Editing PartitionMagic

{{Short description|Utility software program}}
{{About|a Windows utility|the Linux distribution|Parted Magic}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = PartitionMagic
| logo                   = PartitionMagic logo.svg
| screenshot             = PartitionMagic.png
| caption                = Main window of PartitionMagic 8.05
| latest release version = 8.05 (Build 1371)
| latest release date    = {{Start date and age|2004|05|05}}
| operating system       = [[DOS]], [[Microsoft Windows]]
| discontinued           = yes
| genre                  = [[Partition editor]]
| license                = [[Trialware]]
}}

'''PartitionMagic'''<ref name=ParCmdrVCOM.NYT2005>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/06/technology/circuits/rearranging-rooms-on-the-hard-drive.html|title=Rearranging Rooms on the Hard Drive|author=J. D. Biersdorfer |date=October 10, 2006}}</ref><ref name=PartMa.NYT2003>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/08/technology/q-a-recarve-a-hard-drive-without-losing-data.html|title=Recarve a Hard Drive Without Losing Data|author=By J.D. Biersdorfer |date=May 8, 2003}}</ref> is a [[utility software]] program for [[hard disk drive partitioning]] originally made by [[PowerQuest]], but subsequently owned by [[Broadcom Inc.|Symantec]]. As of December 8, 2009, the Symantec website stated that they no longer offer PartitionMagic.

The program runs on pre-Vista [[Microsoft Windows]] [[operating system]]s including Windows 2000 and Windows XP, but the application is incompatible with Windows Vista and later versions (although Microsoft added resizing). In any of these cases, existing partitions can be resized without loss of data.

==Details==
[[Image:PartitionMagic box manual and disc.jpg|thumb|left|PartitionMagic 4.0 product materials, c. 1998]]
PartitionMagic is capable of resizing [[NTFS]], [[FAT16]] or [[FAT32]] partitions without data loss, and can copy and move partitions, including to other disks. It also has various other features, including being able to convert between FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS, modify the cluster size of FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS filesystems, and merge adjacent FAT or NTFS filesystems (all without data loss, though some NTFS-only metadata is lost on conversion to FAT). Additionally, it had somewhat limited support for [[ext2]] and [[ext3]] partitions.  PartitionMagic was the first commercial product of its kind containing patented technology.<ref>{{cite web|title=Patent #5675769|url=http://www.patentlens.net/patentlens/patents.html?patnums=US_5675769&language=en&|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910112915/http://www.patentlens.net/patentlens/patents.html?patnums=US_5675769&language=en&|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-09-10|publisher=U.S.Patent Office}}</ref>

The first version of PartitionMagic was released with [[DOS]] and [[OS/2]] support.  Versions 2&ndash;3 were offered with DOS, OS/2 and Windows support.  Symantec's PartitionMagic version 8 dropped the OS/2 version. Server versions were also offered under the name ''Server Magic'' for [[Windows Server|Windows]] and [[Novell NetWare]] servers.

The stable version of PartitionMagic 8.05 also included a rescue floppy disk with an additional [[DOS]] version of PartitionMagic. The DOS version (which included DR-DOS or MS-DOS) came on one 2.88 MB or two 1.44 MB floppy disks.<ref>{{cite web
   |url=http://www.partition-magic-manager.com/partition-magic/partition-magic-help/ToRunPartitionMagicFromRescueDisk.php
   |quote=When you boot your computer from the first rescue disk, PQMAGIC automatically runs. You must insert the second rescue disk when prompted.
   |title=To run PartitionMagic from rescue disk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=https://community.norton.com/en/forums/partition-magic-rescue-disk-creation
|title=Partition Magic Rescue Disk creation
|date=April 8, 2011}}</ref>

The Windows version of PartitionMagic could also be integrated in [[BartPE]] (Bart's Preinstalled Environment) a Windows XP based Live CD created by using the [http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ PE Builder]. To integrate PartitionMagic into BartPE a PE Builder plug-in for PartitionMagic was available.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NickOlsen |title=> New Partition Magic 8.0x Pe-Builder plugin for BartPE and XPE |url=http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=24321 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304033859/http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=24321 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |website=911cd.net}}</ref>{{User-generated inline|date=May 2024|certain=yes}}

==History==
PowerQuest's Partition Magic originated in 1993;<ref>{{cite web
   |url=https://www.ithistory.org/db/software/powerquest/partitionmagic
   |title=PartitionMagic|date=15 December 2015}}</ref> Version 2.0 was available for purchase by January 1995.<ref>{{cite book
|url=https://www.amazon.com/PartitionMagic-Essential-Hard-Disk-Manager-Version2-0/dp/B000GYLVS0
|title=PartitionMagic: The Essential Hard-Disk Manager; Version2.0|date=January 1995|publisher=Power Quest}}</ref> An [[OS/2]] version was available by September 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scoug.com/OS24U/1995/scoug509.2.partmagic.html|title=PartitionMagic for OS/2|website=www.scoug.com}}</ref>

Version 3.02 came out in early 1997.<ref>{{cite news
|newspaper=[[Computerworld]] |title=Partition Magic 3.02 |date=February 24, 1997}}</ref>

PartitionMagic, while under [[PowerQuest]], was updated regularly, adding new features.

Once Symantec purchased the application in 2003,<ref>{{cite press release | title=Symantec to Acquire PowerQuest | url=http://www.symantec.com/press/2003/n030923.html | publisher=Symantec | date=23 September 2003 | access-date=7 July 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111044010/http://www.symantec.com/press/2003/n030923.html | archive-date=11 November 2007 }}</ref> there were no new releases, and Symantec stated that it had no plans on releasing a new version.  As of October 13, 2011, the Symantec website stated, "Sorry, we no longer offer Norton Partition Magic."

==Compatibility issues==
PartitionMagic is compatible with [[Windows NT]], [[Windows 95|95]]/[[Windows 98|98]], [[Windows ME|ME]], [[Windows 2000|2000]], and [[Windows XP|XP]] desktop editions. However, it is not compatible with [[Windows Server|server editions]] of Windows NT, 2000, nor [[Windows Server 2003|2003]] by design – a more expensive product from the same manufacturer, ServerMagic, would handle these – nor does it run on [[Windows Vista]] and later versions.

PartitionMagic 2.0.5, VolumeManager 7 and VolumeManager 8 cannot resize [[dynamic disk]]s.<ref>{{cite web | title=Changing volume sizes on dynamic disks | url=http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/215314-46-changing-volume-sizes-dynamic-disks | publisher=Tom's Hardware | year=2005 | access-date=7 July 2011}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Disk partitioning]]
* [[List of disk partitioning software]]
* [[ntfsresize]]
* [[resize2fs]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Hard-Disk-Utils/Partition-Magic.shtml Download Partition Magic 8 Demo - Softpedia]
* [https://www.partitionwizard.com/free-partition-manager.html Download Partition Magic Alternative]

{{Symantec}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Disk partitioning software]]
[[Category:Gen Digital software]]
[[Category:Windows-only proprietary software]]
[[Category:Discontinued software]]
[[Category:Utilities for Windows]]