HD Partitions don't extend


  1. Posts : 4
    Windows 7
       #1

    HD Partitions don't extend


    I recently made a 20gb partition from the C drive and called it the U drive. I needed another 10gb on U, so I shrunk C 10gb. When I right-click the U drive from Disk Management, "extend volume" is grayed out. Here's what I have now:

    DISK: 149.05 GB Online
    12.00 GB - Recovery Partition (Don't worry, I know not to touch this)
    SYSTEM RESERVED - 102 MB NTFS - Healthy (System, Active, Primary Partition)
    Windows (C) - 106.94 GB NTFS - Healthy (Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Primary Partition)
    10.00 GB - Unallocated
    Ubuntu (U) - 20.00GB NTFS - Healthy (Logical Drive)

    Thanks for any help!
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 7,730
    Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-Bit
       #2

    Windows 7's Disk Management will not let you extend to the left of your U partition, only the right.

    You could delete the UBUNTU drive, and then create a new partition, which would include the 10GB you took off C.

    Or you could get hold of third-party disk management software that will let you move the U partition, and then extend it or create a new partition on the 10GB unallocated space then merge it with the U partition.

    Acronis do trial software if you don't want to spend any money.

    BTW, it is always a big help if you post a screenshot of your Disk Management window just in case we're barking up the wrong tree.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 2,752
    Windows 7 Pro x64 (1), Win7 Pro X64 (2)
       #3

    mooseman said:
    I recently made a 20gb partition from the C drive and called it the U drive. I needed another 10gb on U, so I shrunk C 10gb. When I right-click the U drive from Disk Management, "extend volume" is grayed out. Here's what I have now:

    DISK: 149.05 GB Online
    12.00 GB - Recovery Partition (Don't worry, I know not to touch this)
    SYSTEM RESERVED - 102 MB NTFS - Healthy (System, Active, Primary Partition)
    Windows (C) - 106.94 GB NTFS - Healthy (Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Primary Partition)
    10.00 GB - Unallocated
    Ubuntu (U) - 20.00GB NTFS - Healthy (Logical Drive)

    Thanks for any help!
    Use Partition Wizard to accomplish anything partition related, including creating, resizing, etc.

    Download the free Partition Wizard Home Edition v6.0, which you can install and run under Win7. If you need to do something touching the C-partition, it will queue up the operation and ask you to re-boot, at which time it will come in pre-boot and finish the operations you had queued.

    Also download and burn the ISO for the Partition Wizard standalone boot CD. Same functionality as under Win7 (except you won't see Windows drive letters), but you can do things immediately even when they affect the Windows C partition.


    NOTES
    ----------

    (1) a hard drive can have no more than FOUR PRIMARY PARTITIONS (P1, P2, P3 and P4). You cannot allocate a fifth primary partition.

    (2) you can treat one of those four allowed primary partitions as what's called "the extended partition", inside of which you can sub-define any number of "logical" partitions (L1, L2, ..., Ln). Actually, as soon as you define your first "logical" partition that implies you've just defined one of your primary partitions to be the "extended partition", with the first "logical" partition L1 defined inside of it. Now you only have a maximum of three remaining primary partitions.

    (3) Since there can only be one "extended partition" on a drive, if you do have at least one "logical" partition defined that means you really have one "extended partition" (as one of your four allowed primary partitions) which includes that one or more "logical" partitions inside of it. You don't actually see the "extended partition" anywhere, except in the graphical representation (i.e. colors) of Partition Wizard. But it's there, believe me, as it is the technology which facilitates "logical" partitions to exist.

    (4) Because all "logical" partitions live inside of the one "extended partition", all "logical" partitions must be adjacent to each other... although there can also be free unallocated space interspersed between them. You can use Partition Wizard to re-size "logical" partitions, shrinking one and enlarging its neighbor for example, utilizing free space to create new "logical" partitions, etc. All of this is going on inside of the one "extended partition" and has no impact whatsoever on the up to three other primary partitions on the drive.

    (5) You can change and assign your own drive letters for all partitions except for C, regardless of whether they are primary or logical. Partition Wizard can do this (just as Win7's Diskmgmt can do it for you).

