Partitioning After Dual-Boot

[swerdna]

If you use Gparted on openSUSE (rather than on a CD) you will find sda4, sda5 and sda6 locked and not able to be resized. This is because they're in use (mounted) when openSUSE is running.

You can't resize partitions with the windows xp partitioner.

Download the CD.iso image from Gparted website and burn it to a CD in openSUSE then boot off that. Probably no partitions will be locked. But possibly the swap partition sda6 might be locked (highly unlikely). If swap sda6 is locked, you can R-click and select to turn the swap partition off. Then nothing will be locked and you can proceed.

So let's summarise your options:

1. delete Linux, shrink the windows partitions with Gparted on CD and then reinstall Linux in the space that is made available.
2. move the files on sda3 over to sda2 and delete sda3, sda4, sda5 and sda6 and reinstall Linux in the space that is made available
3. shrink the and move the existing partitions as I have advocated with Gparted

Regarding option 2, deleting sda3, the My Docs partition in Windows, as recommended by caf4926: If you decide to go that way, you should move the My Docs (or probably it's the Docs and Settings full deal) directory first to the drive sda2 using a special method that involves the registry settings. Don't just move the files and then delete the partition. That would break windows.

Which is the best way to go? IMO all three options are viable. You sound like an adventurous user but inexperienced in the partitioning field. The risk of mistakes is therefore high. So I would recommend option 1 first, option 3 second and option 2 third. Just my opinion and with full respect to caf4926.

[caf4926]

Just my opinion and with full respect to caf4926.

No worries John.
Don't you just wish you get your hands on the darn thing, we'd have it sorted in a jiffy.

[cdr0124]

My current plan is to go with option 3 only because I don't know how to delete linux. If this is a better option however, then I would go with that if you could tell me how to do it. I'm experienced in a lot of areas with computers but just not the management end. I've gotten bits and pieces of it but not enough to know about this area, so I apologize for the ignorance.

Thank you both for all your help!

[cdr0124]

Originally Posted by swerdna

First boot windows and defrag both NTFS partitions. Then backup all windows data files to an external media.

Then boot up the gparted CD. If the swap file is on and has a locked key symbol, R-click and turn it off with "swapoff"
Use your mouse to:
R-click the sda2 line, select resize and use the mouse to pull the RHS edge of sda2 to the left to make it smaller
R-click the sda3 line, select resize and use mouse to drag the whole graphic of sda3 to the left to fill the space you just made shrinking sda2. Then pull The RHS edge of sda3 to the left to make it smaller
R-click the sda4 line, select resize and pull the LHS edge of the extended partition, sda4, to the left, up to the edge of the shrunken sda3
R-click the sda5 line, select resize and pull the LHS edge of sda5 to the left to take up all available space.

Click the apply button.
Cross fingers and toes.

When you say to make the smaller, do you have a good size to recommend? I don't want to make things the wrong size and have to do this multiple times. I don't use windows for too much but I do need some space. The only things that will be saved on there that are not currently on there is a few pictures and papers but that's it. The rest should be fine going to linux but I want to leave enough space on windows just in case. Any suggestions?

[caf4926]

Originally Posted by cdr0124

When you say to make the smaller, do you have a good size to recommend? I don't want to make things the wrong size and have to do this multiple times. I don't use windows for too much but I do need some space. The only things that will be saved on there that are not currently on there is a few pictures and papers but that's it. The rest should be fine going to linux but I want to leave enough space on windows just in case. Any suggestions?

I gave some idea here: Partitioning After Dual-Boot - Page 2 - openSUSE Forums

The only variable is /home, which will depend how much space you free up from windows.