Resize partitions

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

Hi All,

I have openSUSE on my laptop. The total hard drive was partitioned for openSUSE at the beginning. However, I would like to install another OS and I need to create space for it on the hard drive. My problem is that it is not allowed to resize the partitions while it is mounted and used. What to do? How to resize the partions?

Thanks in advance.

#2

What other OS do you want to install?

#3

You mean, there’s only one big partition, taking the whole disk? Please post output of

fdisk -l
#4

I would use parted magic,but any liveCD with gparted will do the job,

boot from it and make your changes.(ensure your partitions are not mounted)

#5

I would use parted magic,but any liveCD with gparted will do the job,

boot from it and make your changes.(ensure your partitions are not mounted).

#6

As Knurpt suggests the fdisk -l output is important to see what you have,
and how to best alter it to suit what you want.

#7

Thanks for your comments. I would like to install Windows. The output of the fdisk -l is:

Disk /dev/sda: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xb7792af0

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 262 2104483+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda2 * 263 30401 242091517+ f W95 Ext’d (LBA)
/dev/sda5 263 524 2104483+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6 525 3135 20972826 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 3136 30401 219014113+ 83 Linux

Now, it would be useful to decide on what partition needed to be resized. What do yo think? I have a live CD, probably I will try to go with it.

#8

Firstly What size do you want windows to have?
Second what do you intend to be doing with windows?
In many cases virtualbox is a better option than repartitioning.

#9

Along with answers to the previous questions show us the output from

df -h
#10

Your start should not be asking for tools, your start should be:

  1. find out what you have. This is partly shown by your fdisk -l output which had to be asked for by others. Partly by a forthcoming df -h output. Missing is your explanation where the partitions are for, you have e.g. two Swap partitions, why?

  2. What you would like to be your end result. This is also formulated very vague and as long as you do not know exactly what you want, how can we advise how to come there?

Alo bear in mind that you can not ‘resize’ partitions. Some file systems can be resized (as long as they fit inside their partition), but a partition table can only be rewritten with a different content.

Maybe you should at least study part of SDB:Basics of partitions, filesystems, mount points - openSUSE.

#11

Hi All, here is the output of the df -h

Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda6 20G 4.5G 15G 24% /
udev 948M 168K 948M 1% /dev
/dev/sda7 206G 1.3G 194G 1% /home

/dev/sda2 is the extended partition, which is further divided.
It seems that this partition must be resized. Is it correct?

#12

I would resize /dev/sda7 this is where most of your free space is.

#13

Iwould resize /dev/sda7.

#14

Actualy you will have to resize the extended /dev/sda2 first.To put XP on aprimary.

You can install KDE4 on your curent openSUSE if you have 11.2 if you prefer.

Put your linux systems on extended logical partitions.

I would make XP the last on the disk (at the end of disk) and make it a primary partition

Once XP is installed your linux boot loader will no longer apear but this is easy to fix.

#15

Resize the extended to make room for the primary for XP.

#16

Sorry, resize /dev/sda7 then /dev sda2.

#17

@ swerdna I seem to have made another mistake,

What other OS do you want to install?

XP OPEN SUSE KDE4 GOSALIA

I took this as a question being answered, is’t obviously not.

there may not be windows involved.

#18

OP said windows in post #6. I’ve deleted my post after thinking more on what you said. If OP shrinks 7 and then 2 as you said, there will be an end space that can be set up as a primary and formatted NTFS bu Gparted, for use by the windows installer.

Do you think that too?

#19

My suggestion:
/home contains only 1.3GB of data. Backup the entire /home, boot in runlevel 3, login on the console, su, 'umount /home, yast, resize /home to a 100 GB, that would give enough space for XP (which is discontinued by the end of this year BTW). Create new partitions, perform a search on the forums, there’s a post revealing how to boot windu systems from a logical partition.
No reinstall required.

#20

Hi, before installing XP, I would like to point out one thing. I need XP because of MS Office. Unfortunately, Open Office is not fully compatible with it. Mathematical equations change. But, if it is possible to use MS Office under SUSE that is fine.