Unknown Partition - Vista>XP

So I'm switching back to WindowsXP Pro from Vista x32. My drive is sectioned off into two partitions of roughly equal size.

I backed up everything I wanted to keep onto the secondary partition, and booted to my WindowsXP Pro install CD. It shows my primary partition as NTFS, which is fine, but my secondary partition, which I have all my backed up software, is [UNKNOWN].

I've seen this before, unfortunately (second time I've switched back to Vista, different computers.) and realized once I got into WindowsXP, I couldn't access the secondary partition -- WindowsXP ignores it.

Any ideas how I can get this shit to be recognized in WindowsXP? I don't feel like re-downloading all that stuff, plus I have no DVD Burner, and I have about 30GB backed up onto that partition.

Thanks in advance.

Protip: don't store backups on encrypted partitions if you're going to be formatting the partition that has the key on it.

I see, so it's encrypted. That makes sense -- however I thought it had something to do with the file system Vista appends to the partition, which is apparently HPFS from the looks of it. From what I understand WindowsXP is unable to recognize that file system.

So would a decent solution to this problem be to install a seperate hard drive and copy my files onto there? Or would Vista render it unreadable as well?

Time to test it I guess.

>>3
Vista can't read HPFS either. Windows Me was the last Windows to sort of have HPFS support.
Copying the files to another partition of drive should be fine, assuming it's formatted as NTFS or one of the FATs.

>>4
Didn't work unfortunately. WindowsXP simply would not recognize the partition. Maybe it was encrypted as >>2 suggested, however I don't know how that would have happened, unless it was part of Vista's default security features.

And I always install WindowsXP on a NTFS filesystem.

I got around this bump in the road by installing a secondary hard drive that had already been pre-formatted elsewhere, and copied all my files to there from within Vista. Worked like a charm as expected. Still annoying though to go jumping through hoops like that.

protip: Dont use Vista unless you want to jump through flaming hoops

>>6
THIS