Best thing to do is to use the partition tool that came with your HD. i
tried with 120GB and did it on the fly.
But be aware of the OS that you have, and in which platform you use the
tool.
If you have different OS partitions on your fixed HD, you have the
posibility to not to use your external one with all of them.
In my case it was the bundled bootable floopy who made all the job.

"SR" <srindler@da2.so-net.ne.jp> wrote in message
news:3f9f2c2d$1_3@cosmos.uncensored-news.com...
> I bought a 180 GB Hitachi/IBM hard drive, and now I am attempting the
> partitioning process.
> The HD is connected via an external USB2 case, and the OS is Windows XP.
>
> The "Computer Management" reports the HD as 128 GB   and
>
> Partition Magic shows it as 131 GB.
>
> 185.2 GB is written on the hard disk...
>
>
> Why do I get a wrong reading? What's the trick to solve this problem?
>
> Sigi
>
>
> PS:
> 7200 rmp, 8 MB cache, 16,000 Yen in Akihabara.
> An additional 3.5 inch USB2/IDE external case was 4,000 Yen.
> Entire combinations fro IO-Date, Buffalo offer 160 GB hard drives for
21,000
> Yen.
>
>
>
>
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