Unable to resize XP partition (to make room for SUSE)

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

I defragged the hard-disk on my HP laptop, which has about 50GB free space, and booted the 11.1 installation DVD. I was going to let the install resize the XP partition, but it wouldn’t – something about an inconsistent fs.

So I rebooted XP and went to disk management to do the shrinking there, but that option does not exist. (XP seems to run OK with the “bad” filesystem.)

Is it safe to use a tool such as PartedMagic or a live Linux CD to do the job, bearing in mind that SUSE install wouldn’t touch it?

**

#2

Parted Magic is great.
My advice backup.
Check this: All About Grub - openSUSE

#3

But I’m a little worried why you can’t manage it from the SUSE installer.

You say you have 50GB but on what size HD?
50GB on a 100GB
is different to
50GB on a 500GB

#4

the installer can’t always handle an unclean shutdown (known as dirty FS)
Are you sure you did a clean shutdown of windows?
Anyway, the Parted Magic program is your friend.
It can handle all those situations without data loss…

#5

I recommend you run “chkdsk /f” in windows before resizing the partition.

#6

The “dirty bit” should be re-set upon rebooting XP, so assuming you’ve done that then the filesystem problem is elsewhere. Windows will ostensibly run fine even though there is corruption, unless/until the problem area is directly accessed. As already suggested, it is imperative to do a full (the /f switch) filesystem check before attempting any changes to the partition (resizing requires modifying the NTFS “master file table”; break that and the filesystem becomes unusable). Given that other tools like Parted Magic use the same libraries as openSUSE’s Partitioner, that tool may also refuse the request. Go slow.

#7

Weyland-Yutani wrote:
> I defragged the hard-disk on my HP laptop, which has about 50GB free
> space, and booted the 11.1 installation DVD. I was going to let the
> install resize the XP partition, but it wouldn’t – something about an
> inconsistent fs.

the rules:

  1. Filesystem must be in a clean state. Boot Windows XP and shut down is
    enough for that. You can always run a manual scan.

  2. Filesystem MUST be defragmented (sad but true). Boot back into Windows
    and defragment the drive.

  3. Filesystem can’t be “special”… encrypted, or compressed, etc.

#8

I’ll answer all the questions before diving into the install again:

Explorer says 49GB free of 86GB for the C: partition. (There’s also a 6GB D: partition which is full.)

There’s no compression or encryption involved. I did defragment C: before attempting to install SUSE, and I did shut XP down cleanly.

I’ve now run chkdsk /f, which did find and repair some problems, and I then defragged again, to be sure, to be sure.

Thanks to everyone for their interest. This is a particularly good technical messageboard.

Onward, through the fog! . . .

#9

OK. Now installed with no apparent problems. Thanks to all again.

That makes three machines with SUSE (and Windoze) – it must be Samba time! . . .

#10

Well done indeed!:wink:

#11

I’d like to commend you best software–Partition Manager.
Not only resize partition flawlessly, but also free for use.
I think this is better than Partition Magic.
Worth try.