To add to Peter's input below, FDISK in Windows/DOS and fdisk in Linux are
operating system specific.  Windows FDISK is limited to making Windows
9.x/DOS partition types only.  Linux fdisk has the ability to create Native
Linux partitions and a whole bunch of other partition types, including DOS
partitions.

Linux fdisk comes in handy on a hard drive with multiple operating systems
on it.  For example, if you have Windows and Lunix on the same hard drive
and decide to remove Linux, you use Linux fdisk (off of a boot floppy or
installation cd) to change the Linux Native partitions back to DOS
partitions.  After changing the old Linux partitions to DOS partitions, you
can boot up Windows in SafeMode and use the Windows FDISK to delete and
recreate the partitions under DOS.  Windows renames the partitions D:, E:
(this will depend upon your exixting hardware configuration).   If you know
the name of the non Windows operating system, then you are better able to
choose the partition type when using Linux fdisk.

I've never used the DELPART.EXE program that Michele found on the Net.  It
sounds good.  None the less, if you value your data, it's always best to
back it up before fooling with disk partitioning and formatting utilities.

P.S.  Michele later told us that the C: partition was 3.8GB, not 2 GB.

Orig. msg. from Peter to:
>Michele,

>Based on your description, I don't know whether the problem was with Linux
>FDISK or with understanding how to use it. It may be appropriate to mention
>also that there are actually three versions of FDISK utilities under Linux.
>They are sort of "simple", "average", and "expert". The expert version does
>a lot, but is rather cryptic to use.

>A little information on partitions may be appropriate here also. A
partition
>table on a hard disk is a standard area that all manufacturers somehow
>agreed to use as an identifier of how the disk is being used. The partition
>table may contain up to 4 partitions. A partition can be primary or
>extended. There can be only one extended partition per partition table. An
>extended partition can contain logical drives. To delete an extended
>partition, it is necessary to first delete the logical drive, and then
>delete the partition itself. Thus, it is a two step process for an extended
>partition with a logical drive.

>Hope this helps explain some of the partition magic (pun intended).

>Peter

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