Difference: 1. The primary partition is a disk partition that can guide the computer to boot up and read files. It is located in the front area of ​​the hard disk; while the extended partition is a pointer to the next partition. 2. The primary partition can be used directly and is mainly used to detect the correctness of the hard disk partition; the extended partition cannot be used directly.

The operating environment of this tutorial: Windows 7 system, Dell G3 computer.

Hard disk partitioning refers to dividing the overall storage space of the hard disk into multiple independent areas, which are used to install the operating system, install applications, and store data files. But before partitioning, you should do some preparation and planning, including how many partitions a hard disk should be divided into, how much capacity each partition should have, and what file system each partition is going to use. For some operating systems, the hard disk must be partitioned before it can be used, otherwise it cannot be recognized. Generally, for the convenience, ease and speed of file storage and management, it is recommended to divide the hard disk into multiple partitions to store different types of files, such as operating systems, applications, data files, etc.

After the hard disk is partitioned, three forms of partition status will be formed: primary partition, extended partition and non-DOS partition.

Primary partition

The primary partition is a relatively simple partition, usually located in the front area of ​​the hard disk, forming a logical C disk. The main boot program is part of it. This program is mainly used to detect the correctness of the hard disk partition, determine the active partition, and transfer the boot right to DOS or other operating systems of the active partition. If this program is damaged, it will not be able to boot from the hard disk, but the hard disk can be read and written after booting from the floppy drive or optical drive.

Extended Partition

The concept of extended partition is relatively complex and can easily cause confusion between hard disk partition and logical disk. The fourth byte of the partition table is the partition type value. The normal bootable basic DOS partition value larger than 32MB is 06, and the extended DOS partition value is 05. If you change the basic DOS partition type to 05, the system cannot be started and the data in it cannot be read or written. If you change 06 to a type that DOS does not recognize, such as EFH, DOS will think that the partition is not a DOS partition, and of course it cannot read or write. Many people use this type of value to implement encryption technology for a single partition. Restoring the original correct type value can restore the partition to normal. However, the extended partition cannot be used directly. It is used in the form of logical partitions, so the extended partition can be divided into several logical partitions. The relationship is that the former contains the latter, and all logical partitions are part of the extended partition.

The difference between the primary partition and the extended partition of the hard disk

1. Different references

Primary partition: also called the main partition The disk partition is located in the front area of ​​the hard disk and constitutes the logical C disk.

Extended partition: It is a pointer to the next partition. This pointer structure will form a one-way linked list.

2. Different characteristics

Primary partition: The partition cannot be divided into other types of partitions, so each primary partition is equivalent to a logical disk (at this point, the primary partition and the logical partition Very similar, but the primary partition is divided directly on the hard disk, and the logical partition must be created in the extended partition).

Extended partition: The starting position of the next partition (actually the next logical disk) can be found through the data of this extended partition. All partitions can be found by analogy with the starting position.

3. Different functions

Primary partition: The main boot program is part of the program. This program is mainly used to detect the correctness of the hard disk partition, determine the active partition, and transfer the boot right to the active partition. Partitioned DOS or other operating system. If this program is damaged, it will not be able to boot from the hard disk, but the hard disk can be read and written after booting from the floppy drive or optical drive.

Extended partition: The extended partition cannot be used directly. It is used in the form of logical partitions, so the extended partition can be divided into several logical partitions. The relationship is an inclusive relationship, and all logical partitions are part of the extended partition.

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