Increasing maximum volume to decrease on a disk drive

RyzaBhoy · 07-30-2009, 02:48 PM

I am wanting to multi boot my laptop with my current version of vista and windows 7. i went into the control panel>system maintanance>administration tools>computer management>disk management. I have tried to 'shrink' the volume of the vista disk drive (:C). It, however it only allowing me to shrink it by a maximum 248MB, when I need at least 16GB. Can someone please assist me with how to increase the maximum limit i can decrease the volume by?

I am running,

Windows Vista Home basic, SP1, 32-bit.

Thanks.

**l_b_rex** · 07-30-2009, 03:23 PM

Sounds like your hard drive is too full. You may need to delete stuff to free up space on your hard drive then it should allow you to shrink it more.

RyzaBhoy · 07-30-2009, 03:34 PM

i have deleted lots of stuff (over 30gb), and still nothing.

**TheOutcaste** · 07-31-2009, 02:42 PM

Did you run Defrag after deleting files? If you have an unmovable file towards the end of the partition, that will be the limiting factor. A different defrag utility might do a better job.

I would run JKDefrag using the force to front option (create a shortcut with this as the target: <path>\JkDefrag.exe -A 5) to pack all the files to the start of the hard drive. Run this when booted normally, then if needed run again when booted to safe mode.
This will allow shrinking the partition more. This will cause some files to become fragmented, so run a normal Defrag after shrinking the partition.

There is a new version called MyDefrag. It has a sample script to force files together, to run it create a shortcut with this as the target (assuming default install location): C:\Program Files\MyDefrag v4.1.1\MyDefrag.exe -r ForceTogether.MyD. Then you'll need to edit the C:\Program Files\MyDefrag v4.1.1\Scripts\ForceTogether.MyD file to specify the drive letter. Save it on the Desktop, then copy/move it to the C:\Program Files\MyDefrag v4.1.1\Scripts folder (You can't directly save into the Program Files folder)
You may still have unmovable files towards the end of the disk. In the MyDefrag window you can hover the cursor over the display to see what the files are. If they are Restore Points/Shadow Copies, you can turn off System Restore to delete those files. If it's the pagefile, or the hibernation file, you can disable those to remove them. See the MyDefrag help file section FAQ Special Files.

Jerry

07-30-2009, 02:48 PM	#1 (permalink)
RyzaBhoy Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 2 OS: Windows Vista Home Basic. Service Pack 1. 32 bit.	Increasing maximum volume to decrease on a disk drive I am wanting to multi boot my laptop with my current version of vista and windows 7. i went into the control panel>system maintanance>administration tools>computer management>disk management. I have tried to 'shrink' the volume of the vista disk drive (:C). It, however it only allowing me to shrink it by a maximum 248MB, when I need at least 16GB. Can someone please assist me with how to increase the maximum limit i can decrease the volume by? I am running, Windows Vista Home basic, SP1, 32-bit. Thanks.

07-30-2009, 03:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
l_b_rex The almighty Dr.Tran! Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1,105 OS: Vista Home Premium 32 bit	Re: Increasing maximum volume to decrease on a disk drive Sounds like your hard drive is too full. You may need to delete stuff to free up space on your hard drive then it should allow you to shrink it more. __________________ If my avatar piques your interest, go to google and search Dr.Tran video and have a look.

07-30-2009, 03:34 PM	#3 (permalink)
RyzaBhoy Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 2 OS: Windows Vista Home Basic. Service Pack 1. 32 bit.	Re: Increasing maximum volume to decrease on a disk drive i have deleted lots of stuff (over 30gb), and still nothing.

07-31-2009, 02:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
TheOutcaste TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 815 OS: MS-Dos 6.22 - Win7	Re: Increasing maximum volume to decrease on a disk drive Did you run Defrag after deleting files? If you have an unmovable file towards the end of the partition, that will be the limiting factor. A different defrag utility might do a better job. I would run JKDefrag using the force to front option (create a shortcut with this as the target: <path>\JkDefrag.exe -A 5) to pack all the files to the start of the hard drive. Run this when booted normally, then if needed run again when booted to safe mode. This will allow shrinking the partition more. This will cause some files to become fragmented, so run a normal Defrag after shrinking the partition. There is a new version called MyDefrag. It has a sample script to force files together, to run it create a shortcut with this as the target (assuming default install location): C:\Program Files\MyDefrag v4.1.1\MyDefrag.exe -r ForceTogether.MyD. Then you'll need to edit the C:\Program Files\MyDefrag v4.1.1\Scripts\ForceTogether.MyD file to specify the drive letter. Save it on the Desktop, then copy/move it to the C:\Program Files\MyDefrag v4.1.1\Scripts folder (You can't directly save into the Program Files folder) You may still have unmovable files towards the end of the disk. In the MyDefrag window you can hover the cursor over the display to see what the files are. If they are Restore Points/Shadow Copies, you can turn off System Restore to delete those files. If it's the pagefile, or the hibernation file, you can disable those to remove them. See the MyDefrag help file section FAQ Special Files. Jerry __________________ Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience Of course I know all the answers; I just don't always match the answers to the right questions. Rated R for Violence -- When your PC flies through a window, that's violent, right?