    (6) Given that there can only be one "extended partition" on a drive, with up to three other true primary partitions if you want, you cannot do complex operations of resizing and sliding partitions without taking into consideration whether you're working on the up to three primary partitions, or working on the "extended partition" with the sub-defined "logical" partitions inside of it. Partition Wizard understands all of this, and will either allow or not allow you to do something, based on the constraints and definitions I've explained above that rule how/where primary partitions exist, and what the "extended partition" is and what can be inside of it.

    (7) The small "system reserved" partition (which is both primary and "active", meaning the boot manager files are inside and that's where the BIOS boots) is one of those four maximum total primary partitions allowed.

    (8) You don't actually NEED a partition to be primary, except for that one "active" partition that the BIOS boots to. All other partitions can be "logical", as is really recommended when you create partitions on secondary hard drives. In fact, defining "logical" partitions rather than primary partitions even on your hard disk #1 primary hard drive is really a good idea, as it overcomes any limits of maximum number of partitions allowed, even on that first hard drive. Defining only "logical" partitions on secondary hard drives means the entire drive is now one single large primary "extended partition" and now any number of "logical" partitions can then be sub-defined inside of it, thus eliminating the "four maximum" limit on number of partitions you can define on a single drive. With "logical" partitions there is no limit.

    (9) If you have unallocated space outside of the "extended partition" (i.e. that surrounding boundary around all of your contiguous "logical" drives, from the first L1 through the last Ln as well as any "logical" unallocated space which may be present on the extreme left or right of the "extended partition" (perhaps created if you delete a previously allocated "logical" partition) or interspersed between "logical" partitions) and you want to make use of it, your choice is to either (a) add it to the true primary partition adjacent to it (thus increasing the size of that primary partition), or (b) add it to the "logical" partition at the left side or right side of the "extended partition" adjacent to it, depending on where that unallocated outside space is relative to the "extended partition" itself. If you use Partition Wizard to do these resizings to "annex" the outside unallocated space, it will understand exactly what has to be done in order to accomplish the operation you specify. This includes enlarging the "extended partition" size to include this outside unallocated space (which is now going to be inside the "extended partition), and then resize the proper "logical" partition to make use of this newly available unallocated space which is now part of the now enlarged "extended partition", if you specify that you would like to enlarge a "logical" partition by making use of the outside unallocated space immediately adjacent to it .


    ===>> use Partition Wizard.
    Last edited by dsperber; 16 May 2011 at 09:23.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 4
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #4

    I was hoping there was a simpler option, but I guess I'll move the U files to C and redo the drive as 30 gb. Thanks, I'll let you know when it finishes.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 7,730
    Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-Bit
       #5

    OK, post back if you hit any snags.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 2,752
    Windows 7 Pro x64 (1), Win7 Pro X64 (2)
       #6

    mooseman said:
    I was hoping there was a simpler option, but I guess I'll move the U files to C and redo the drive as 30 gb.
    I know I was a bit long-winded, but I felt explaining things fully would be helpful.

    If you use Partition Wizard instead of Win7's DISKMGMT, I believe you will be able to accomplish exactly what you want to accomplish... using one single operation request: to enlarge U.

    Today, your U partition is "logical", meaning there is an "extended partition" surrounding it. At the moment there is only one "logical" partition inside of that "extended partition" and there is no free unallocated space WITHIN that "extended partition".

    Your 10GB currently "unallocated" space is actually outside of the "extended partition", immediately to the left of the "extended partition" and just to the right of your C partition. It's just sitting there, available for use either to re-enlarge C by 10GB to its right, or to enlarge the "extended partition" by 10GB to its left.

    If you use Partition Wizard and "resize U" to include that extra 10GB to its left, Partition Wizard will understand that your objective can be accomplished by (1) enlarging the "extended partition" by 10GB, absorbing that unallocated space to the left of the "extended partition" to become part of the "extended partition" (thus now residing at the extreme left 10GB of the newly enlarged "extended partition'), and then (2) resizing the logical U partition by 10GB to the left, enlarging it to include the now present "interior unallocated 10GB" space that is now part of the enlarged "extended partition".

    All this is done automatically for you, with one operation of "resize U to be 10GB larger". What could be easier than that? Just use Partition Wizard.

