hidden xp partition

I've just installed vista on a newly created primary partition on my machine. I can boot to either XP or vista using the new boot loader. However, although the vista partition is hidden from the XP system when I boot to XP, when I boot to vista I can see the XP partition.
I thought that primary partitions were hidden if not active?
How can I hide the XP partition from the vista system ( and get the logical drives to show the letters I want by the way)?
-- Chris Game
"If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." -- Albert Einstein

What file system is XP formatted in? If it is FAT32 then this is the reason. A FAT32 partition cannt see an NTFS partition, but NTFS 'can' see FAT32. Vista should automatically install as an NTFS file system, so it maybe that your XP partition is FAT32.
On my system both XP and Vista are NTFS and both operating systems can see the others partition.
-- John Barnett MVP Associate Expert http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
The information in this mail is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy, reliability or content of this mail. The Author shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this mail..
"Chris Game" wrote in message

I've just installed vista on a newly created primary partition on my machine. I can boot to either XP or vista using the new boot loader. However, although the vista partition is hidden from the XP system when I boot to XP, when I boot to vista I can see the XP partition.
I thought that primary partitions were hidden if not active?
How can I hide the XP partition from the vista system ( and get the logical drives to show the letters I want by the way)?
-- Chris Game
"If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." -- Albert Einstein

What? This answer makes not sense. Partitions don't see each other based on formatting.
A FAT32 XP install can see a Vista NTFS partition fine. "John Barnett MVP" wrote in message

What file system is XP formatted in? If it is FAT32 then this is the reason. A FAT32 partition cannt see an NTFS partition, but NTFS 'can' see FAT32. Vista should automatically install as an NTFS file system, so it maybe that your XP partition is FAT32.
On my system both XP and Vista are NTFS and both operating systems can see the others partition.
-- John Barnett MVP Associate Expert http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
The information in this mail is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy, reliability or content of this mail. The Author shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this mail..
"Chris Game" wrote in message I've just installed vista on a newly created primary partition on my machine. I can boot to either XP or vista using the new boot loader. However, although the vista partition is hidden from the XP system when I boot to XP, when I boot to vista I can see the XP partition.
I thought that primary partitions were hidden if not active?
How can I hide the XP partition from the vista system ( and get the logical drives to show the letters I want by the way)?
-- Chris Game
"If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." -- Albert Einstein

Well, you're partly right. Partitions don't see anything until they have an os installed. Then some os's cannot see certain other partitions. Win95/98/ME cannot see an NTFS partition without third party software. Linux partitions may not be seen by different version of Windows.
But, without an os, the partition is totally blind!
Tom Scales wrote:

What? This answer makes not sense. Partitions don't see each other based on formatting.
A FAT32 XP install can see a Vista NTFS partition fine. "John Barnett MVP" wrote in message What file system is XP formatted in? If it is FAT32 then this is the reason. A FAT32 partition cannt see an NTFS partition, but NTFS 'can' see FAT32. Vista should automatically install as an NTFS file system, so it maybe that your XP partition is FAT32.
On my system both XP and Vista are NTFS and both operating systems can see the others partition.
-- John Barnett MVP Associate Expert http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
The information in this mail is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy, reliability or content of this mail. The Author shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this mail..
"Chris Game" wrote in message I've just installed vista on a newly created primary partition on my machine. I can boot to either XP or vista using the new boot loader. However, although the vista partition is hidden from the XP system when I boot to XP, when I boot to vista I can see the XP partition.
I thought that primary partitions were hidden if not active?
How can I hide the XP partition from the vista system ( and get the logical drives to show the letters I want by the way)?
-- Chris Game
"If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." -- Albert Einstein

Both his partitions have operating systems on them therefore they are not blind.
-- John Barnett MVP Associate Expert http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
The information in this mail is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy, reliability or content of this mail. The Author shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this mail..
"John Boy" wrote in message

Well, you're partly right. Partitions don't see anything until they have an os installed. Then some os's cannot see certain other partitions. Win95/98/ME cannot see an NTFS partition without third party software. Linux partitions may not be seen by different version of Windows.
But, without an os, the partition is totally blind!
Tom Scales wrote: What? This answer makes not sense. Partitions don't see each other based on formatting.
A FAT32 XP install can see a Vista NTFS partition fine. "John Barnett MVP" wrote in message What file system is XP formatted in? If it is FAT32 then this is the reason. A FAT32 partition cannt see an NTFS partition, but NTFS 'can' see FAT32. Vista should automatically install as an NTFS file system, so it maybe that your XP partition is FAT32.
On my system both XP and Vista are NTFS and both operating systems can see the others partition.
-- John Barnett MVP Associate Expert http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
The information in this mail is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy, reliability or content of this mail. The Author shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this mail..
"Chris Game" wrote in message I've just installed vista on a newly created primary partition on my machine. I can boot to either XP or vista using the new boot loader. However, although the vista partition is hidden from the XP system when I boot to XP, when I boot to vista I can see the XP partition.
I thought that primary partitions were hidden if not active?
How can I hide the XP partition from the vista system ( and get the logical drives to show the letters I want by the way)?
-- Chris Game
"If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." -- Albert Einstein

So if Windows XP Home was installed on a FAT32 partition it would not "see" an NTFS partition?
-- Mark
Keeping the fun in dysfunctional!
"John Barnett MVP" wrote in message

