Trouble with extending partition

Hey all, I hope this is the right forum for my question, but feel free to
direct me elsewhere if not.

I posted this question on another Vista forum but, despite other posters'
efforts, I could not solve the problem. So I hope I have more luck here.
Simply, the trouble I'm having is that I need to extend a partition on my
HDD. When I first created the partitions when I put the computer together, I
didn't leave enough space on the partition that holds the OS, because I
forgot that it would need room in the future for things like updates. So,
when I tried to install Service Pack 1, I found that there was not enough
space for it.

For some reason, the disk management utility will not allow me to extend
that particular partition, even though I definitely have free space on the
drive. (Just to make sure of that, I've shrunk other partitions and then
tried to add that now-free space to the OS partition, but still no luck.) I
really have no idea what else to try, because I'm not all that technically
savvy to begin with...

Let me know if I can provide any more details to help with an answer. Thanks
for reading.

There is no way for diskmgmt.msc to push the C: out until the 'extended'
partition is deleted. You might be enough geek to use Achronis (or whatever
backup) to stash your partition data elsewhere and rearrange the available
space on your drive to proportion it as you prefer. Not a task for the faint
of heart.
Let's assume for a second I was doing this. I have original media in hand to
boot to the 'recovery' screen, I own a second drive, or a burner with a
passel of writable disks. My version of Vista includes "Complete PC Backup"
(or I master the use of a good backup or mirror app like Achronis) and I'm
feeling especially brave today
I would:
Make a backup that will be available from the 'recovery' boot up.
Wipe out my drive
Repartition
Boot to install media recovery screen
Restore from backup.
(Promise myself to Never own another system without a second hard drive)
--
Was this helpful? Then click the Ratings button. Voting helps the web
interface.
http://www.microsoft.com/wn3/locales...eAPostAsAnswer
Mark L. Ferguson
..

"jmarsico" <> wrote in message
news:637F31FB-3A1E-4976-AB48-...
> Hey all, I hope this is the right forum for my question, but feel free to
> direct me elsewhere if not.
>
> I posted this question on another Vista forum but, despite other posters'
> efforts, I could not solve the problem. So I hope I have more luck here.
> Simply, the trouble I'm having is that I need to extend a partition on my
> HDD. When I first created the partitions when I put the computer together,
> I
> didn't leave enough space on the partition that holds the OS, because I
> forgot that it would need room in the future for things like updates. So,
> when I tried to install Service Pack 1, I found that there was not enough
> space for it.
>
> For some reason, the disk management utility will not allow me to extend
> that particular partition, even though I definitely have free space on the
> drive. (Just to make sure of that, I've shrunk other partitions and then
> tried to add that now-free space to the OS partition, but still no luck.)
> I
> really have no idea what else to try, because I'm not all that technically
> savvy to begin with...
>
> Let me know if I can provide any more details to help with an answer.
> Thanks
> for reading.

"jmarsico" <> wrote in message
news:637F31FB-3A1E-4976-AB48-...
> Hey all, I hope this is the right forum for my question, but feel free to
> direct me elsewhere if not.
>
> I posted this question on another Vista forum but, despite other posters'
> efforts, I could not solve the problem. So I hope I have more luck here.
> Simply, the trouble I'm having is that I need to extend a partition on my
> HDD. When I first created the partitions when I put the computer together,
> I
> didn't leave enough space on the partition that holds the OS, because I
> forgot that it would need room in the future for things like updates. So,
> when I tried to install Service Pack 1, I found that there was not enough
> space for it.
>
> For some reason, the disk management utility will not allow me to extend
> that particular partition, even though I definitely have free space on the
> drive. (Just to make sure of that, I've shrunk other partitions and then
> tried to add that now-free space to the OS partition, but still no luck.)
> I
> really have no idea what else to try, because I'm not all that technically
> savvy to begin with...
>
> Let me know if I can provide any more details to help with an answer.
> Thanks
> for reading.


