Active@ Parition Manager
USER MANUAL
ver. 23
Updated: 03 Feb 2023
Contents
Legal Statement.............................................................................................. 3
Partition Manager.......................................................................................... 3
Initialize new disk...........................................................................................4
Create partition...............................................................................................5
Change partition attributes...........................................................................8
Format partition............................................................................................. 9
Resize partition............................................................................................. 10
Rollback partition changes..........................................................................11
Advanced Editing..........................................................................................12
Edit boot sectors..............................................................................................................................................................................12
Edit partition table.......................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Hardware diagnostic file............................................................................. 14
Application log............................................................................................. 14
| Legal Statement | 3
Legal Statement
Copyright © 2023, LSOFT TECHNOLOGIES INC. All rights reserved. No part of this documentation may
be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any derivative work (such as translation,
transformation, or adaptation) without written permission from LSOFT TECHNOLOGIES INC.
LSOFT TECHNOLOGIES INC. reserves the right to revise this documentation and to make changes in content
from time to time without obligation on the part of LSOFT TECHNOLOGIES INC. to provide notification of
such revision or change.
LSOFT TECHNOLOGIES INC. provides this documentation without warranty of any kind, either implied
or expressed, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a
particular purpose. LSOFT may make improvements or changes in the product(s) and/or the program(s)
described in this documentation at any time.
All technical data and computer software is commercial in nature and developed solely at private expense.
As the User, or Installer/Administrator of this software, you agree not to remove or deface any portion
of any legend provided on any licensed program or documentation contained in, or delivered to you in
conjunction with, this User Guide.
LSOFT.NET logo is a trademark of LSOFT TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Partition Manager
Active@ Partition Manager is an advanced disk editing and formatting tool.
Partition Manager is an advanced disk utility that allows you to perform disk partitioning tasks, such
as creating partitions and volumes, formatting them, and assigning drive letters. Initialize raw disk, edit
partition tables and more.
Most of these changes to disk partitioning are recorded in dedicated backup files thus at any time these
changes could be rollback at certain point. See Rollback partition changes on page 11 for more
information.
General system requirements
• Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP
• Windows Servers 2003, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2019, 2022
• WinPE recovery environment
• Administrators privileges required to install and run software
• Intel/AMD processor
• 100 MB available on a disk
• 1GB MB of RAM
• Internet Browser
• Mouse or other pointing device
The main features of Partition Manager are:
• Initialize new disk (physical device) on page 4
• Create partition on page 5
• Format partition on page 9
• Resize a partition or logical drive (volume) on page 10
• Edit boot sectors on page 12
• Edit partition table on page 13
© 1999 - 2023 LSoft Technologies Inc.
| Initialize new disk (physical device) | 4
Active@ Partition Manager is a submodule of Active @ UNDELETE - advanced data recovery toolbox. For
more info just visit Active@ UNDELETE web site.
To open Partition Manager click Tools > Partition Manager in main application menu or use shortcut Ctrl
+M at any time when running Active@ UNDELETE.
Initialize new disk (physical device)
Physical Disks Initialization
To make disk accessible for application it needs to be initialized first by one of the following partition style:
• Master Boot Record (MBR);
• GUID Partition Table
DANGER: Do not initialize disk if you are about to recover lost data from it! Use Scan for deleted
partitions and files by their signatures to retrieve your files fist.
To initialize physical disk proceed as follows:
1. Select disk to initialize
In Partition Manager select not-initialized Disk (Physical Disk).
© 1999 - 2023 LSoft Technologies Inc.
| Create partition | 5
2. Open the Initialize Disk dialog
• From the Partition Manager toolbar click Initialize button or use command Actions > Initialize ...
from main menu;
• Right-click the selected item and click Initialize... command from the context menu.
Confirm disk selection and other options in opened dialog.
Figure 1: Initialize Disk dialog
Dialog options
Partition style
Select either MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT (GUID Partition Table) partition style.
Note: GPT partition style is not supported by older versions of Windows. It is recommended
for disks larger then 2TB. For all other purposes we recommend to use MBR partition style
Create typical bootstrap code
Default generic bootstrap code will be written if this option is on.
Clear primary partition table
Primary partition table records will be cleared.
Warning: It is highly recommended to not clear primary partition table in case of restoring
deleted or damaged disk partitioning.
3. Click OK to complete disk initialization
After disk initialization it should be visible and accessible in Partition Manager for other actions, such as
Create partition on page 5 and more.
Related tasks
Convert MBR and GPT disks
Create partition
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
To create new partition (logical drive or volume):
© 1999 - 2023 LSoft Technologies Inc.
| Create partition | 6
1. Select partition location
In Partition Manager select a disk (physical device) or unallocated space node.
