Re: newbie: how to repartition/resize hd

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

As a slight afterthought, while thinking about Virtual Machine software you might also like to take a look at this link from my website: http://vistasupport.mvps.org/creating_a_virtual_machine_with_vmware.htm

VM is an option and although VMware Workstation isn't free you can actually download Microsoft's VPC 2007 which is free. It doesn't have USB support like VMware Workstation but the end result is basically the same.


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John Barnett MVP
Windows XP Associate Expert
Windows Desktop Experience

Web: http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
Web: http://vistasupport.mvps.org
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"peter" <pm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:Ne2Jk.3535$ZP4.2166@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
John Barnett MVP wrote:
Vista does have tools to create/shrink/enlarge partitions but, while the process is relatively easy, you do need to know what you are doing. The tools are available by clicking the Start button and then clicking Control Panel. In control panel, Click the Administrative tools icon. When the administrative tools window opens, Click Computer management and then, in the next window, Click disk management. Right that's the easy bit.
I used the SCO Xenix tool "divvy" years, (decades?) ago...you had to be very careful with that one as there was NO conflict checking and no pretty graphs :)

To create a new partition you need 'unallocated space' Your C: drive is, as you say, 221GB in size and has 152GB free. Your next partition, the D: drive is a recovery partition, so leave that well alone. From the information you provided I am assuming, rightly or wrongly, that the C and D partitions take up 'all' of your hard drive space? So you don't have any 'unallocated space' left.

THIS IS CORRECT

? This means that you need to 'shrink'
part of the C: drive to give you some unallocated space;
yes, this is the term i heard used but thought it was jargon

sadly, though, Vista isn't very good at this.
MS does like providing power user or admin tools does it?


Personally I always prefer third party
partitioning software such as Acronis Disk Director to perform these tasks. I'm not sure what ca_thy suggested so I can't comment on the 'free-ware tool'
back on 10/13/2008 she offered this link
http://www.partition-tool.com/easeus-partition-manager/help/resizing-and-moving-partition.htm

On the your second point, a second disk drive is always useful but (there's always a but) you have a laptop which means you could only use a removable USB/Firewire drive and trying to install a second operating system onto a removable drive would only result in an error message saying that the procedure is not supported. People have done it, but it isn't as simple as one imagines.
my kid's friend has a similar HP laptop and it has 2 internal hd's (at least it show 2 discrete hd's in the disk management tab) so I thought I could add one.


Finally, the graphic display for defragmenter was removed from Vista because Microsoft believe it isn't necessary. Many people disagree.
I wonder why it is not an option...
If
you want a graphic display for defragmenting then you need to go for third party software - the best free defragmenter is Auslogic Disk Defrag (http://www.auslogics.com/disk-defrag/index.php)
this is familiar. I think I used this tool quite awhile ago

Some useful links from my websites:

http://vistasupport.mvps.org/install_windows_xp_on_machine_running_vista.htm http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_create_a_dual_boot_syst.htm
i took a look at these...are you from MS or a third party


Hope this helps
it does

thanks,
peter

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