    You will end up with exactly what you want:

    DISK: 149.05 GB Online

    (1) Primary partition P1: 12.00 GB - Recovery Partition

    (2) Primary partition P2: SYSTEM RESERVED - 102 MB NTFS (active)

    (3) Primary partition P3: Windows (C) - 106.94 GB NTFS

    (4) Primary partition P4: "extended partition" 30GB
    Logical partition L1: Ubuntu U 30GB NTFS
    Whatever you decide to do, be sure to backup any critical data first so as not to risk losing it in case the electricity goes out during the surgery.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 4
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Thanks for your help, I already moved my files, deleted, and re-partitioned.

    @dsperber
    Thanks for your detailed posts! I'm not sure what you meant by "to include that extra 10GB to its left" The extend volume was grayed out. Can you please explain so I know for next time?

    Thanks!

    By The Way, I don't have a working disk drive at the moment.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 2,752
    Windows 7 Pro x64 (1), Win7 Pro X64 (2)
       #8

    mooseman said:
    Thanks for your help, I already moved my files, deleted, and re-partitioned.
    In the end that's really the goal. So if you ended up with what you wanted to using whatever approach you ended up using, then it's "case closed".

    And that's good.


    @dsperber
    Thanks for your detailed posts! I'm not sure what you meant by "to include that extra 10GB to its left" The extend volume was grayed out. Can you please explain so I know for next time?
    You continue to think in terms of Win7's DISKMGMT (disk management) functionality. It can't do certain things that Partition Wizard can. That's why I urged you to use this really terrific program to solve your partitioning objective.

    Your current setup is:

    DISK: 149.05 GB Online

    (1) Primary partition P1: 12.00 GB - Recovery Partition

    (2) Primary partition P2: SYSTEM RESERVED - 102 MB NTFS (active)

    (3) Primary partition P3: Windows (C) - 106.94 GB NTFS

    Unallocated space: 10GB

    (4) Primary partition P4: "extended partition" 20GB
    Logical partition L1: Ubuntu U 20GB NTFS
    As things stand right now, that "unallocated space" of 10GB is TO THE LEFT OF, AND OUTSIDE OF, the current "20GB "extended partition" which contains the imbedded 20GB "logical" U partition.

    By asking Partition Wizard simply to "enlarge U, to annex the 10GB unallocated space to its left" (which again, is currently OUTSIDE OF AND TO THE LEFT OF the current 20GB "extended partition"), the obvious course of action which Partition Wizard will take is as follows:

    (a) enlarge the current 20GB "extended partition" by moving its left boundary 10GB to the left, thereby absorbing the current 10GB unallocated space which is currently OUTSIDE of the "extended partition". Now, that 10GB will be INSIDE of the "extended partition", at the left boundary of the interior.

    Following this now 10GB of new INTERIOR unallocated space inside of the "extended partition", is your existing 20GB "logical" U partition. So the total "extended partition" is now 30GB, starting with 10GB of INTERIOR unallocated space, and then the currently 20GB "logical" U partition.

    (b) resize "logical" U, by moving its lower boundary 10GB to the left, to absorb all of that 10GB INTERIOR unallocated space. It's now just grown by that 10GB, and so is now 30GB and occupies the entire now 30GB "extended partition". There will once again be zero INTERIOR unallocated space, since that 10GB has been used to enlarge U to the 30GB objective.


    And you end up with my chart of the previous post:

    (1) Primary partition P1: 12.00 GB - Recovery Partition

    (2) Primary partition P2: SYSTEM RESERVED - 102 MB NTFS (active)

    (3) Primary partition P3: Windows (C) - 106.94 GB NTFS

    (4) Primary partition P4: "extended partition" 30GB
    Logical partition L1: Ubuntu U 30GB NTFS
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 4
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #9

    You continue to think in terms of Win7's DISKMGMT (disk management) functionality. It can't do certain things that Partition Wizard can. That's why I urged you to use this really terrific program to solve your partitioning objective.
    I see what you're saying. I'd rather not use a 3rd party utility, but I now see how it would be easier. I have the 30GB partition now, so I'll remember for next time.


    Thanks!
    Mooseman
      My Computer


 

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