Partition Question

GM2

GM2

GM2

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Hi

I have a 640GB HDD with Vista 64 and not much else loaded on it. Before I go much further I'd like to partition it.

Vista Disk Management is telling me it has a capacity of 596 GB with 574 GB free. OK so far.

But, when I select 'Shrink Volume', the most it will let me shrink it by is 288,679 MB, leaving C: as 321,808 MB - which is much bigger than I want it.

What's going on?!!

How can I shrink C: to about 50 or 60 GB?

Thanks
 
I don't have any experience with vista so i'm not sure this is the problem but have you tried defragmenting first? Might be a file located way out there somewhere preventing the partition from being shrunk past it (maybe not even at 300gb, the utility may leave a buffer zone after the last file).

Fairly sure partition magic had that problem last time I used it.
 
Thanks for the thought - I'll give it a go... but would have thought any files would have been moved as part of the process... but maybe not!
 
1st defrag after new install - 2 hours in and still going! Just using built in Vista defrag, but no programs added yet - so thought it would have been quicker than this...
 
OK - defrag's just finished, but made little or no difference to the number. Now the smallest ~I can go is 358,606 MB

What is stopping it going smaller? Only just over 30GB is being used.
 
Maybe there's still files out there? The minimum size changed so the defrag must have done something.

Try running defrag a few more times, it should be fairly quick now that you've done the bulk of the work already. Either that or repartition it first (killing the current install) and then reinstall.
 
Run 3 or 4 times more and the minimum size has changed by 2 MB (!) in total...

Hmmmm.

Perhaps I'll try another partitioner - unless someone has any other ideas? But that's enough for tonight!
 
GM2 said:
Run 3 or 4 times more and the minimum size has changed by 2 MB (!) in total...

Hmmmm.

Perhaps I'll try another partitioner - unless someone has any other ideas? But that's enough for tonight!
Click to expand...

Why not try shrinking it, then shrinking that partitioned space into a 3rd one then making the data volume big again? By extending the volume with the free space you have avilable?
 
Just a thought....

Could the fact I enabled AHCI in BIOS prior to loading the OS have anything to do with this?
 
AHCI is a host controller isn't it? I don't think it would affect how much size you were allowed to partition with it I'd thought. How did it go btw?
 
OK - just to update:

I shrank C: as much as possible - from about 600GB to about 300GB, rebooted, defragged, rebooted, repeated a couple of times... And was able to shrink it some more, but only by a whole 6MB (yes MB, not GB!).

So, at that point - as I'd only loaded the OS and drivers - I formatted and started again. This time with my brain engaged, so that I could partition as Vista loaded.
 
I did look at this - but it went a bit over my head - so, on the basis of get to grips with this, or just re-install, I took the easy option!
 
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