Solved Disk partitioning help!

[marylushman]

Hello,

My current partitioning looks like this :Imagebin - A place to slap up your images.
If I erase D then instead of D it will show unallocated space, but I cannot merge with the other unallocated space chunk. Why?
The only thing I could guess is that the order matters(i can merge only two adjacent chunks), but a while back ago when I used to partition my hard disk with a bootable windows xp drive nothing like this has happened.
I would like to mention that the two partitions between D and the unallocated space chunk are ext4 and linux swap, and one of them contains linux. Here again, I would like to know which one are what?
Now, what I would like to do is have a partition where I could hold files that I could use from every OS and have an extra partition for each OS I have on my hard disk.
Also, googling about hard disk management does not help me much, I would like to know more precise what's happening there. Could someone recommend me a book?

 

[gregrocker]

Here is the correct way to post up readable screenshots here: Disk Management - Post a Screen Capture Image - Windows 7 Forums

Since you cut off the sizes used columns we don't know how much is used on each partition, but if the two middle partitions are Linux you want to keep then I'd Extend D partition easily with Partition Wizard CD - video help. This allows you to Extend a partition into any Unallocated or unused partition space even if its not adjacent.

 

[marylushman]

Sorry for not posting a correct screenshot of the disk management.
No, I was looking for a clarification of my questions.

 

[theog]

Delete the Logical Free Space.
How to & screenshots in this post:
http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/178280-error-0xc0000225-boot.html#post1514443

 

[AddRAM]

I would delete D and the free space, then make 1 partition out of all the unallocated space. Either Primary or Logical.

Use Partition Wizard if you want to make it a Primary Partition.

 

[gregrocker]

I see you deleted the Linux partitions. If all you want to do is extend D to the right then as Theog suggested delete the Logical Free Space in Disk Mgmt by right clicking on it to Delete Volume. Then extend D to the right by as much space as you'd like. To create a new partition in the space use Partition or Volume - Create New

But if you want to create more than a total of four Primary partitions, make the fourth one Logical so you can add as many adjacent Logical as you wish. Partition Wizard Create Partition - Video Help You're limited to four Primary.

 

[marylushman]

Thanks to all for your replies.
Since you've seen that I've deleted my Ubuntu partitions now I cannot boot windows 7.
Any ideas?

 

[gregrocker]

As long as the 200mb boot partition is still marked Active then run Startup Repair - Run up to 3 Separate Times

If Win7 won't start after running Repairs three separate times with reboots in between, then Mark C Partition Active and try again x3.

 

[marylushman]

Yeah, did everything as the article says, but it did not work.
I have three partitions : the 200 mb one, the one with windows and an empty one. I set all of them except the one with the windows as inactive and the one with the windows as active. Did it 3 times in a row, the third time it told me that it could not find any problem with the startup and that i should disconect something and try restarting again.(i think it refers to a situation when one would have something as a camera connected to a laptop).
Still the grub rescue stuff!

 

[Golden]

Hi,

The Windows MBR has been rendered useless when you deleted the Linux partitions. Use this tutorial to restore the Windows MBR:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/20864-mbr-restore-windows-7-master-boot-record.html

Regards,
Golden

 

[marylushman]

Thanks, Golden!
I just solved the problem using bootrec.
But now I have another problem, and that is:
In partition wizard I try to shrink c and extend d at the same time and it does this after restarting with partition wizard bootloader until 19 min and 10 sec have elapsed. And then it gives me a I/O Disk error, running status code : 24 (around 40% total). I have just checked for errors on the disk and only found 49 reparsed files(not sure what that is). I'll have to give it another go and see if this works.

 

[Golden]

Are you using the bootable version of Partition Wizard? If not, use that.

Shrink C: first, then lets look at your Disk Management screen.

Regards,
Golden

 

[marylushman]

Still, does'nt work.
@Golden
When I give the shrink command a window appears telling me that i need to stop all the processes using partition C so what it does is, it restarts and then Partition Wizard Boot appears and does it's work but crashes everytime about the same place when "Copying data". It also gives me "Error code 3". I could not find anything on google about that error.

Later edit: I've booted from a usb partition wizard boot and still the same thing.

 

[Golden]

You only have 98GB freespace on C: - by how much are you attempting to shrink by?

Do NOT use partition tools on C: whilst booted in Windows - you MUST use the bootable version.

 

[marylushman]

You only have 98GB freespace on C: - by how much are you attempting to shrink by?

Do NOT use partition tools on C: whilst booted in Windows - you MUST use the bootable version.

I tryed to shrink it by 50, it does not let you shrink it more thank 98GB. It does the calculations by itself.
Please check my previous post, I've put a picture with the error.

 

[gregrocker]

Use the Partition Wizard boot disk to Extend D partition easily into C with Partition Wizard - video help.

If this fails test your HD with maker's Hard Drive Diagnostics
extended CD scan, followed by another Disk Check with both boxes ticked. This will tell you the status of your HD which may be failing.

 

[marylushman]

When I boot from the usb a command prompt appears :
boot:________
I had three options, one of them was linux0. I typed that one and entered, then partition wizard appeared, not entirely sure whether it was the one from the stick.
Also, I would like to add the fact that I tryed to resize these partitions with gparted from linux.(canceled the process due to the fact that it was slow)

 

[marylushman]

@gregrocker
Still does not work, even if I use extend, and bootable too.
My laptop is a lenovo ideapad y560p. There is no hard drive diagnostics tool specially for this model but i've used Lenovo Memory Quick Test for Windows 8 (64-bit), 7 (64-bit), 2003 Advanced Server (64-bit) and 2008 Advanced Server (64-bit) - Desktops / Notebooks / Workstations and it gave me:

 

[gregrocker]

What I would do in that case is run CCleaner on C drive. CCleaner 3.19.1721 - FileHippo.com

Then do a Puran Boot Time Defrag with full Disk Check on C drive: Puran Defrag Download

Now boot Partition Wizard, rightclick C to Resize, slide right border to the left by as much as you want, click OK: Partition Wizard Move/Resize Partition Video Help.

Then rightclick D to Resize, drag left border to the left into the space you made, click OK, Apply both steps.

There is no reason this should not work as it covers every base to free up space and move System files off the right end of partition.

 

[marylushman]

@gregrocker
Followed your advice and it worked. Thank you!

More precise, i wiped the free space on C with Ccleaner, then used puran defrag(from boot).
I would still have some questions:
1) When defragmenting with puran I was shown 19% fragmented, then after the defragmenting process it shown 7% fragmented. Why didn't it defrag completely?
2)Again, when puran defragmenting, all was good until it reached the "Filling Gaps" part. It got stuck at 68% for 1-2 hours and then I canceled the process. Could someone explain to me what happened?
3) What does wiping free space mean?
4) Why when I ran the storage test I was given those errors from my previous post(pics)?
5) Why isn't puran defrag an equivalent to disk management defrag? Or is it?
And last but not the least could someone please refer me a book about the precise computer architecture? (e.g. What exactly is bios?, how does OS's fit in a computer and stuff) I can take google and hit a lot of forums but that's not satisfactory. It just makes you feel that you know, when you, actually don't.