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Shrinking/Resizing Partition + Virtual DVD Writer for Recovery Disc


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So I just bought a HP dm1z (amd e-350, 500gb, 4gb ram, w7hb).

It currently has 3 partitions:

- Recovery

- HP Tools Recovery

- Main (OS+storage)

What I want is to have:

- 80-120gb for the OS partition

- 30-40 gb for a linux distro

- storage

I still need to create the 4 recovery discs before deleting the recovery partition but I currently can't afford to buy an external DVD writer. What I was thinking is to create the recovery iso using a virtual dvd writer + imgburn/cdburnerxp. Then after creating the 4 iso files, I'll copy it to my desktop and burn the DVDs from there. That's when I'll resize my partition.

So questions are:

- Has anybody tried creating recovery discs using virtual dvd writers? What will be the risks?

- If the above method works, what's the best free (or has 30 day trial) virtual dvd writer out there?

Now for resizing the partition:

I haven't done this before. Can I just shrink the large OS partition to the desired size? I haven't added anything yet. Will it corrupt the data? If yes, what's the safe way for me to resize it? (The unit did not come with an OS installer disc)

Thanks! :)

PS: I did not know where to post this so if this was posted on the wrong place, kindly move this, thanks :)

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Thanks! I will try it out later. But is it safe to just use those (virtual dvd writers) to create ISOs of the recovery discs?

i wouldn't see why not

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Thanks! I will try it out later. But is it safe to just use those (virtual dvd writers) to create ISOs of the recovery discs?

It should be safe. But as a secondary precaution, you could use another program to create images of the partitions themselves.

http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp

http://www.paragon-software.com/home/br-free/

It currently has 3 partitions:

- Recovery

- HP Tools Recovery

- Main (OS+storage)

What I want is to have:

- 80-120gb for the OS partition

- 30-40 gb for a linux distro

- storage

...

Now for resizing the partition:

I haven't done this before. Can I just shrink the large OS partition to the desired size? I haven't added anything yet. Will it corrupt the data? If yes, what's the safe way for me to resize it? (The unit did not come with an OS installer disc)

Disk Management (included in Windows 7) should be able to do this safely. But before ever partitioning your drives, regardless of the software you use, always make sure you have a complete backup of your data.

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Thanks to your help, I was able to do everything above. My problem now is the disk management tool in windows 7 only allows me to shrink the c partition (right now around 450gb) by about 220gb. Is there a way for me to shrink it even more without corrupting my os partition?

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Thanks to your help, I was able to do everything above. My problem now is the disk management tool in windows 7 only allows me to shrink the c partition (right now around 450gb) by about 220gb. Is there a way for me to shrink it even more without corrupting my os partition?

1. Try running defrag from the command line with the /X switch. After that completes, see if you can shrink the volume any more. The /U switch simply displays the current progress.

defrag C: /X /U

2. If Disk Management doesn't work, you can try EASEUS instead. I wouldn't recommend any other software, but as before, make sure you have a backup.

http://www.partition-tool.com/personal.htm

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