Is it possible to have more than 4 primary partitions on a disk? If so, how do you create them? Using fdisk, it seems I'm limited to 4.

Thanks.

nope, just 4. and of course that means you can't have an extended partition. i think that technically it's all DOS's fault... you can happily run an entire linux distro in an extended partition though, no primary needed at all.

No; this is a limitation of the partitioning method.

The only way to have more than four partitions is to create one primary partition as a secondary partition; you can then create as many extended partitions as you like within that.

Under linux, extended partitions and primary partitions are treated exactly the same, except that secondary partitions have numbers greater than 4.

HI lyonsd,
NO Chance!

And to overcome it make three partitions as a primary and one as extended and in this extended create as many logical partition you want
Really thankful to linux for this modification over windows,but technically it is recommanded that you have the /boot partition on the primary,not comulsory but recommnaded.
Correction :except that secondary partitions may have numbers greater than 4.



NOW the most imprtant is why only four partitions:

See your primary partions info is always located in the MBR(always),along with the BOOTLOADER ok,it is in the format of a table like

--partition no-- start-- end--

and you know the MBR (generally first Sector of your hard disk is of size 512 bytes.)

So technically there is only space of 4 entries in the partition table in the MBR and hence only you have the limit of 4 primary partions.

Now the partition table for the extended partions is always located on the hard disk before starting location of extended partition (hence no limit of size).

I think I am clear enough


Thanks and Regards
Junaid