Windows 7: too many primary partitions

Hi,

My new HP came with Windows 7 installed. I would like to allow my computer to dual boot, but Windows 7 has already installed four primary partitions (SYSTEM, c: WINDOWS, d: RECOVERY, and HP_TOOLS). I am not sure what my options are. Can I merge two or three of the partitions? Is HP_TOOLS important? Can I delete it? Other suggestions? Any help would much appreciated!

Tyler

Hello tyme, and welcome to Windows Seven Forums!

The simplest solution would be to add a second hard drive.

For other options, could you take a screen shot of your Windows 7 Disk Management screen and attach it to a post?

Cheers!
Robert

Ok...

I'll consider getting a second hard drive! And attached is a screen shot of disk management.

Thanks!

Hello Tyme,

From that screenshot, you should be able to use Disk Management to extend the C: drive into the 400.43GB unallocated space to add it all to the C: drive for more free space.

Tyler;

I would suggest the HP_TOOLS is the least important. Check your documentation and see if HP facilitates creating a HP_TOOLS CD (and RECOVERY DVDs). If so, you could burn off the TOOLS CD and delete that partition.

Same thing with the RECOVERY. If you can burn some RECOVERY DVDs, you could also use that space.

Last, I like the 100MB/200MB system partition and would recommend you keep it. But you can get along without it. If you insist on removing it, let us know so we can go over the steps with you.

Please let us know if we help.

Cheers!
Robert

The C: Partition is home to Windows 7 OS and was originally extended into the entire unallocated partition. I shrunk that partition, creating the unallocated space that i would like to divide into two separate partitions, one to install a second OS and the other to create a storage partition that is accessible to both OS's. I would like the second OS to be located on its own primary partition! And I'm not sure whether the "storage" partition needs to be a primary or logical (or other) partition. The issue I'm encountering is that my computer was already pre-installed with four primary partitions (the max allowable). I would like to merge or delete one or two of them. I'm currently checking with HP as to whether or not I can backup/delete either the RECOVERY or HP_TOOLS partitions without affecting the SYSTEM or C: partitions (as per Roberts reply).

Tyme,

In this case, you can just right click on the unallocated space, and click on "Create New Simple Volume". Afterwards, you can install the second OS on that partition.

Ok,

So after two days of emailing back and forth with multiple HP techs there was little consensus between them as to whether or not I should delete either the recovery or the hp_tools partition, I made my recovery cds and deleted both of the partitions. Then installed Ubuntu one of those partitions and a "shared storage" disc on the other. So far there have not been any ill effects of deleting those partitions or installing a second OS.

When I tried to make a new simple volume with Windows disk management, a prompt informed me that I was going to change the basic volume to a dynamic volume and that I would not be able to boot from the disk... After that message, I decided not to
create the simple volume.

GParted (Ubuntu) did not seem able to create a logical partition where Ubuntu could be installed. It wanted to create my two partitions on primary partitions.

Thanks for your advice!

Tyler

One thing that is not well publicised is that Win7 and I believe vista does not need to be on a primary partition. as long as the boot partition is on a primary partition the OS can sit on a logical disk on an extended partiton.

I ran beta copies of Win7 for some time in this configuration

Very funny that HP ships PC with 400+GBs of unallocated space on the hard drive.

You need to create a partition using all or some of that unallocated space then format it. If you make 2 partitions, 1 for the Linux version you want to install, and 1 for storeage of files you will be able to do the dual boot