Acronis Disk Director is what you need. It will do the job painlessly..

www.acronis.com

--
Mike Hall - MVP
How to construct a good post..
http://dts-l.com/goodpost.htm
How to use the Microsoft Product Support Newsgroups..
http://support.microsoft.com/default...help&style=toc
Mike's Window - My Blog..
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/default.aspx

Thanks for the quick answer. You sound like you have the right idea, but I'm
not confident enough in my technical skills to go for it without a more
detailed guide...do you think you could direct me to one? I couldn't risk
messing something up with this computer, especially at this moment because I
rely on it daily for schoolwork, so I'm going to try to be very cautious
about things.

Mike Hall-
I read up on that utility, read a review for it, and was very happy that
there was something like that out there...until I saw that it's not free. Heh
heh. I don't have the cash to spend on something like that for what would
hopefully be a one-time use. A good idea, though, so thanks for suggesting it.

"Mark L. Ferguson" wrote:

> There is no way for diskmgmt.msc to push the C: out until the 'extended'
> partition is deleted. You might be enough geek to use Achronis (or whatever
> backup) to stash your partition data elsewhere and rearrange the available
> space on your drive to proportion it as you prefer. Not a task for the faint
> of heart.
> Let's assume for a second I was doing this. I have original media in hand to
> boot to the 'recovery' screen, I own a second drive, or a burner with a
> passel of writable disks. My version of Vista includes "Complete PC Backup"
> (or I master the use of a good backup or mirror app like Achronis) and I'm
> feeling especially brave today
> I would:
> Make a backup that will be available from the 'recovery' boot up.
> Wipe out my drive
> Repartition
> Boot to install media recovery screen
> Restore from backup.
> (Promise myself to Never own another system without a second hard drive)
> --
> Was this helpful? Then click the Ratings button. Voting helps the web
> interface.
> http://www.microsoft.com/wn3/locales...eAPostAsAnswer
> Mark L. Ferguson
> .
>
> "jmarsico" <> wrote in message
> news:637F31FB-3A1E-4976-AB48-...
> > Hey all, I hope this is the right forum for my question, but feel free to
> > direct me elsewhere if not.
> >
> > I posted this question on another Vista forum but, despite other posters'
> > efforts, I could not solve the problem. So I hope I have more luck here.
> > Simply, the trouble I'm having is that I need to extend a partition on my
> > HDD. When I first created the partitions when I put the computer together,
> > I
> > didn't leave enough space on the partition that holds the OS, because I
> > forgot that it would need room in the future for things like updates. So,
> > when I tried to install Service Pack 1, I found that there was not enough
> > space for it.
> >
> > For some reason, the disk management utility will not allow me to extend
> > that particular partition, even though I definitely have free space on the
> > drive. (Just to make sure of that, I've shrunk other partitions and then
> > tried to add that now-free space to the OS partition, but still no luck.)
> > I
> > really have no idea what else to try, because I'm not all that technically
> > savvy to begin with...
> >
> > Let me know if I can provide any more details to help with an answer.
> > Thanks
> > for reading.
>

Best Practices for partitioning a Hard Disk:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...partition.mspx

--
Mark L. Ferguson
..

