Shrinking Partition

OK just been to see about creating a partition for installing Windows 7 and I'm showing my ignorance here with not understanding all these figures so if someone can shed some light on it I would be grateful.

I'll be back later to check but this is what it tells me when I ask about shrinking.

Hi Joan,

Have a look here: Disk Management - Shrink Partition - Vista Forums

Brink said:

NOTE: The value in the Total Size Before Shrink box indicates the current size of the partition and the value in the Size of Available Shrink Space indicates the maximum size that you can allocate to the new second partition.

The top figure is your total disk space and the second one is showing the available amount you can set on the second partition, the third is how much space you want to give the second partition and the last one is showing how much space will be left remaining on your existing partition.

Sorry I should have been clearer I understand what the numbers are telling me, sort of, just not how they translate to GB size, meaning can I install Windows 7 on the figure shown or should I make it smaller and if yes by how much.
It's the converting MB to GB that I can't work out, sorry maths was never my subject

Hello Joan.


I don't do math either I use the calculator; there are 1024MB in a GB. A 20GB partition should be enough; but give it as much as you can. I have mine on 80GB.


I just did yours you have enough. 65.6GB











Later Ted

Thanks Ted it was the actual figure I couldn't work out when it was in MBs and didn't have the conversion figure but I went to the link in Dwarfs post and I've just come back after reading that and saw your answer.

Thanks again I should be good to go now but it will probably be Saturday when I get the chance to play about with all this.

Another thing after looking at a video for installing Windows 7 onto the new partition just checking if I have this right.
When I've shrunk the C: drive I just boot from the Windows 7 DVD and tell it to install to the unallocated space I've just made, I don't have to format or do anything else to the new space or do I ?

I'm not thick when it comes to computers and I've dual booted a machine before with XP and WinME but it was a few years ago and I can't remember it really and I was using Partition Magic when I did that

Hello again Joan.


Yes you're correct just do a "custom" as opposed to upgrade install and point it to the space you create and it will do the rest. After about twenty minutes you'll have your own little Windows 7 to play with.

Have you seen this?

Windows 7 Forums - How to dual-boot Windows 7 BETA on a Vista computer









Later :) Ted

Thanks Ted for clarifying, yes that was the video I had seen which made me ask

Hello Joan.

I'm going to put a couple things here so you have access to them when you need them.

First: Of course you know to type "msconfig" in the start menu start/search box to get here; when here, select Vista and click "Set as default" so that when you boot the machine Vista will start automatically without any input from you. Conversely, if you want to boot Se7en you will have to use the up/down arrows to select to start 7 and hit enter. It's better to have it this way for when you want to remove 7 later.

Here's another tutorial for later use.

Windows 7 Forums - Access your Vista partition in Windows 7 BETA

Take your time and enjoy!...




Later :) Ted

Thanks Ted, just a flying visit at the moment but fingers crossed this time tomorrow I should have it installed.

Been missing until after lunch but I've shrunk my drive so have just over 60 GB to use for the install and I've done an Acronis image of my new sized C: drive that holds Vista, so hopefully tomorrow I should be able to put my DVD into the drive and go