Question on Disk Management and partitions

[jocee486]

I'm new to using partitions so bear with me...

i just built a new computer and installed vista on a 16 GB partition because I read that it is a good idea to install your OS on a partition seperate from where you store most of your other data. My C:/ drive is where vista is at and I created a seperate partition which I named F:/ which is where I hope to store data such as games, pictures, videos, programs, ect.

what is the easiest way of going about on changing the drive path or maybe extending the C:/ partition? I tried going into Disk Management and changing the volume path for C: to F:, but windows says i cannot modify the drive of the volume since it is a boot volume and/or has page files.

I also tried extending the partition size of C: but it blurs out the option for that drive. I can get it to copy files to C: AND F:, but my C: partition has less than 500 MB left in it.
Is there any way i could maybe get it to stop storing data in C: and have it store it in F:? If anyone has any suggestions I'd really appreciate it.

 

[ausch30]

If the page file is causing it to not allow you to do it you could temporarily turn it off.

Start>Computer>right click select Properties>Advanced System Settings>Performance>Settings>Advanced tab>Virtual Memory>Change>Select No Paging File and agree with the warnings then restart.

After doing that try and change the partition size and then follow the directions above and turn the page file back on. If you are planning on keeping the F partition the you could just turn on page file on that partition and turn it off on your C partition, restart and try to change the size of C.

 

[jocee486]

If the page file is causing it to not allow you to do it you could temporarily turn it off.

Start>Computer>right click select Properties>Advanced System Settings>Performance>Settings>Advanced tab>Virtual Memory>Change>Select No Paging File and agree with the warnings then restart.

After doing that try and change the partition size and then follow the directions above and turn the page file back on. If you are planning on keeping the F partition the you could just turn on page file on that partition and turn it off on your C partition, restart and try to change the size of C.

still doesn't let me extend the partition or change the volume path of the C partition. When you say turn on the page file do you mean select "System Managed Size?" or "Custom size?" The space available on C partition is only 447 MB available if I were to use custom size.

 

[ausch30]

System Managed Size

 

[jocee486]

it didn't work for me.

 

[ausch30]

Read this
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/working-around-windows-vistas-shrink-volume-inadequacy-problems/

Extend is running into the same issues as above, try the suggestions in the link and let me know what happens.

 

[jocee486]

i somehow got it to work by deleting the F partition after it wasn't showing up in My Computer and after that the extend volume function unblurred itself. I don't know how or why that would cause it to work, but it did and got it resolved finally.

thanks for the suggestions

 

[ausch30]

Your welcome, good luck.

 

[Paperdoc]

The how / why it worked I think I understand. On the physical HDD you first established a C: Partition, then later another called F:. The new partition would have been created to start right after the end of C:. But to extend the C: Partition the system MUST be able to assign empty space that comes RIGHT AFTER the end of C: - the added space must be contiguous with the original Partition space. So by deleting the F: Partition you made all the space after the end of the C: Partition Unallocated and available for the Expand operation.

Your experience illustrates a situation that requires advance planning. It may be a good idea to establish a separate Partition for the OS, and no doubt that will be placed first on the physical hard drive. But you also must allow for the fact that the OS will default to using the C: drive for a bunch of other stuff. You can change some of that. You can arrange to have all your apps and their data files installed on another drive (read: Partition). You can change the location of many default folders such as My Documents, etc. to another drive. You even can have the Paging File moved to another drive, rather than C:, in the same place where you manually change its size or even opt to have none. But the OS still has other info it really wants to place on the C: drive (like, the Registry) and these will grow over time. So your initial C: Partition needs to be set up with significantly more space than the OS alone requires at first. Then all the re-location of default files and folders (including the Paging File) needs to be done up front. And thereafter any time you install something, besides setting it to install on the data drive, you need to check where all its default folders are.