Can't merge partitions

[cadlewv]

Hello. I had a dual boot set up with Ubuntu and XP Pro. I used the Recovery Console to fixboot and fixmbr, then deleted the Ubuntu partition (10GB off of my system partition). I'm not sure what I did, probably just wasn't paying attention, but i deleted the partition Windows was installed on as well, rendering my machine unable to boot. I fixed it by using a third party program to rewrite the partition tables. But now, when going in with acronis disk director, it will -not- merge partitions. There are a couple of errors about not being able to read this or that. I did format the unallocated 10GB using NTFS.

Any ideas?

[shadowpr]

So you have window on one partition and the second partition is blank now?

Or are they both blank now?

[cadlewv]

no, windows is installed on one, and the 10GB partition is blank, formatted as NTFS... funny thing is that i merged them with disk director and it showed correctly, then all of a sudden now shows separated again, and i can't join them. also now, when i sit down when it's gone to the screensaver, it's very slow to allow me to be able to click on my username to type in my password and log in. it's ok once i log in... fast as usual, but upon first access, it's mighty slow.

[glc]

Delete the blank partition, then resize the other one. 2 separate steps. Merging is a shortcut way of doing it that doesn't always have the desired results. I will *NEVER* merge partitions.

[cadlewv]

Ok, I've done all but resize the partition... and that's because I keep getting an error of such: 'Failed to read from the sector 117,287,733 of the hard disk 1'... if i ignore the first one, i get more and more of them... running chkdsk and scandisk now....

[glc]

I think you have a failing hard drive. Run manufacturer's diagnostics on it.

[cadlewv]

that's what i figured... what do you think about Western Digital's 'Green' hard drive? I'm looking at a 500GB. Also, if I get it, it will have a 16MB cache... my 200GB only has an 8MB cache. What I've done in the past is keep the smaller drive as my system drive, and the larger one as my 'files' drive. But because of the cache size, I'm tempted to use the newer drive as my system drive, and partition about 100GB as my system partition. How would you prefer your setup if you had these two drives and why, if you have the time to explain.

[cadlewv]

Did the diagnostics from maxtor and it confirmed the drive is failing.