Both his partitions have operating systems on them therefore they are not blind.
-- John Barnett MVP Associate Expert http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
The information in this mail is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy, reliability or content of this mail. The Author shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this mail..
"John Boy" wrote in message Well, you're partly right. Partitions don't see anything until they have an os installed. Then some os's cannot see certain other partitions. Win95/98/ME cannot see an NTFS partition without third party software. Linux partitions may not be seen by different version of Windows.
But, without an os, the partition is totally blind!
Tom Scales wrote: What? This answer makes not sense. Partitions don't see each other based on formatting.
A FAT32 XP install can see a Vista NTFS partition fine. "John Barnett MVP" wrote in message What file system is XP formatted in? If it is FAT32 then this is the reason. A FAT32 partition cannt see an NTFS partition, but NTFS 'can' see FAT32. Vista should automatically install as an NTFS file system, so it maybe that your XP partition is FAT32.
On my system both XP and Vista are NTFS and both operating systems can see the others partition.
-- John Barnett MVP Associate Expert http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
The information in this mail is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy, reliability or content of this mail. The Author shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this mail..
"Chris Game" wrote in message I've just installed vista on a newly created primary partition on my machine. I can boot to either XP or vista using the new boot loader. However, although the vista partition is hidden from the XP system when I boot to XP, when I boot to vista I can see the XP partition.
I thought that primary partitions were hidden if not active?
How can I hide the XP partition from the vista system ( and get the logical drives to show the letters I want by the way)?
-- Chris Game
"If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." -- Albert Einstein

On Sun, 9 Jul 2006 13:35:23 +0100, Chris Game wrote:

I've just installed vista on a newly created primary partition on my machine. I can boot to either XP or vista using the new boot loader. However, although the vista partition is hidden from the XP system when I boot to XP, when I boot to vista I can see the XP partition.
I thought that primary partitions were hidden if not active?

Not true.

How can I hide the XP partition from the vista system ( and get the logical drives to show the letters I want by the way)?

If Vista's Disk Management snap-in has the capability, remove the drive letter from the XP partition. Then it won't show up in Windows Explorer.

andy wrote:

I've just installed vista on a newly created primary partition on my machine. I can boot to either XP or vista using the new boot loader. However, although the vista partition is hidden from the XP system when I boot to XP, when I boot to vista I can see the XP partition.
I thought that primary partitions were hidden if not active?
Not true.

What have I confused or got wrong, or remembered wrongly then?
I'll try the drive letter suggestion later, thanks for the information.
-- Chris Game
"If everyone with a question just went away and looked it up we'd never learn anything." -- Carlie Hulme

It's precisely for this situation that I like the way Partition Magic does things. When it makes a partition active it by default sets the non-active primary partitions as hidden. This way each OS has its own computer to run.
They will still show up in XP and Vista Disk Management, but as some kind of unknown boot loader.
I'm using PQBOOT as neither Partition Magic 8 nor BootMagic are Vista compatible, but the PQBOOT files can be copied from the cd to a folder in Vista and the PQBOOT32.EXE run as administrator. Brings up a command window that serves the same purpose as the PQBoot for Windows does on my other 2 partitions. -- Dennis Asus A7V880/Epox 8KRAIPRO AthonXP3200+/Sempron3300+ Crucial 2x512MB ATI Radeon x850PRO/Gigabyte Nvidia 6600GT Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro/Audigy 2 ZS Platinum

andy wrote:

If Vista's Disk Management snap-in has the capability, remove the drive letter from the XP partition. Then it won't show up in Windows Explorer.

"Windows cannot modify the drive letter of your volume. This may happen if your volume is a system or boot volume, or has page files."
-- Chris Game
He who laughs last thinks slowest!

Any drive or partition is visable, whether acive or not, by default. In order to hide a drive, you need to hide it using a partition managing software program. I use Norton's PartitonMagic. It costs about $70.00, but is "fault-tolerant" meaning I can resize partitions without data corruption.
There are some good free ones available but most run in DOS (as in boot from the disc). Try searching for "Ranish," GParted," or "PartitionLogic." I am not sure if Vista's drive management tool allows you to do this, as I have not played much with it.
And just a question, but if you have the partitions labeled, Data, WinVista, WinXP, and so on, why do you want to change the drive letter? The operating system assigns them when loading, so each O/S will assign a different set. Also, if you force drive letter changes, you may have to "re-map" some stuff or it won't work.
"Chris Game" wrote in message

andy wrote:
If Vista's Disk Management snap-in has the capability, remove the drive letter from the XP partition. Then it won't show up in Windows Explorer.
"Windows cannot modify the drive letter of your volume. This may happen if your volume is a system or boot volume, or has page files."
-- Chris Game
He who laughs last thinks slowest!

Mark D. VandenBeg wrote:

And just a question, but if you have the partitions labeled, Data, WinVista, WinXP, and so on, why do you want to change the drive letter? The operating system assigns them when loading, so each O/S will assign a different set. Also, if you force drive letter changes, you may have to "re-map" some stuff or it won't work.

Oh the main reason was that as vista is seeing more partitions than xp (the vista one is hidden when booting to XP) the drive letters for the logical drives are different in the two cases which makes network shares and backups a pain.
But I now realise from reading elsewhere that Windows won't change the drive letter or hide the system or boot volumes AND although I didn't realise this till very recently vista puts its boot files on the XP partition so obviously needs to see it.
-- Chris Game
If debugging is the process of removing bugs, then programming must be the process of putting them in. -Dykstra