Resolved Trying to repartition HD from Primary to Logical

I'm trying repartition a HD to be able to Dual Boot to Ubuntu.

Currently the laptop has Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 installed and this is how it's partitioned...

Windows 7 Disk Management tool shows...

Disk 0 has four partitions: all ID as (Layout = Simple) & (Type = Basic)
1. C:, 579 GB, NTFS, --------- (Healthy, Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Primary Partition)
2, HP_Tools, 103 MB, FAT 32 -------- (Healthy, Primary Partition)
3. Recovery D:, 16.88 GB, NTFS, --------- (Healthy, Primary Partition)
4. SYSTEM, 199 MB, NTFS, --------- (Healthy, System, Active, Primary Partition)

I need to change the C: drive from Primary to Logical to allow me to then Extended the C: drive with I think at least 4 more drives.

1 ext4 partition for /
1 ext4 partition for /home
1 swap partition
1 NTFS partition for personal Data

Can this be done and if so how with out losing any current data on the laptop?

thanks

 

Windows 7 should allow you to shrink the partitions. Then , you could make new partitions in the unpartitioned (free) space.

You could shrink the C: drive and make logical partitions behind that (I think ).

You would need to move the data off one drive to leave a primary partition for the Ubuntu installation.

Don't touch the Recovery drive and leave it as Primary.

Investigate a Partition Manager. Paragon has done everything I have asked it to do. Others are Partition Magic or Ranish, but I had trouble with Partition Manager many years ago. If you get a trial version, it should tell you if it can do the task, but not carry it out. When (if) you get the full program, carry out just one task at a time. getting the manager to carry out several tasks at a time has proved hazardous for me.

You don't show us how much data is on the drives.

"System" is not on C:, so if the drive letters change unexpectedly at reboot, Windows might (probably will) not work.

It might get quite messy.

It could be time to get a complete backup, the partition manager might provide a method of doing this. You will need an external drive to take the whole backup, then you will have to imagine how you will recover when the absolute worst happens.

I prefer a desktop computer where another hard drive can just be added to make a dual boot. Dual boots can get messy themselves when drives disappear or change letters.

You might be taking on a rather large task. I just try to avoid those. (KISS)

Matt

 

Nice Tony.

Just another thought I had...

Get another HDD, take the Windows hard drive out of the laptop. Put the new HDD in and install Ubuntu. Swap the HDDs when you want to change Operating Systems. Less messy...in fact, mess-less .

 

Thanks Tony T & Mattman for your responses...


Here's the disk usage I forgot to include .. 640 GB Hitachi SATA
I also do have a second vacant HD bay on the laptop.

1. C:, 579 GB total with 528 GB free
2, HP_Tools, 103 MB total with 85 MB free
3. Recovery D:, 16.88 GB total with 1.5 GB free
4. SYSTEM, 199 MB total with 165 MB free


I was under the impression that if you had 4 primary partitions it is not possible to extend any of them without first removing the primary designation from one of the partitions and making it a Logical drive. Then one could extend that Logical partition into as many extended partitions as one desired. (This is a assumption on my part so far)

Given that I currently have 4 Primary drives, I probably could shrink the C drive but then wouldn't it be just become un-partitioned (free) space?


I called Hitachi support and all they said was don't do anything until you ask the question to whatever software support your thinking about using to repartition the drive.

I thought about imaging the drive and then experimenting but don't have a spare drive big enough to do that. Can I just image the actual data or does the free space get onboard by default?

I also wondered if I could just slave the drive to my desktop and then move the data that's on the HP Tools partition to either a folder or a vacant partition on my desktop, but the HP Tools partition (and the system partition) is hidden and I only can see it with disk management, so how can I move it?

If I could do that, then I could shrink the C: drive and use some of the newly freed up space and allocate it to HP Tools partition for the Ubuntu installation.

Then I would need to somehow change that partition from hidden to and a assign it a drive letter.

