Linux Partitioning, A nightmare after reformat!!!!!!

[Tezux]

Hi guys, ok I just cannnot understand how Linux Partitons work, can someone explain this to me please. Heres what I have

1 x 20Gb / ext3 partition
1 x 2Gb swap ext3 partition
1 x 15Gb /home ext3 partition

Ok so this is how it should work, anything you copy into the /home partition
will not be deleted if you dont reformat that partition correct?
So I format only the 20Gb / ext3 partition which automatically decides it wants to format the Swap partition aswell, but we leave the /home partition alone (hoping any files i have in that will still be there after a reformat).
So now I reformat just those 2 partitions. It finishes, I reboot and check my /home partition after the reformat has completed and are my files still there? Noooooooo, they have been deleted. Why!!!!!!!!!!! I didnt reformat the /home partition. What am I doing wrong?

[devils casper]

Post the output of fdisk -l command here.

[Tezux]

I have added an extra drive aswell now and tried again and again but still erases my /home partition??????? Heres the output of fdisk -l

Weird, why does it not have my /home partition there, why does it do that?

bian:/home/tez# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 40.0 GB, 40020664320 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4865 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 4865 39078081 83 Linux

Disk /dev/hdb: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb1 1 4863 39062016 83 Linux
/dev/hdb2 4864 5106 1951897+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/hdb3 5107 9729 37134247+ 83 Linux

I cant understand this Linux Partitioning structure, soo weird?

[yancek]

Have you had it installed and working? Why are you re-formatting? What tool are you using to format? I assume you are referring to drive hdb? Which partition is root and which is home?

[Tezux]

Yeh my Linux Box works perfectly but I am just trying to figure out why after each time a reformat is done, the /home partition keeps getting ereased even though I dont reformat that partition.
I have reformatted over and over again just so I can figure out how to keep the /home partitons data and that I know it works before I install my data and wont lose it again if I reformat.
I am just using the Debian 4.013 DVD to do the format, u know just in the partitoning section.
Yes hdb is the drive. Just ignore hda for now, thats just a seperate drive i was going to use for storage for other stuff.
Good question, after it reformats it no longer says which partiton is which except the Swap, weird?
hdb1 is root and hdb3 is /home (well it used to be until the reformat i guess?)

Thanks for your help so far