Fixing a borked hard drive partition?

[xicedlovexoxo]

Two years ago I got a new computer. With that new computer came a free Windows Vista install disc should I so choose to use it. Me being me, I wanted to use the fancy flashy new Vista but I also didn't want to scrap XP entirely for it because I knew that Vista was still far from perfect.

So I had my dad set up to run a dual-boot system with XP and Vista. And then, lo and behold, I never used Vista. In order to do this in the first place, however, it required him to partition my hard drive to give some space to Vista - and when I had him do it, I wanted Vista to have a lot of space. The maximum we got out of my 120gb HD to give Vista was 57GB, almost half my hard drive space.

Now I've finally gotten him to remove the Virus that is called Vista, I have my XP hard drive directory (C: drive), and I still have the F: drive partition that was once Vista. Thus making my C: drive appear to be missing that space that's on F: when its really there, just inaccessible from C: drive.

I sort of want this space back where it belongs - in one piece. Dad says there's ways to do it but all of them run the risk of losing all my data. I therefore was hoping someone out there could help me either find a risk-free way to merge the two partitions back together or if someone with one of those mega-sized hard drive things or some giant storage space of some kind could kindly let me store my files there long enough to fix the borked partition space. I really don't like the thought of losing all the videos, pictures, music and other things I worked so hard to attain or make

EDIT: Idiot me, posted this in the wrong forum. Could a mod please move to Tech help subforum? I was close!

[Dogbert]

If you have XP Home Edition, you can't resize partitions.

EDIT: Not through Windows itself, anyway. You can do it with third party software, but I'd back up your hard drive first.

[cvrefugee]

Download this .iso to create a GParted Live CD. Boot from this disc and it will allow you to delete the extra partition without destroying the other.

[GerFix]

I think you should be able to get the space back by going through "Computer Management" in "Control Panel".


Having not used XP since Vista came out (I don't think Vista is so bad), I can't remember the exact way to get to it, but go to Control Panel, select Administrative Tools then select Computer Management and then select Disk Management . This should show your connected drives and their partitions. Right Click on the old Vista partition and select delete volume. Then select (right click) your XP partition and select extend volume and select the maximum allowable space. This should get your lost space back.


Actually, no, this is all wrong if you are using XP home edition. I'd use Partition Magic (think it's a Symantec product now) to sort out your problem.

[Dogbert]

<nerd stuff>

XP Home can't read dynamic disks, so you can't do any resizing in Logical Disk Manager Service. I was thinking the same thing in my first post until I realized she's probably using Home Edition.

Windows (on it's own) can resize logical volumes, but not partitions.

[xicedlovexoxo]

Actually, I'm running XP Media Center Edition, wth that is, it just came with the computer.

Now, the only problem is that if I do go to try and fix my borked partitions, I need some way to back up my files and I don't have any way to do such a thing. No external HD, my flash drive is only 2 GB and I need over 20GB for just my videos folder alone not to mention the music and pictures folders and everything else, and I don't have nearly enough CDs or DVDs to stuff everything onto nor money to go and buy something. >.<

Even still, its right around Christmas and I'm hoping for a new laptop since I'm going to need it for school purposes and such - but I'd really like to get my hard drive partition issues settled on this computer soon because I really need the space put back together. Dad said I could use the space that he got back from Vista, but I'd rather not until its all nice and unified again.

Just in case it helps, the way my dad took Vista off the computer was by deleting the Boot Menu file and then going into the Disk Management thing and formatting the F: drive that contained Vista, and now Vista is no more.

[Dogbert]

Well, go into the Disk Management again, and right click on the box that says Disk 0. Does it say "Convert to Dynamic Disk"?


I can't remember if Media Center could do dynamic disks or not..

[xicedlovexoxo]

Yes, it does indeed give the option of "Convert to Dynamic Disk".

I'm definitely not clicking any things until I find a way to back up every last file...I've lost files before on my old computer from things like this...

/paranoia

[Dogbert]

Good plan. DVD's are cheap nowadays.

[xicedlovexoxo]

It may be cheap but it isn't free, which is what I need because I'm a sad, pathetic little high school student who doesn't have a job and gets all her money from daddy dearest who's run out of money to give.

I did find this, however: Free 50GB online storage space which should be sufficient enough to back up all my important files, mainly music, videos, and pictures. Little things like word documents and school project files will all probably fit on my USB drive.

[Dogbert]

Ever transferred 50GB over the interweb?

Scratch that, make it 100GB, because then you have to download it all again. You'll have graduated high school by the time that finishes.

[xicedlovexoxo]

Nnnnmph. And burning a billion DVDs takes less time? I'm tempted to just have a go without backing things up and see what happens.

Knowing my luck, it'll be "bye bye everything" >.<

[Dogbert]

Nevermind, I forgot you can't resize system partitions that were made before the disk was changed to dynamic. This thread is shaking off many, many cobwebs.

I'd just go acquire a copy of Partition Magic somewhere. That'll do the trick.

Also, 1,000,000,000 DVD's (4.7EB) != 10 DVD's (47GB)... just for reference.

[xicedlovexoxo]

Arg, go and acquire another program that I'm only going to use once?

My computer seems to be rather finicky with programs I install, use, then immediately uninstall. Or maybe I'm just stupid...

Also, I have to back up about 70+ GB of data before I can really do anything, and the only reason I'd rather avoid burning a bunch of DVDs is because I personally see it as a waste of DVDs if I'm only backing it up for a one-time purpose. Thus is why, for back-up things, I prefer re-writable methods so data can be added, cos I'm always getting new music or videos or creating new files and stuff.

But right now, all I have is a 2GB USB thumb drive + a 128MB thumb drive, a rather wimpy and decrepit 10 year old 17GB Compaq laptop on its last breath of life, and one CD-RW that I've had for like 4 years.

So I'm rather stuck until I can get money for something more or until Christmas rolls around and I get a new laptop like I asked for.

[chaos386]

I'd just go acquire a copy of Partition Magic somewhere. That'll do the trick.

And I'd legally download a copy of GParted, as cvg mentioned above. Why go through all the hassle of pirating something, when there's a better, free alternative?

[Dogbert]

And I'd legally download...

Where's your sense of adventure?

[chaos386]

Where's your sense of adventure?

I take it you've never tried to use a Linux distro as your main desktop.

[Dogbert]

I have... and then I discovered VMWare.

[chaos386]

I have... and then I discovered VMWare.

But did you then try to see how many recursive copies of VMWare you could have running inside VMWare...and then try to open a VNC session from the innermost OS to the host OS?

[Dogbert]

I believe that's called a mobius strip, and I believe this is called a threadjack.

icedlove, you could just make another partition in the crater where Vista used to be, and have a random 50-someodd-GB drive. I mean, do you really need to make your partition you have now bigger?