Can't delete partition (to resize main partition)

[HulaHula]

Hi, I re-installed Win7 from scratch using the bundled DVD to a new HDD after a failure. I decided to try partitioning the HDD into 2 parts (C: Win7-100GB, D: DATA-400GB). I thought this was a good idea but due to all the software I need to extend C: to all the space.

D: is empty (though it shows 4.56GB space used??) but there is no delete option in Disk Management. I would like a way of deleting D: and extending C: to all the HDD space. I'll try and post a screen grab but hopefully that's clear.

Any advice on avoiding reinstalling loads of things would be great.

 

[HulaHula]

This is how it shows up in disk management

 

[Colif]

If you resized or deleted D it would add free space to end of drive. To increase C you would need to have empty space immediately behind it on the drive and the 450mb recovery partition is in the way.

It probably won't let you delete D as its where the page file is still, look at your picture.

Looks to me like you have a problem and only logical solution is a fresh install as that will let you create the partitions as you like. Looks to me like windows made that recovery partition itself so it might be in same place on next install as well so you might want to make C bigger or buy another drive and use entire drive as C and put everything else on other drive.

 

[HulaHula]

Thanks Colif. I think that 450MB appeared when I upgraded from Win7 to 10. I'll bet that's my revert to Win7 files.

When I set the HDD up I couldn't decide how to partition. I think it would have been better to have just had one for C: but I had seen advice about having a smaller C: drive and then a separate data partition. I always had my doubts.

 

[Colif]

Its better to have 2 drives completely, 1 for windows and one for everything else, makes it easier to rebuild after an install as all your files already there waiting for you

I would fresh install win 10 and let it make the partitions it wants - I say that but 18 months ago I didn't know any better so my ssd has only 2 partitions, C and a recovery partition. Windoes 10 normally makes 4 but 3 of them are tiny and you hardly notice the difference.