too many primary partitions

[tyme]

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

 

[iseeuu]

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

 

[tyme]

Ok...

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

Thanks!

 

[Brink]

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.

 

[iseeuu]

(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

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

 

[tyme]

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.

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).

 

[Brink]

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.

 

[tyme]

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

 

[Barman58]

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

 

[Shootist]

Ok...

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

Thanks!

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

 

[koec12]

Hey, I am having the same problem. I want to Dualboot Windows 7 (Current) and Windows 8 (I will test if I like it, so I might buy it later). But like you have...

-__- So, What did HP recommend. Just deleting the Recovery and HP_tools?

 

[bobafetthotmail]

As Barman said here, you can turn the disk C and the new disk for Windows 8 into extended partitions, as long as the SYSTEM partition is primary, everything should be fine.

 

[Slartybart]

HP_TOOLS contains the HP EFI utilities and a Quick Web OS on my dv6 laptop.
Recovery contains the Windows installation files (as well as all of the HP bloatware). You can and should create the Recovery discs from this partition using the HP tool provided.

I created discs and removed the Recovery part on my machine. Some people caution against removing this partition since it is a safer bet than discs. OEM mfgs don't give you much choice when they allocate all 4 parts.

You might want to use windows back up for D:\Recovery to a DVD, then create the HP recovery disc set and then delete it. This will free up one of the four parts so you can create an extended partition and logical drives in that.

You'll need to shrink your C:\ drive (150GB should suffice) - it depends on what's on your drive now.

Once you have unallocated space, you should be able to create an extended part, then logicial drives ( you might have to shrink the first logical drive in order to create more). Windows 8 - 100GB should give you more than enough room to play with.

DO NOT create a DYNAMIC volume. If you get this warning, STOP and post a disk management screen shot.