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Fastest way to create a partition on a blank HDD

post #1 of 9

7/12/12 at 8:43pm

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redstring

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I need to create & format (NTFS) a single partition on multiple computers with blank HDDs (From computers which have had the HDDs wiped). Will a bootable cd with fdisk work? I've tried Gparted but it takes longer than I would like. Up until this point I have been using a Windows XP cd, then restarting immediately after creating the partition.

Thanks

edit: In case anyone is wondering - installations are being pulled from server via scripts and they do not have it set up to automatically create a partition. Soo, it will not work on a wiped HDD.

edit2: Fdisk is for FAT file systems

Derp. Alternatives? I'd prefer to boot straight to command line so I can get this done as quickly as possible.
Edited by redstring - 7/12/12 at 9:06pm

post #2 of 9

7/13/12 at 7:03am

BradleyW
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Take a look at Parted Magic.
If not, just use the windows install CD to create a partition, then reboot.

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OCZ Agility 3 60GB x2	LG-Light Scribe	Corsair H100i P/P	NF F12 (x4)
Cooling	OS	Monitor	Keyboard
NF-A4x10 x2 (VRM's)	Windows 7 Ultimate x64	Samsung P2770 27"	Corsair Vengence K90
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post #3 of 9

7/13/12 at 7:06am

richie_2010
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parted magic will do it for sure.

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post #4 of 9

7/13/12 at 7:06am

alex-fitton
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Quote:

Originally Posted by BradleyW

Take a look at Parted Magic.
If not, just use the windows install CD to create a partition, then reboot.

I agree with this guy, prob use windows 7 disk if you have one. just dont click next after you created partition.

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RAM	Hard Drive	Hard Drive	Optical Drive
[Apple] 16GB 1600 MHz PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM	[Samsung] 512GB SSD	[Seagate] 1.5TB GoFlex USB 3.0	[Apple] Superdrive
Cooling	OS	Monitor	Keyboard
[Apple] Stock	[Apple] Mac OSX Mountain Lion 10.8.2	[LG/Philips] 15.4" Retina Led display	[Apple] Built-in Backlit Keyboard
Power	Case	Mouse	Mouse Pad
[Apple] 85W Magsafe Charger	[Apple] Macbook Pro Aluminum	[Apple/Logitech] Trackpad/M185	None
Audio	Other
[Apple/Bose] Stock / Quiet Comfort 15 Headphones	[Microsoft] Xbox 360 controller for PC.
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CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
[Intel] Core 2 Duo 8400	[Dell] 03NVJ6	[ATI] 4000 Series	[Kingston] PC3 - 8500F
Hard Drive	Optical Drive	OS	Monitor
[Seagate] ST3250312AS Barracuda	[Samsung] TS-L633C	[Microsoft] Windows XP Professional 32Bit	2 Dell Monitors
Case	Mouse	Mouse Pad	Audio
[Dell]	Dell Opitcal Mouse	Dell Keyboard	Soundmax HD Audio
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3.2 GHz Cell Broadband Engine with 1 PPE & 6 SPEs	COK-001	Sony 256MB GDDR3 RSX Reality Synthesizer	256 MB XDR DRAM
Hard Drive	Optical Drive	Cooling	OS
60GB -> 160GB	Sony Blu-Ray	Stock	XrossMediaBar System software version 4.00
Monitor	Keyboard	Power	Case
Philips 42PFL5604H/12	None	Stock	Playstation 3
Mouse	Mouse Pad	Audio	Other
None	None	Philips 42PFL5604H/12 or HTS3520	Sony Dualshock 3, Remote
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post #5 of 9

7/13/12 at 11:04am

Zeus
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Try GDISK. its a command line tool that you can create a partition in one command.

http://www.bcdowd.com/node/8
Edited by Zeus - 7/13/12 at 11:08am

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Hard Drive	Hard Drive	Hard Drive	Optical Drive
Corsair force gt 120gb	Corsair Force GS 240GB	2 x Samsung HD240UI 2TB	Samsung BluRay Reader/DVDRW
Cooling	Cooling	OS	Monitor
Corsair H100	Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme 6990	Windows 7 Ulitmate 64bit	LG M2262D 22"
Keyboard	Power	Case	Mouse
CMStorm Trigger	Corsair AX1200	Xigmatek Elysium	Razer Imperator
View all

CPU	Motherboard	RAM	Hard Drive
amd A4-5300	ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-m	Corsair 16Gb (2x8GB)	Crusial M4 64GB (2 in RAID 1)
Hard Drive	Hard Drive	Optical Drive	Cooling
Seagate 500GB 2.5 (2 in RAID0)	Seagate 3TB ST3000DM001 (7 in RAID5 + 1 Hot Spare)	TSSTcorp DVDWBD	Noctua NH-L9a
Cooling	OS	Power	Case
Corsair SP120 Quiet x 4	Windows 7 64bit	Silverstone Strider Plus 750W Modular	Aerocool Vs-9 Midi-Tower
Other	Other
LSI MegaRAID SAS 9260-8i	BlackMagic Design Intensity Pro
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post #6 of 9

7/13/12 at 11:23am

subassy
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If you're willing to make a "Win PE 2.0" bootable disk (thumb drive or CD, use "the WAIK") you can use the Vista/win 7 command diskpart.

