Solved Expanding partition into free space - but it's not letting me?

[glyxom]

In a stroke of genuine, so-real-it's-true, lovingly human idiocy, I allotted myself a measly 50 GB for my Windows installation and program files! Naturally I wanted to extend this, but right ahead of the Windows partition on the drive was an Ubuntu install which took up the entire rest of the drive.

So I set to work, spending over four hours for gparted running from an Ubuntu Live session to shrink the Ubuntu volume to about half the entire size of the disk, then moving it to the end of the disk so that I might have some room to extend the partition. And, lo and behold, it still would not let me expand the Windows part! The listed maximum of 50 GB refuses to budge.

I am pretty good with computing, but partition management is beyond the end of my wits. Can you tell me how to resolve this problem? I'll pay you with hearty thanks!

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hello glyxom, welcome to Seven Forums!


Before we make any specific recommendations will you please post a snip/screen-shot of the entire Windows disk management drive map with a full description as to which drive/partition is which, so we can see what you have going on as there may be a fairly simple way to resolve the situation.

In the Windows start menu right click computer and click manage, in the left pane of the "Computer Management" window that opens click disk management and post a maximized snip of that.

How to Upload and Post a Screenshot and File in Seven Forums


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[whs]

With Disk Management, you can only extend a partition if the unallocated space is directly adjacent to the right of that partition.

The solution is to use the bootable CD of Partition Wizard (last entry on the webpage). But as a precaution, I would recommend to first image your partitions on the drive. If you make a false manipulation, you can loose those partitions.

Another option is to image the partition that is to the right of the C partition. Then delete that partition with Disk Management. Extend C and recreate a partition in the remaining unallocated space where you can dump the image.

 

[glyxom]

Here we go!

Disk 0 (C is clearly the bootdisk. The system reserved partition is in front claiming 100MB, then comes the Windows part. You can notice the green free space I created right after this part, as well as the grayed-out option to extend the volume. The next part is where I have Ubuntu installed.

Disk 1 (D is my personal documents, (E is a physical DVD drive, and (F is a virtual BD-ROM drive which is currently housing a CD ISO. I have no interest in manipulating either of them, but I can easily use D: to back up my current drive.

I will check out Partition Wizard and see if it can handle the job.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

As that "Free Space" is an Extended partition and you want to extend a Primary partition, they are not compatible; right click the Free Space and delete it then the C: should be able to be extended into the created unallocated space without issue.

 

[glyxom]

I tried, but I'm getting a infobox which says the following:

---------------------------
Disk Management
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There is not enough space available on the disk(s) to complete this operation.
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OK
---------------------------

 

[gregrocker]

Use the best partitioning tool for Win7, free Partition Wizard bootable CD, to Resize C into the space. The latest version of PW will allow you to resize into Unallocated (Primary) or Free (Logical) space interchangeably.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Your using Linux/GParted probably fouled everything up, I was concerned with that but it was worth a try, this may not be possible at all because if this.


Have a look at Option Three of this tutorial to first wipe and then delete the Extended partition Free Space so it will be converted into unallocated space that Windows can use.

Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD

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First download the Partition Wizard Bootable Disk (PWBD) ISO file to the desktop, be sure to get the PWBD and not the installed version; scroll down to see the download link for the Bootable CD ISO file at this link below.

Partition Wizard Free Bootable CD

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Then use ImgBurn to burn the ISO to a CD, at no greater than 4x speed with a verify; it was designed for use and works best from a CD rather than a DVD; then boot the created CD to make the changes, it doesn't take any input from the user to setup, just relax and let it load.

ImgBurn Free ISO Burning Software
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[glyxom]

I am very eager to use Partition Wizard but all I have right now is a USB stick; is there any way I can make a bootable device from that? I just tried copying the files to the device and booting from it but the computer did not recognize its bootsect.

 

[seavixen32]

I am very eager to use Partition Wizard but all I have right now is a USB stick; is there any way I can make a bootable device from that? I just tried copying the files to the device and booting from it but the computer did not recognize its bootsect.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2432-usb-windows-7-installation-key-drive-create.html

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Have a look at this to create a bootable stick.

USB Windows 7 Installation Key Drive - Create
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I'm curious, how does Linux 'see' that Free Space, Fat32 or Ext2/3 something like that (that is what I was concerned about) I have almost no experience with Linux.

 

[gregrocker]

Partition Wizard Bootable Flash Drive - Boot from USB Flash disk directly.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

I've just been looking around in PW boot disk and I see these options.

click to enlarge

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[glyxom]

That about sums up the failed procedure I used. I'll ask a friend if he's got a spare disc.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Be sure to post back with an update.

 

[glyxom]

That about sums up the failed procedure I used. I'll ask a friend if he's got a spare disc.

I forgot to note that this was in reference to creating the USB Partition Wizard boot disk using the diskpart command line interface, not the whole expansion procedure itself.

I ended up passing out last night and never got a chance to acquire a blank CD from my friend, who got in later than when I fell asleep, but word has it that he has "tons" of them, so I'm going to try again later today when he's back from work.

For your interest and curiosity, I have attached an image of what Ubuntu's gparted utility looks like, which as you can see shows the same configuration of partitions and free space (which it considers "unallocated"). It will also not let me expand the partition into that free space, particularly because this Ubuntu is running directly from my hard drive as opposed to being the "live" USB stick version.

Updates cannot come now but they will be forthcoming once the stars align.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

To me, I see (first) an Extended and then unallocated in GParted.

Can you use (is it possible) to use GParted to delete the Extended directly to the right of C:?

The first Extended to the right of C: is all part of the Linux partition structure, you may be SOL.

click to expand

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[glyxom]

Is there a chance I could back up my current Windows partition, delete it, then use that roughly 500 GB of free space to create a new NTFS partition and upload my backed-up data onto that partition? Or just somehow unassign that space from the Linux partition using Partition Wizard or a Ubuntu Live gparted session?

My guess is no to both questions, but I'm still welcoming your input.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

I have about as much time with GParted as I do Linux.


Will GParted shrink/resize the left side of this partition to create unallocated space there?

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[gregrocker]

Please post back a screenshot of Partition Wizard maximized drive map with listings. Tell us exactly what you want to do.