Easiest way to put this is, I need to figure out the fat32 equivalent of ntfsresize.

I used GParted to resize my fat32 partition. However, it only resized the partition, and not the filesystem. So, what tool is there to resize fat32 partitions, sorta like ntfsresize works? I'm working off an Ubuntu LiveCD, so I can't exactly compile right now. I can install new stuff, though.

Funny, who would've guessed that we'd hit the day where NTFS was easier to deal with in Linux than Fat32?

And for the record, I'm using FAT to have a partition compatible between Windows & Linux. Maybe I should switch it to NTFS now...

Thanks,

Doug the Neard

Why do say it didn't resize the filesystem? I have used parted (a command line program which uses some of the same libraries Gparted uses) to resize a FAT32 partition containing a win95 installation and had no problems. I am prestty sure I checked the partition with MS's scandisk immediately afterwards.

(I know the installed version of Ubuntu has parted. I suspect the live CD does.)

gparted uses libparted - I would also expect it to work.
Presuming no errors on the partition - fsck it to be sure.

FWIW, early in my Linux experience (and maybe it was just because I was inexperienced :-/ ) I became concerned with fsck's behavior when checking FAT32 (I forget details). Enough so that I decided it was best leaving checking FAT32 to MS's tools. (The only time I was using FAT32 was with MS. ) YMMV.

I recently installed Debian in dual-boot to Vista, which resides on a NTFS filesystem.
Despite being known to be able to do so, gparted was unable to resize (shrink) the NTFS filesystem. So I rebooted in Windows and ran a defragmentation. THEN gparted was able to resize the NTFS filesystem.

Maybe it is the same with FAT32: gparted would be able to resize it only if it is not fragmented?

Yves.

The problem is, for some reason in between the steps of resizing the partition, and resizing the filesystem, Ubuntu (Or possibly GParted) re-mounts the partitions; then GParted can't edit them anymore.

The reason I know what is happening is because my NTFS partition did the same thing when I resized it. In every tool, it looks fine, but if you look at the free space, it doesn't increase! For instance, I more than doubled the size of this partition, from 23ishGiBs to 50GiB, and still only had around 100MiB free, instead of the 26GiB I should've had free. That's how you know the filesystem's still the same size. And actually, the Disk Management tool in WinXP *almost* shows it right; it shows the "Capacity" as the filesystem size, rather than the partition size; however, it still shows the partition size in the display of the hard drive (the graphical diagram). That's how I found out before.

But I guess it's a moot point now; I just used parted (the command-line version) to resize the partition to the exact same size (GParted didn't give me that option) and it worked like a charm.

I just wonder why so many programs aren't able to differentiate between the partition and filesystem. As for individual tools (ntfsresize, fdisk, and the like), they work on separate pieces. And yet larger tools (GParted, Window's Disk Management, Paragon Partition Manager, and most likely Partition Magic) assume that the filesystem must fill the partition. Maybe because there's no use in a partition that's bigger than the filesystem (to my knowledge), but since it *can* happen, why not show it? *sigh*

</rant>

The GUIs are just front ends for the various tools - that's the *nix way; re-use good tools rather than re-invent them.
People who want to use GUIs (generally) don't want to have to worry about the details.

Get the gparted liveCD - best way to do this stuff if you feel the need to use a GUI. Else use the individual tools - this is my personal preference.

I got that. the Unix philosophy - each tool has a singular purpose, chain them together, you can do just about anything. GUIs add a new display to those chains, basically.

But, what *are* the individual tools? Is there a Fat32 equivalent to ntfsresize, ext2resize, etc?

Parted .... :shrug:

After-thought:
As an aside, I only resize as a last option. I prefer to backup, delete, reallocate, mkfs, restore.
That way I get what I want, and by definition it is re-organized.

Yeah, I think you're right. Luckily, parted let me do what GParted didn't - resize the filesystem to the same size it already (thought it) was at. So technically, this thread is moot for me. But for posterity, might be good to see if there is an answer.

For your information, this LiveCD is what I use; it has Gparted and many more things:
http://www.sysresccd.org/

Yves.

I've burned a copy of SystemRescue, but haven't used it yet. Sounds good.

I haven't tried the system rescue CD for quite a while - was disappointed with its usability to be honest.

Hopefully it has become a good tool - personal recommendation is always good to hear.

I've got a copy of system rescue CD burned, but haven't really tried it yet. Couldn't get it to run before, but then I didn't try very hard. *shrug*

The last version 1.1 of sysrescuecd
is simpler it works well on
a Toshiba Satellite A200 laptop
by itself not with Vista where they can't
coexist on my computer. I have ordered
UBUNTU HARDY from 'pctech101' for
$16 -+ dollars and shipping as well
as Fedora 9 for about $7
maybe next week I will start to learn
booting two OSes. 'www.agcmag.com'
in Australia has a good looking tutorial
on making them live together
to be save I check other sites
till the disks arrive.

Vista Home Premium was doing well
but for problems with Norton Anti Virus
which interfered with everything
including vista as she couldn't uninstall it
(she hung up) Used
Toshiba Recovery DVD to recover
the Vista partition alas stupid I __ allowed
it to wipe the whole disk it gave only
one option(if I wanted to install Vista) probably because there were
more than four partitions from sysrescuecd
also it may have been something else
suspicious to the recovery operation.
No PARAGON PARTITION MANAGER
versions 7 to 9 including all the 7 and 8
subversions nor GPARTED
nor Toshiba Recovery DVD were
installing any thing as the boot
sectors were kaput.

So in desperation I tried TESTDSK
on sysrescuecd 1.1 found all the partitions
exactly as they were before.
Being happy that it did a great job I let TESTDSK
fix the MBR(master boot record)
a huge mistake for the MBR was
destroyed and all partitions disappeared.
After that nothing would install I tried
wiping the disk then making partitions
as vista likes them three primaries,
even two primaries as
long as you have the proper files in
the recovery partition located last.

Here is where Paragon
Partition Manager version 9 came
to the rescue with its set of routines
called 'boot record recovery'
or something like it.
About four or five routines that
you can do for example
'fix boot record of drive'
, 'fix boot record of partition' and
'fix boot.ini ...
It's only last week that I did
this spending half the day working
out a logical sequence for these
routines to allow an install by way
of Toshiba Recovery DVD.

The best way for me:
have two partitions the end partition where
I placed the recovery files which
were saved on a DVD 5.9 GB placed
in 7 GB end partition the rest
was all one NTFS partition.

Make sure to have the recovery
disk in the DVD carriage but
don't start it up(or press F12 to start it)
the recovery routine will either
find the Recovery DVD or ask
for it.

Shut down anything running on
the computer after shutdown press zero
next to the digit 9 hold it down
start up Tosh and let go when
the a large blurb with the Toshiba
logo taking up about 30 %
of the screen comes up.
It gives only a single option
'DESTROY ALL DATA '
since it's the only option (if
you want to install) I said 'yes'
then it gave three options after
I chose yes 'DESTROY ALL...'

The options were something like
1. Destroy all data (again? didn't find out)
2. Keep all data but use empty space
to recover.
3. Can't remember
(2.) worked for me since it
left the last recovery partition
intact(the only important partition.)
So Vista lives on my Tosh
laptop now.

Now I am restoring all the prior programs
and downloading the virus
definitions from a year ago
AVG and AVAST much to go yet
on a slow(is there any other kind?)
'dial up' connection.

Cheers,

Solmoeban