Then could I change the C: partition from Primary to a Logical drive? Assuming that the "System partition" is the one Windows uses to boot to?

If all worked as assumed then I could make all the extended partitions I need from C: drive.

Then copy the HP Tools data back to a newly created hidden drive and hope that HP tools will still be accessible from the HP menu.

Then I could install Ubuntu to the old HP Tools Partition..

You mentioned this would be Messy.. Just imagine how I'm cursing HP right now because of there default setup..

I'm thinking the safest and least aggravating solution right now is to spend some money on a new SSD and install it in the laptop or just install Ubuntu to a thumb drive and boot to it.

Thanks again for your help..

 

That does appear to be the best option..

I found a OCZ 120 GB Solid State Hard Drive online for $59 after a $20 rebate from OCZ..(that was a "24 hour only" sale price in a email AD from Circuit City) Talk about good timing..

http://www.circuitcity.com/applicat...dsPerPage=5&body=REVIEWS#CustomerReviewsBlock

The 5 inch SATA internal cable I needed to connect it to the 2nd HD port was a different issue..

HP is selling the 5 inch SATA cable and HD housing as a kit for $56 bucks plus shipping. The laptop already comes with the 2nd housing shell so only the SATA cable is needed.

Seeing that HP already included the 2nd HD housing they could or should have included the 5 inch SATA cable and been seen in a better light in the consumer eyes.

Talk about being ripped off.. the cable would cost me more then the SSD .. That is poor marketing strategy on HP part.. The greedy get nothing in my rule book..

I found a 5 inch SATA cable for my HP laptop model @ 1/2 the price of what HP is selling it for..

$28 plus shipping is still high, but I don't see any other option at this point.

http://www.newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=379

Thanks again for the help..

 

Either way would work for me.. but option 2 might have some added benefits if it could be used instead of booting to a live cd when the need arises..

While waiting for my SSD & cable to arrive I thought of these three questions..

Option 1 Question.. When you say the MBR will need to be rebuilt.. Would it be as simple as using a recovery disk and the fixmbr cmd, or using the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows® MBRFIX tool?

Option 2 Question... When linux is installed on a stand alone drive, does it "install" to the specific hardware of the computer its attached to like Windows does, or would I be able to use that HD to boot any computer vie the bios setup & boot f keys menu or connect vie a Hard Drive Enclosures and usb port?

Also using option 2 would the laptop default to "Windows" if the F key option was not used and the choice "timed out" during startup?


thanks again..

 

First off I'm not sure if this should be a New thread under "Other PC Software" or remain here as a continuing part of the original issue.

I installed Ubuntu as per these instructions. It provided a method of installing Ubuntu and not changing MBR on the C: drive.

http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2012/07/2...d-windows-7-on-a-computer-with-2-hard-drives/

When I restarted the laptop Windows XP booted as expected.

I rebooted to change the bios options so the laptop would boot to the second HD first and to the grub menu installed by Ubuntu.

I could find no setting in the bios to do that & the bios firmware is current.

Looking in Windows Disk Management tool I did not see the SSD drive or any partitions in "dev/sdb" that I created.

Looking in Device Manager I did see the new SSD I installed and it populated when queried.

I then loaded the Ubuntu live CD and opened GParted. It showed all the partitions of both drives dev/sda & dev/sdb. I then mounted the SSD and saw that the folders & files were there from the Ubuntu install.

The /boot partition had the grub files in it.

Only thing I skipped was to "initialize" the new SSD with "MBR" when I was prompted to do so when I installed it in the laptop and it booted for the 1st time. I assumed that Ubuntu would do that during its partitioning & install process.

Currently from what I see Ubuntu is installed on the second SSD drive and I have no way to access it in my bios to get the grub menu.

It appears that the bios does "partially" recognizes the SSD but not well enough to read any files from the bios or the Windows XP OS.

I do have access to all the partitions & the files vie the Ubuntu Live CD.

