Hi
Provide details of OS version
Size of all 3 partitions
May be easier to shrink second partition rather than merge partitions
I would use Gparted Linux ISO image burnt to cd or put on a bootable USB stick
But run chkdsk on all partitions first, and empty recycle bin
In preparation for partition management
If really picky I would run manufacturers hard disk diagnostics on hard drives first incase of bad sectors on hard disks
WD data life guard for windows works on most brands of hard disk
Regards
Mike Barnes