2. Open the Create New Partition dialog
• From the toolbar click Create New Partition button or use command Actions > Create New
Partition... from main menu.
• Right-click the selected item and click Create New Partition command from the context menu.
© 1999 - 2023 LSoft Technologies Inc.
| Create partition | 7
3. Adjust dialog options
Use sliders to specify partition boundaries - offset and size. Mouse click on unallocated space will select
it to utilize all space available.
Figure 2: Create Partition dialog
Partition Geometry
Primary or Extended
Partition can be created as Primary partition (of number of available Primary partitions are not
exceeded) or as Extended partition.
Sector Offset
First sector of created partition. It can be set exact by numerical value entered in text box or by
moving left slider in Device View control;
Partition Size
Partition size can be set in megabytes or in sectors, depending on state of Measure in Sectors check
box;
Partition Geometry
Mark Partition as Active
Newly created partition will be set as Active Partition;
Assign Drive letter
For Primary Partition or Logical Drive on extended partition drive letter can be assigned from the list
of available in the system drive letters;
Format Partition [optional]
Volume label
Text label of partition (disk). This field can be blank
File System
Select file one of the supported file systems: FAT, FAT 32 or NTFS.
Unit Allocation Size
© 1999 - 2023 LSoft Technologies Inc.
| Change partition attributes | 8
Depending on selected file system and total partition (disk) size available allocated unit size may be
different. Default value of unit size is recommended.
4. Click Create button to create new partition
After partition created, it should appear in Partition Manager available for other actions like formatting.
Related tasks
Format partition on page 9
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
Change partition attributes on page 8
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
Edit partition table on page 13
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
Change partition attributes
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
To change logical drive (partition) attributes:
1. Select volume
In Partition Manager, select a logical drive (partition) node.
2. Open the Partition Attributes dialog
• From the Partition Manager toolbar click Change Attributes button or use command Actions >
Change Attributes from main menu;
• Right-click the selected item and click Change Attributes from the context menu.
Figure 3: Create Partition dialog
Select new drive letter from drop-down list of available drive letters and enter volume label if necessary.
3. Click OK to complete changes
After command is complete, volume item should appear in Partition Manager with new attributes.
Related tasks
Create partition on page 5
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
Format partition on page 9
© 1999 - 2023 LSoft Technologies Inc.
| Format partition | 9
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
Format partition
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
To format volume (partition):
1. Select volume
In Partition Manager select a Logical Drive (Partition) node.
2. Open the Format Partition dialog
• From the toolbar click Format button or use command Actions > Format... from main menu.
• Right-click the selected item and click Format... command from the context menu.
3. Adjust dialog options
Figure 4: Format Partition dialog
Dialog options
Volume label
Text label of partition (disk). This field can be blank
File System
Select file one of the supported file systems: FAT, FAT 32 or NTFS.
Unit Allocation Size
Depending on selected file system and total partition (disk) size available allocated unit size may be
different. Default value of unit size is recommended.
4. Click Format button to start formatting process
DANGER: All data on formatting Logical Drive (partition) will be lost! Backup all your valuable
data before formatting.
When formatting is complete, volume item should appear in Partition Manager with new attributes and file
system.
Related information
Partition manipulation
Rollback partition changes on page 11
© 1999 - 2023 LSoft Technologies Inc.
| Resize a partition or logical drive (volume) | 10
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
Resize a partition or logical drive (volume)
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
Existing logical drive (volume) can be extended to use unallocated space available right after that partition
or shrunk to utilize unused space. To resize Logical Drive (Partition):
1. In Partition Manager select a Logical Drive (volume) node.
2. Open the Resize Volume dialog:
• From the toolbar click Resize button or use command Actions > Resize... from main menu.
• Right-click the selected item and click Resize... command from the context menu.
3. Define new partition size
Using Resize Volume dialog to define new partition (volume) size
Figure 5: Resize Volume dialog
Dialog options
Resize options
Use radio buttons to expand to use maximum space available or shrink to last used cluster. Use
custom option to define exact new size of partition.
Note: Use device control drug'n'release feature to set approximate partition size.
Warning: Logical drive (volume) resize is not part of Rollback feature - all changes are final and
can not be undone.
