Vista 64: Increasing number of partitions...

I have 174GB of 'unallocated' space on my 1TB HDD. The HDD has
partitions on it, plus the unallocated partition. I would like to mak
the unallocated partition into a 5th partition
Vista tells me that 'You cannot create a new volume in this unallocate
space because the disk already contains the maximum number o
partitions'
So...advice would be appreciated as to how to turn this unallocate
space into a 5th partition..

--
MikeTAD

MikeTAD wrote:
> I have 174GB of 'unallocated' space on my 1TB HDD. The HDD has 4
> partitions on it, plus the unallocated partition. I would like to make
> the unallocated partition into a 5th partition.
> Vista tells me that 'You cannot create a new volume in this unallocated
> space because the disk already contains the maximum number of
> partitions'.
> So...advice would be appreciated as to how to turn this unallocated
> space into a 5th partition...
>
>

You cannot create a new volume in this unallocated
space because the disk already contains the maximum number of
partitions.

The hard drive can only have 4 partitions on it, max.

You can use third party partitioning software to make one or more of
your existing partitions bigger in order to use up the unallocated space
on the drive.

Look for Partition Commander or other similar program to do this.

OK...thanks for the info...


--
MikeTAD

MikeTAD <> wrote:

>
>I have 174GB of 'unallocated' space on my 1TB HDD. The HDD has 4
>partitions on it, plus the unallocated partition. I would like to make
>the unallocated partition into a 5th partition.
>Vista tells me that 'You cannot create a new volume in this unallocated
>space because the disk already contains the maximum number of
>partitions'.

That's true.

Hard drive allocation tables haven't changed since the stone age.
There are exactly four entries in a partition table. Each can point to
either a primary or extended partition. A primary partition has a file
system which holds data files. You have four of those.

An Extended partition starts off with...another partition table, which
has four entries. Again, each of those can point to a primary or
extended partition. So you can have a chain of extended partitions,
which will allow many data partitions.

But your first partition table is full. The only way to do what you
want to do would be to 1) do a full backup on the fourth partition, 2)
delete the fourth partition, 3) create an extended partition, then 4)
create more data partitions there.

It would be simpler just to expand the last partition to include that
174GB.

There's a nice discussion of partitioning here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_(computing)

--
Tim Slattery
MS MVP(Shell/User)

http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

Thank you Tim. Nice response.
I've decided that the easiest option will be to 'start again' as this
is a new build computer and there is very little on it.
Now I have been informed of how the partitioning works, I should be
able to make a better fist of it.
Have started another thread under 'Starting again...'
Cheers.


--
MikeTAD