Or you partition with diskpart on your Win 7 machine and clone it to the others.

Disk part commands
command [ notes]
list disk [ list available disks ]
select disk # [make sure you select right disk number, can use number in disk manager to double-check]
clean [this wipes the disk, win 7 style. again, make sure right disk

]
create part pri [ create the partition ]
format fs=ntfs quick [quickly format in ntfs...]
active [make partiton active for an OS ]
assign [may not be necessary, won't hurt anything if it's not, assigns a drive letter]

This can actually be scripted. This will work for Vista/7 OS types. Haven't tried it with XP. I assume they speak the same disk language (right?). An OS will install right onto a disk prepared this way.

Hope this helps!

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Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7-3630QM	nVidia GeForce GTX 680M	16GB DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)	Hard Drive: Serial-ATA II 3GB/s
Hard Drive	OS	Monitor	Power
Hard Drive: Serial-ATA II 3GB/s	Windows 7 Ultimate x64	17.3" FHD 16:9 (1920x1080)	Battery: Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
Audio
Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio
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CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
Intel Core i7 860	Biostar T5 XE	Radeon HD 5870	Corsair 16GB
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Western Digital hard drive wd1001fals-00e8b0	Maxtor 300GB	I don't need no stinking optical drive	Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64
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post #7 of 9

7/13/12 at 7:12pm

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redstring

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Thanks for the great replies. GDISK seems to be my best bet so far for what I'm trying to achieve. Which is, hopefully, to boot straight to command line - with as minimal of loading time as possible during boot up.

(By the way, I'll be doing a 32bit Win 7 install afterward. Not XP.)

post #8 of 9

7/16/12 at 10:41pm

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redstring

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Is gdisk pay to use?

Is a Windows PE cd the easiest way to use diskpart? Should I just stick a Windows 7 cd in and go to Recovery Console or is there a boot cd that would get me to the command line quicker?

Thanks

post #9 of 9

7/17/12 at 3:08pm

subassy
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Quote:

Originally Posted by redstring

Is gdisk pay to use?
Is a Windows PE cd the easiest way to use diskpart? Should I just stick a Windows 7 cd in and go to Recovery Console or is there a boot cd that would get me to the command line quicker?
Thanks

The WinPE or "VistaPE" as some call it is the quickest way to get to a command line with diskpart available. At least if you already have one. If you have to make one from scratch it might take a while since it's a little confusing. Was for me anyway. Once one is made is super easy to duplicate/modify.

CPU	Graphics	RAM	Hard Drive
Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7-3630QM	nVidia GeForce GTX 680M	16GB DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)	Hard Drive: Serial-ATA II 3GB/s
Hard Drive	OS	Monitor	Power
Hard Drive: Serial-ATA II 3GB/s	Windows 7 Ultimate x64	17.3" FHD 16:9 (1920x1080)	Battery: Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
Audio
Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio
View all

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
Intel Core i7 860	Biostar T5 XE	Radeon HD 5870	Corsair 16GB
Hard Drive	Hard Drive	Optical Drive	OS
Western Digital hard drive wd1001fals-00e8b0	Maxtor 300GB	I don't need no stinking optical drive	Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Monitor	Monitor	Keyboard	Power
HP ZR24w 24''	Samsung SyncMaster 24"	logitech wireless k360	Seventeam ST-850ZAF 850W ATX
Case	Mouse	Audio	Audio
Thermaltake V9 Black Edition	Logitech G500 Programmable Gaming Mouse	FiiO E7 USB DAC and Portable Headphone Amplifier	Sennheiser HD555 Professional Headphones
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CPU	Graphics	RAM	Hard Drive
Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7-3630QM	nVidia GeForce GTX 680M	16GB DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)	Hard Drive: Serial-ATA II 3GB/s
Hard Drive	OS	Monitor	Power
Hard Drive: Serial-ATA II 3GB/s	Windows 7 Ultimate x64	17.3" FHD 16:9 (1920x1080)	Battery: Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
Audio
Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio
View all

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
Intel Core i7 860	Biostar T5 XE	Radeon HD 5870	Corsair 16GB
Hard Drive	Hard Drive	Optical Drive	OS
Western Digital hard drive wd1001fals-00e8b0	Maxtor 300GB	I don't need no stinking optical drive	Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Monitor	Monitor	Keyboard	Power
HP ZR24w 24''	Samsung SyncMaster 24"	logitech wireless k360	Seventeam ST-850ZAF 850W ATX
Case	Mouse	Audio	Audio
Thermaltake V9 Black Edition	Logitech G500 Programmable Gaming Mouse	FiiO E7 USB DAC and Portable Headphone Amplifier	Sennheiser HD555 Professional Headphones
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