Saying that.... I'm clueless as what to do next.

 

Need some clarity here...

If I just "reinstall Ubuntu" it would not change anything as the "initialize" operation was a option that the laptop prompted me to do when I first installed the new SSD drive.

I'm guessing that there's no sector with the MBR on the new SSD drive and the laptop doesn't know to boot from that new drive.

Wouldn't I first need to delete all the partitions and then using Windows 7 Device Manager uninstall (but not actually remove) the SSD drive from the laptop and then rescan the laptop for new hardware?

I assume at that point I would be prompted by the laptop to "initialized" the new hardware it found and then I would choose MBR over GUID partition table (GPT) partition style for the new SSD drive.

Then run the Live CD "install" option, then rebuild the partition's and then install Ubuntu to the new SSD drive.

Short of doing all that is there any open source or other program that can create or insert the MBR on the disk as it is right now?
see attached file..

Just to clear up my first assumption... GParted doesn't add the MBR during it's operation when I chose the "Device for boot loader installation is /dev/sdb ".

I wonder why GParted didn't raise a warning flag when it partitions a brand new drive without any MBR on it... oh well...

Also I remember see some options to stop Ubuntu from writing to the SSD's "swap file" until all the laptop ram memory is maxed out.. still trying to find that again..

 

Here are 2 more screenshots of the new ocz SSD Drive vie Windows 7.

It appears to have a MBR record when looking at the volume data.

When looking at the drive in Computer Management the partitions are shown and appear correct.
However the type of file system is not shown (ext 4 was used), and there appears to no data on the disk (free space matches capacity size).

When I mounted the disk from the live CD I did see all the files and folders installed vie Ubuntu.

Seeing that I can see the disk from Windows 7 and the Live CD, the cable connecting the SSD Drive to the computer seems ok.

I think the initialize step I skipped appears to have taken place in GParted.. otherwise none of the above info would be shown.. BIG ASSUMPTION on my part..

The BIOS seems to be the issue not being able to see the SSD drive in the BIOS Setup menu.. Another BIG ASSUMPTION on my part..

see attached files..

 

Thanks Tony T for all the help..

I wasn't ready to redo the install of Ubuntu on the SSD..

The way I saw the problem it was hardware and or firmware related.

I called HP tech support and ask them about the bios issue and my need to choose which Hard Drive I would boot to.

There first response was "We don't support anything but the Windows OS " and that I should talk to Ubuntu for help.

I said I wasn't asking them for help with the operating system, only wanted help using all the laptop's capability's and to its fullest use.

They said that they could not provide any assistance configuring the laptop to boot to the second hard drive on the laptop........ AND they told me my warranty was voided now because I tried to add a 2nd operating system to their laptop..

I reminded them it was my laptop and nothing was done to original Windows OS on the 1st Hard Drive.

At that point Hewlett Packard (HP) tech support was useless..


I was able to find a workable solution by doing these steps.

Removed the Windows HD from main serial port and tried to boot Ubuntu from 2nd serial port. Result was a "boot error message" from bios .

Then I re-cabled the Ubuntu SSD to the main serial port and the laptop booted to the grub menu and then Ubuntu...

Then I re-cabled the Windows Hard Drive to the 2nd serial port and the laptop booted to the grub menu and either Windows or Ubuntu per my wishes.

So problem solved... and each OS has its own hard drive.

All this because HP (Hewlett Packard) has entry level firmware and no desire to accommodate the end user.

Needless to say this was one of the most annoying cat's I ever skinned..

Thanks again...

 

Update... 2 days later...

I need to give (HP) Hewlett Packard some credit.. They did respond to a email trouble ticket / complaint I sent them and are escalating this issue higher up to the next support level.. (a fee only option)

At first they offered their paid support at 1/2 price, I declined stating it was a bios issue not something I configured incorrectly.

At that point HP said they would waived the tech support fee's and gave me the number to call. I'll call them and post any fixes here..