vostro 1700 Partitions

Question

Recently bought secondhand laptop. While exploring viewed disk partitions, they don't look right. Does anyone know what the partition sizes should be running Vista on this laptop? Here is how they are on mine: 86MB Healthy (EISA Configuration) = 1st partition
10.00GB Unallocated = 2nd partition
288.00GB NTFS - OS (C:) Healthy = 3rd partition

If I thinking right 10GB is not being used. How does a person expand number 1 and by how much? How do you get the remaining amount of 2 into something useable or merge it into number 3? What would you do and how (other than throwing it in the trash)?

Red Bon · Answer

If 2nd partition is totally unallocated space you can delete it and extend 1st partition. The 3rd partition is the OS partition?  You can try to use some partition tool to handle it like Partition Assistant Home Edition which is free of charge.The download link: www.extend-partition.com/download.html

ColoradoRobert · Answer

Thank you Red Bon for the link to the partition tool. I went ahead and used it and it did merge the unallocated (#2) with the #3 OS (C). So now I have #1. 86MB FAT Healthy (EISA Configuration) and #2. 298.00GB NTFS Healthy (System, Boot, Page File Active, Crash Dump, Primary Partition).

It's strange though because the #1 (EISA) says 100% free space and 100% free? It's hard to believe that nothing is in there. ~ Could it be that everything included by Dell is in #2 and nothing is in #1? ~ Maybe #1 has hidden info that just doesn't show? I doubt that this is the way this laptop was from Dell in the beginning. Something is screw-y.

My biggest question is if I reformatted now... would the Dell recovery disc DVD work (Vista)? Is something in #1 and it just doesn't show?

ejn63 · Answer

The first partition contains the Dell diagnostics, accessed by pressing F12 at powerup time.

ejn63 · Answer

The first partition contains the Dell diagnostics, accessed by pressing F12 at powerup time.

Red Bon · Answer

EISA partitions contains utilities that can be accessed from the BIOS or by a special boot choice during startup (configuration for your system) or it may contain backup files.It may not be the best idea to reformat it. You can leave it alone.

ColoradoRobert · Answer

Thank you ejn63 and Red Bon. I probably will leave it alone. But think it is very strange that it shows 100 percent free and 100 percent free space. I have a feeling that there isn't anything in there and everything is in the OS C: which makes formatting a dangerous thing. If I ever do re-format I wonder if the Vista OS will still be there, since I don't believe it is in the 86mb partition area. Any thoughts on how to check just that partition?

ejn63 · Answer

Press F12 a few times at powerup - choose the Dell diagnostics from the menu that appears.  That's what's in the partition.

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Vostro 1700 Partitions