Reference number: CH000348

Save to file / partition information.

Issue:

Save to file / partition information.

Additional information:

Laptops with Windows 3.x, 95, 98 and NT generally will include a save to file or partition utility.  These utilities allow the laptop to save information to a file or a partition and may vary depending upon the BIOS the computer has.

Users who have the Phoenix BIOS will have PHDISK utility. The PHDISK utility was one of the first utilities used to save information to a special NON-DOS partition on the computer. Users with PHDISK will generally have a hidden or MS-DOS partition. This partition is created based off the amount of memory in the computer. 

Users who have the AMI BIOS will have the HDPREP utility. The HDPREP utility saves to a file located on the hard disk drive and not a partition as PHDISK does. This file is generally located in a the root of the C: drive.

Note: Microsoft Windows XP comes with it's own solution for doing this. These utilities are no longer needed for this release of Windows as well as future releases.

Solutions:

Below is a listing of various solutions to issues and information relating to phdisk and hdprep.

After adding additional memory, receiving PHDISK / HDPREP or save to file error

Because the partition and/or file is created based off the amount of memory installed in the computer at the time the software is installed, it is possible for errors to occur because the PHDISK partition or HDPREP file is too small.

If, after adding additional memory, you encounter errors relating to PHDISK or HDPREP, it is recommended that you reinstall or setup the partition or hard disk drive again.

After upgrading to Windows 98 and/or FAT32 or Windows NT and NTFS, encounter errors

It may be required that a BIOS update and/or updated PHDISK / HDPREP be obtained. Contact the computer manufacturer for these updates.

Note: BPB error is also caused by PHDISK when the incorrect PHDISK version is being used in conjunction with FAT32.

After installing Windows 2000 receive issues with PHDISK / HDPREP

Windows 2000 has its own save to file utility and because of this, it may cause issues with the pre-existing utility. Because Windows 2000 has its own utility it is recommended that you disable or remove the pre-existing utility.  It may also be necessary to update the computer BIOS as well.

Errors with phdisk after installing third-party disk management utility

If, after installing or using a third-party disk management utility, such as partition magic, encounter issues with phdisk; either the third-party disk management utility will need to be installed or upgraded to the latest version, or the save to file utility will need to be disabled on the laptop.

How to update or install phdisk

Below is a listing of steps on how to install or update phdisk. It is important to note that the laptop computer BIOS must be a Phoenix BIOS with support for Phdisk. In addition, if 100% of the hard disk drive is being utilized, you will be unable to create a PHDISK partition. PHDISK requires that a percentage of the hard disk drive be available for the partition to be created.

To determine if the hard disk drive is utilizing 100% of the hard disk drive use fdisk and display the partition information.

1. Install or locate PHDISK on the hard disk drive. PHDISK will generally be PHDISK.EXE or M2PHDISK.EXE. If you do not have PHDISK it is recommended it be downloaded from the computer manufacturer's web site.
2. If not already verified, ensure that available partition space is available for the PHDISK partition.
3. Once located, type PHDISK /CREATE <SIZE>
   The <SIZE> is the size of the partition that will be created using PHDISK. This size is generally determined in KB but in some cases may also be configured in MB.

Additionally, if your computer originally came configured with PHDISK already configured and has manufacturer software such as a restore CD or diskettes, reinstalling this software will also restore the PHDISK partition.

If you are unable to create this partition using PHDISK or restoring the computer with the restore software does not resolve the issue, it is recommended that you contact the computer manufacturer, or you may want to consider disabling the save to file / partition option. 

How to update or install hdprep

Below is a listing of steps on how to install or update HDPREP save to file option. It is important to note that the laptop computer BIOS must be an AMI BIOS with support for HDPREP. Unlike PHDISK, HDPREP information is stored in a file and not a partition.

1. Install or locate HDPREP on the hard disk drive. HDPREP will generally be HDPREP.EXE. If you do not have HDPREP it is recommended it be downloaded form the computer manufacturer's web site. 
2. Verify that the hard disk drive has at least 150MB of available disk space before creating the HDPREP file.
3. Once HDPREP is located or installed, type HDPREP /CREATE   Once typed you will be prompted with instructions on where to store the file as well as how big the file should be.

Additionally, if your computer originally came configured with HDPREP already configured and has manufacturer software such as a restore CD or diskettes, reinstalling this software will also restore the HDPREP file.

If you are unable to create this partition using HDPREP or restoring the computer with the restore software does not resolve the issue, it is recommended that you contact the computer manufacturer, or you may want to consider disabling the save to file / partition option.

How to disable save to file / partition

To disable the save to file option, enter the computer CMOS and locate "Save to File" generally located under the Power menu. Set this option to disabled.

If this is not available or does not resolve the issue, disable all Power Management.

If the above recommendations do not disable the save to file / partition option and/or you continue to receive errors relating to Save to File, it is recommended that you contact the computer manufacturer for additional recommendations or solutions.

Can I upgrade to hdprep from phdisk?

Because these utilities are dependent on the computer BIOS you cannot upgrade from phdisk to hdprep or from hdprep to phdisk.

In addition, if your laptop did not support PHDISK or HDPREP unless there is an available BIOS update you cannot upgrade to PHDISK or HDPREP.