"jmarsico" <> wrote in message
news:CA2DCDCC-4DCD-461F-B152-...
> Thanks for the quick answer. You sound like you have the right idea, but
> I'm
> not confident enough in my technical skills to go for it without a more
> detailed guide...do you think you could direct me to one? I couldn't risk
> messing something up with this computer, especially at this moment because
> I
> rely on it daily for schoolwork, so I'm going to try to be very cautious
> about things.
>
> Mike Hall-
> I read up on that utility, read a review for it, and was very happy that
> there was something like that out there...until I saw that it's not free.
> Heh
> heh. I don't have the cash to spend on something like that for what would
> hopefully be a one-time use. A good idea, though, so thanks for suggesting
> it.
>
> "Mark L. Ferguson" wrote:
>
>> There is no way for diskmgmt.msc to push the C: out until the 'extended'
>> partition is deleted. You might be enough geek to use Achronis (or
>> whatever
>> backup) to stash your partition data elsewhere and rearrange the
>> available
>> space on your drive to proportion it as you prefer. Not a task for the
>> faint
>> of heart.
>> Let's assume for a second I was doing this. I have original media in hand
>> to
>> boot to the 'recovery' screen, I own a second drive, or a burner with a
>> passel of writable disks. My version of Vista includes "Complete PC
>> Backup"
>> (or I master the use of a good backup or mirror app like Achronis) and
>> I'm
>> feeling especially brave today
>> I would:
>> Make a backup that will be available from the 'recovery' boot up.
>> Wipe out my drive
>> Repartition
>> Boot to install media recovery screen
>> Restore from backup.
>> (Promise myself to Never own another system without a second hard drive)
>> --
>> Was this helpful? Then click the Ratings button. Voting helps the web
>> interface.
>> http://www.microsoft.com/wn3/locales...eAPostAsAnswer
>> Mark L. Ferguson
>> .
>>
>> "jmarsico" <> wrote in message
>> news:637F31FB-3A1E-4976-AB48-...
>> > Hey all, I hope this is the right forum for my question, but feel free
>> > to
>> > direct me elsewhere if not.
>> >
>> > I posted this question on another Vista forum but, despite other
>> > posters'
>> > efforts, I could not solve the problem. So I hope I have more luck
>> > here.
>> > Simply, the trouble I'm having is that I need to extend a partition on
>> > my
>> > HDD. When I first created the partitions when I put the computer
>> > together,
>> > I
>> > didn't leave enough space on the partition that holds the OS, because I
>> > forgot that it would need room in the future for things like updates.
>> > So,
>> > when I tried to install Service Pack 1, I found that there was not
>> > enough
>> > space for it.
>> >
>> > For some reason, the disk management utility will not allow me to
>> > extend
>> > that particular partition, even though I definitely have free space on
>> > the
>> > drive. (Just to make sure of that, I've shrunk other partitions and
>> > then
>> > tried to add that now-free space to the OS partition, but still no
>> > luck.)
>> > I
>> > really have no idea what else to try, because I'm not all that
>> > technically
>> > savvy to begin with...
>> >
>> > Let me know if I can provide any more details to help with an answer.
>> > Thanks
>> > for reading.
>>

"Mark L. Ferguson" <> wrote in
message news9D7F7EB-DE79-4470-976F-...
> There is no way for diskmgmt.msc to push the C: out until the 'extended'
> partition is deleted. You might be enough geek to use Achronis (or
> whatever backup) to stash your partition data elsewhere and rearrange the
> available space on your drive to proportion it as you prefer. Not a task
> for the faint of heart.
> Let's assume for a second I was doing this. I have original media in hand
> to boot to the 'recovery' screen, I own a second drive, or a burner with a
> passel of writable disks. My version of Vista includes "Complete PC
> Backup" (or I master the use of a good backup or mirror app like Achronis)
> and I'm feeling especially brave today
> I would:
> Make a backup that will be available from the 'recovery' boot up.
> Wipe out my drive
> Repartition
> Boot to install media recovery screen
> Restore from backup.
> (Promise myself to Never own another system without a second hard drive)
> --
> Was this helpful? Then click the Ratings button. Voting helps the web
> interface.
> http://www.microsoft.com/wn3/locales...eAPostAsAnswer
> Mark L. Ferguson
> .
>
> "jmarsico" <> wrote in message
> news:637F31FB-3A1E-4976-AB48-...
>> Hey all, I hope this is the right forum for my question, but feel free to
>> direct me elsewhere if not.
>>
>> I posted this question on another Vista forum but, despite other posters'
>> efforts, I could not solve the problem. So I hope I have more luck here.
>> Simply, the trouble I'm having is that I need to extend a partition on my
>> HDD. When I first created the partitions when I put the computer
>> together, I
>> didn't leave enough space on the partition that holds the OS, because I
>> forgot that it would need room in the future for things like updates. So,
>> when I tried to install Service Pack 1, I found that there was not enough
>> space for it.
>>
>> For some reason, the disk management utility will not allow me to extend
>> that particular partition, even though I definitely have free space on
>> the
>> drive. (Just to make sure of that, I've shrunk other partitions and then
>> tried to add that now-free space to the OS partition, but still no luck.)
>> I
>> really have no idea what else to try, because I'm not all that
>> technically
>> savvy to begin with...
>>
>> Let me know if I can provide any more details to help with an answer.
>> Thanks
>> for reading.
>


Mark

Most image backup programs replace the partitions et al as they were at the
point of backing up. I haven't used Vista's Complete Backup, so not sure if
this will do as others do.

