Is your NTFS file system partition missing after you deleted a FAT partition using Fdisk utility? Are you unable to see and access NTFS file system partition on a dual-boot Windows computer? Well, this behavior may occur due to resource conflicts or side-effects of some Windows tools. It renders your Windows hard drive partitions unusable and stored files inaccessible. This behavior of Windows operating system leads to critical file loss situations and requires Windows file recovery to be fixed, if there is no valid backup in place.

When you boot Microsoft Windows XP computer in dual-boot configuration with Windows 98 or Windows 95, use Fdisk utility for deleting a hard drive partition using FAT (File Allocation Table) file system, and reboot MS Windows XP, when the logical drives are no longer available in Logical Disk Manager in MS Windows XP.

For instance, you may face this behavior when you do any of the below things:

You configured Windows computer as dual-boot between MS Windows XP and MS Windows 98/95 with FAT file system on primary partition. In MS Windows XP operating system, you created two drives- D:/ using the NTFS file system E:/ using FAT file system If you run the Fdisk utility, you can see only logical drives that use FAT file system (that has a volume label D from Fdisk however it is drive E in MS Windows XP) If you try to remove the D drive, you remove NTFS file system partition instead.

Cause

This behavior occurs because Fdisk utility can't recognize the NTFS file system partition as extended partition, and thus it removes NTFS file system partition when it appears before logical drive that is using FAT file system. Resolution

In order to perform file recovery by fixing this issue, you need to use the Logical Disk Manager for making some necessary changes to the logical drives if you've logical drives that use both NTFS and FAT file systems. The Fdisk utility is not suitable for this configuration.

However, if you have already lost your files, you must go for deleted file recovery solutions to get your valuable Windows files back. The file recovery software offer safe and easy recovery in all file loss circumstances.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery is the most trustworthy and powerful utility to safely recover all types of Windows files. It recovers lost, deleted, missing, or inaccessible files from exFAT, NTFS5, NTFS, FAT32, VFAT, FAT16, and FAT12 file system partitions. The software is compatible with Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, 2003, XP, and 2000.