4. Click Resize to complete changes
Related tasks
Change partition attributes on page 8
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
Related information
Partition manipulation
© 1999 - 2023 LSoft Technologies Inc.
| Rollback partition changes | 11
Rollback partition changes
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
Some critical partition layout changes made to a physical device are backed up by default. Users can
rollback these changes at any point by using the Rollback Partition Changes tool. These changes are:
• Initialize disk
• Create partition
• Format partition
• Delete partition
To open the Rollback Partition Changes dialog, do one of the following:
• From the Tools menu, choose the Rollback Partition Changes command.
• From the Tools tab in Command Bar, choose the Rollback Partition Changes command.
• For a selected physical device (disk) node use the context menu Rollback Partition Changes
command.
To rollback changes made to a physical device, select a restore point in the chronologically ordered list and
click the Roll Back button to complete the changes.
Related information
Partition manipulation
Disk editing
© 1999 - 2023 LSoft Technologies Inc.
| Advanced Editing | 12
Advanced Editing
Edit boot sectors
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
Primary Boot Sector and Copy Boot Sector (if applicable) can be edited and synchronized by individual
fields. Active@ UNDELETE provide "suggested" boot sector with most appropriate values for reference.
To Edit (synchronize) boot sectors:
1. Select logical drive (partition)
In Partition Manager or Recovery Explorer select a logical drive (partition) node.
2. Open the Edit Boot Sectors dialog
• From the toolbar click Edit Boot Records button or use command Actions > Edit Boot Records...
from main menu;
• Right-click the selected item and click Edit Boot Records... command from the context menu.
3. Edit boot sectors
Use radio buttons near the value fields to select and click OK button to confirm changes.
Figure 6: Synchronize Boot sectors dialog box
4. Click OK to complete changes
Related tasks
Edit partition table on page 13
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
Convert MBR and GPT disks
© 1999 - 2023 LSoft Technologies Inc.
| Advanced Editing | 13
Edit partition table
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
You can edit Disk system records (MFT, Boot sector etc.) by using specially designed forms.
To edit partition table:
1. In Recovery Explorer select a physical device
2. In Partition Manager select a physical device.
3. Open the Edit Partition Table dialog:
• Use command Actions > Partition Table... from main menu;
• Right-click the selected item and click Partition Table command from the context menu.
4. Change desired fields to appropriate values
Figure 7: Edit Partition Table dialog
• To discard all changes and restore all values to fields in the dialog, click Reset .
• To save all changes made in the dialog, click Save .
Warning:
Saving incorrect values might render the partition useless. You may not undo changes that you
make in this dialog.
5. Click OK to complete changes
Related tasks
Initialize new disk (physical device) on page 4
Physical Disks Initialization
Edit boot sectors on page 12
© 1999 - 2023 LSoft Technologies Inc.
| Hardware diagnostic file | 14
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
Hardware diagnostic file
Active@ UNDELETE is an advanced data recovery tool designed to recover data lost or deleted data, or
even information from formatted hard disks.
If you want to contact our technical support staff for help with file recovery, a file that contains a summary
of your local devices is helpful. Active@ UNDELETE allows you to create a summary listing file in XML
format. This data format is “human-readable” and can help our technical support staff analyze your
computer configuration or point out disk failures.
To create a hardware diagnostic file from the File menu, click Save Hardware Info As... command.
Note: To save time when contacting our technical support staff, we highly recommend that you
provide us with a hardware diagnostic file.
Related information
Application log on page 14
Application log
This log view monitors each action taken by the application and displays messages, notifications and other
service information. Use the messages in this screen to observe and further understand the flow of the
recovery process.
To open and activate Application log view do one of the following:
• From main menu choose View > Application Log or
• Use F8 keyboard shortcut at any time
Figure 8: Application log view
To prepare a log file, turn on Display Trace Events and Write Log on Disk options in the Application
preferences dialog.
It is best to save the log file to a physical disk that is different from the disk that holds the deleted data. By
doing this, you reduce the risk of writing over the data that you are trying to recover.
© 1999 - 2023 LSoft Technologies Inc.
| Application log | 15
View options
Log filter
Show or hide specific entry types in log view:
Log filter options
Show warning entries
Show non-critical warning entries
Show advanced entries
Show advanced entries related to application behaviour and data analysis
Show console entries
Duplicate console entries into main log view
Show system entries
Show entries related to operating system activity and state
Font size
Change size of mono-space font used in log view for better experience
Write log on Disk
Writes log entries in dedicated file on disk, located in application directory. Off by default.
Expand and Collapse
Expand or collapse all log entries respectively
Clear
Clear log for current application sessions
Tip: We recommend that you attach a copy of the log file to all requests made to our technical
support group. The entries in this file will help us resolve certain issues.
Related information
Active@ UNDELETE views and windows
© 1999 - 2023 LSoft Technologies Inc.
