Partitioning Trouble

[rsvr85]

I want to delete my HP C:\ partition which has Vista installed on it, i have Windows 7 build 7100 installed on the Windows 7 A:\ partition.
I want to delete the C:\ partition and extend A:\ over it.
The system will not allow me to delete the C:\ partition, how do i do it?
Thanks in advance

http://i330.photobucket.com/albums/l406/rsvr85/Untitled-1.png

 

[torrentg]

Move your page file off of C: to H:.

Reboot. Then you should be able to format C:, then combine the two into one partition.

 

[YupYup]

You will need to do a startup repair after combining partitions.

 

[SIW2]

Hi rsv,


From your screenshot, C: is the System partition - it contains the 7 bootfiles.



1. First, make 7 (A) the System partition :

Go to Folder options, dot "Show Hidden Files,folders and drives" and untick "Hide protected operating system files".

You will see bootmgr and a yellow Boot folder on the C drive.

Copy them both to the A drive. ( It won't let you copy bcd - skip it).

Open an elevated command prompt and type:

bcdedit /export C:\Boot\bcd A:\Boot bcd

Go into Disk Management and rt click A and mark as active.

I assume 7 is the default boot option in the boot menu - open msconfig, click the boot tab, highlight the Vista entry and delete.

Reboot into 7.

You no longer need C.

2. You need a 3rd party partition manager to get the 7 partition into the lower address spaces on the left. It cannot be done with Disk Management.

You can use the "Move " function on Gparted boot cd - and do a startup repair to correct the bcd entry.

Or you can delete C and use the "Copy partition"function on the Paragon boot disc to copy A to what is now the unallocated space where C was - it will update bcd for you.

You will be able to boot into both the new copy, and the existing A partition.

To keep only the new copy, Mark it active, reboot and delete A. Then you can extend the new partition into the unallocated space on it's right.

 

[rsvr85]

@SIW2

What do you mean by "You need a 3rd party partition manager to get the 7 partition into the lower address spaces on the left. It cannot be done with Disk Management"?

 

[SIW2]

No, Disk management can not move anything to the left.

Unless you want to leave your 7 partition where it and the size it is - you need a 3rd party app.

Gparted is free:

http://sourceforge.net/project/down...&filename=gparted-live-0.4.4-1.zip&a=94605667

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/download.php

Full instructions here - it says Vista - instructions for 7 are the same - you need a dvd of 7 to do the startup repair afterwards:

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/using-gparted-to-resize-your-windows-vista-partition/

Make A the System partition before you move it.