Q My system's 4GB drive is split into two partitions. Now that I've upgraded to Windows 98, I'd like to merge the two partitions into one. I have programs on both partitions, and Windows applications don't work if you move them from one drive to another. How do I merge the partitions without losing half of my programs?

A Windows 98's Drive Converter utility can safely convert each partition to FAT32, but it will not help you combine multiple partitions. Happily, PowerQuest's $169 PartitionMagic 3.0 enables you to take care of both tasks. Here's what to do:

1. Using PartitionMagic or Drive Converter, convert both partitions to FAT32.

2. Start PartitionMagic, shrink D: as much as possible, and expand C: to fill the free space.

Caption: You can merge multiple partitions into one by using PartitionMagic to resize drives and move folders

3. Reboot into safe mode: As the reboot process starts, press and hold down <F5> until the Windows logo appears.

4. Open Explorer and hold down <Shift> as you drag as many folders onto C: as will fit (moving them, not copying them). When you move folders, make sure you send them to locations on C: that correspond to where they were on D:. For instance, move D:\Office to C:\Office, not to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office.

5. If you can't fit everything onto C:, you'll have to re-enter PartitionMagic. This is complicated by the fact that you cannot go from safe mode to MS-DOS mode, which PartitionMagic must use to resize C:. The best solution is to restart Windows in the default mode. You'll get error messages as it can't find programs you've moved, but you can ignore these. Once you're in PartitionMagic, repeat steps 2 through 4 until D: is empty.

6. When no files are left on D:, re-enter PartitionMagic. Delete the D: partition, and expand C: to occupy the entire drive.

7. Reboot into safe mode as in step 3. Launch Drive Mapper, which you'll find in PartitionMagic's Start menu. The Drive Mapper wizard will help you change all references to D: into C: so that your programs will work properly.