Maybe somebody else can confirm one way or the other..

--
Mike Hall - MVP
How to construct a good post..
http://dts-l.com/goodpost.htm
How to use the Microsoft Product Support Newsgroups..
http://support.microsoft.com/default...help&style=toc
Mike's Window - My Blog..
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/default.aspx

All dynamic disk volumes are removed and then re-created when you restore a
computer by using Complete PC Restore together with the "Format and
repartition disks" option in Windows Vista :
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936836/en-us

--
Was this helpful? Then click the Ratings button. Voting helps the web
interface.
http://www.microsoft.com/wn3/locales...eAPostAsAnswer
Mark L. Ferguson
..

"Mike Hall - MVP" <mikehall@remove_mvps.com> wrote in message
news:#...
> "Mark L. Ferguson" <> wrote in
> message news9D7F7EB-DE79-4470-976F-...
>> There is no way for diskmgmt.msc to push the C: out until the 'extended'
>> partition is deleted. You might be enough geek to use Achronis (or
>> whatever backup) to stash your partition data elsewhere and rearrange the
>> available space on your drive to proportion it as you prefer. Not a task
>> for the faint of heart.
>> Let's assume for a second I was doing this. I have original media in hand
>> to boot to the 'recovery' screen, I own a second drive, or a burner with
>> a passel of writable disks. My version of Vista includes "Complete PC
>> Backup" (or I master the use of a good backup or mirror app like
>> Achronis) and I'm feeling especially brave today
>> I would:
>> Make a backup that will be available from the 'recovery' boot up.
>> Wipe out my drive
>> Repartition
>> Boot to install media recovery screen
>> Restore from backup.
>> (Promise myself to Never own another system without a second hard drive)
>> --
>> Was this helpful? Then click the Ratings button. Voting helps the web
>> interface.
>> http://www.microsoft.com/wn3/locales...eAPostAsAnswer
>> Mark L. Ferguson
>> .
>>
>> "jmarsico" <> wrote in message
>> news:637F31FB-3A1E-4976-AB48-...
>>> Hey all, I hope this is the right forum for my question, but feel free
>>> to
>>> direct me elsewhere if not.
>>>
>>> I posted this question on another Vista forum but, despite other
>>> posters'
>>> efforts, I could not solve the problem. So I hope I have more luck here.
>>> Simply, the trouble I'm having is that I need to extend a partition on
>>> my
>>> HDD. When I first created the partitions when I put the computer
>>> together, I
>>> didn't leave enough space on the partition that holds the OS, because I
>>> forgot that it would need room in the future for things like updates.
>>> So,
>>> when I tried to install Service Pack 1, I found that there was not
>>> enough
>>> space for it.
>>>
>>> For some reason, the disk management utility will not allow me to extend
>>> that particular partition, even though I definitely have free space on
>>> the
>>> drive. (Just to make sure of that, I've shrunk other partitions and then
>>> tried to add that now-free space to the OS partition, but still no
>>> luck.) I
>>> really have no idea what else to try, because I'm not all that
>>> technically
>>> savvy to begin with...
>>>
>>> Let me know if I can provide any more details to help with an answer.
>>> Thanks
>>> for reading.
>>
>
>
> Mark
>
> Most image backup programs replace the partitions et al as they were at
> the point of backing up. I haven't used Vista's Complete Backup, so not
> sure if this will do as others do.
>
> Maybe somebody else can confirm one way or the other..
>
> --
> Mike Hall - MVP
> How to construct a good post..
> http://dts-l.com/goodpost.htm
> How to use the Microsoft Product Support Newsgroups..
> http://support.microsoft.com/default...help&style=toc
> Mike's Window - My Blog..
> http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/default.aspx
>
>
>
>