Can I Add Extended Partition after Install?
 

Hi All,
I have just setup a system with the following partitioning scheme:
kernel 2.6.5-r1

/dev/hda1 ntfs WinXP
/dev/hda2 /boot linux
/dev/hda3 swap swap
/dev/hda4 /root linux Gentoo

Now I want to load another Linux OS, FREEBSD, and I realized that I can only have 4 primary paritions. Is it possible to add an extended partition without having to reformat my whole drive? I've got 60 gig of space that I can use.
TIA,
Jim
Maysville KY USA

No. Only up to 4 primary partitions are allowed at any time. An extended partition counts as a primary partition. You can add a new hard disk if you like.

You do not have to re-format the whole drive. only linux.

Change your / partition into an extended

HI all and thanks for your quick response. I'm thinking that I should image or backup my root partition, then change my former root partition to extended and recopy my root partition back. I don't think I can change my primary to extended without wiping the data on it and therefore killing my /root.
Or, I could change my swap to extended then put my swap in a new partition and change my fstab to reflect the new swap.
I just don't want to lose my Gentoo /root setup. It's taken too long to build it the way that I want.
I'm still open to suggestions,
Thanks,
Jim

I agree, the easiest would be to delete the swap partition and then create a new extended partiton using the 60 GB free space. All additional partitions will be logicals inside the extended paritition.

If you want to regain the old swap space you will need to resize your /.

I only use fdisk.. maybe others are different, but If the swap is set up to a confined space on the HD, the extended you are making in that spot would be limited to the original size of the swap.. again, maybe other partition editors do this differently.

Nah, they're saying he's 60 gigs unformatted - he could delete swap, leave it vacant, and create extended partitions out of the 60, not the swap. That's why michaelk was saying the swap space would be wasted without resizing /.

But you want FreeBSD, adamsjw2? That's not a Linux and, if I'm not mistaken (and may well be) that introduces another wrinkle - I think the BSDs require a primary partition to make 'slices' out of, or whatever - you can't boot a BSD from an extended. So you'd have to wipe one of your primaries and put BSD on it, anyway. I nominate hda1. :D

digiot,
Thanks for your reply.
I agree about getting rid of HDA1. I'm only keeping it because of MS Access. As soon as I can find a Linux replacement, it's gone.
I also agree about FreeBSD. I'm not going to put it on this box, I need to concentrate on learning Gentoo inside and out. I've been using MEPIS on another box and IPCOP as my firewall. So I was thinking about FREEBSD for possibly a firewall, but nah!

I'll put the new MEPIS when it moves out of beta and that may be it.
Jim

Making an extended partition using PartitionMagic would be easy. You would not have to delete or reinstall anything. That’s one reason so may linux users shell out the $ for PM.

My suggestion using PM would be to convert hda2, hda3 and hda4 to logical partitions, thus creating 1 extended partition out of the linux stuff and giving you 2 primary partitions to work with. Although I usually put the extended partition at the end of the drive, it can be anywhere. The extended partition can also have unallocated space in it.

If you do this, look at my comments in the following thread before you start:

“Reseizing linux partition? (Advice needed)”
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...partitionmagic


If you haven’t dealt with extended and logical partitions before, look at my comments in this tread before you start:

“parted”
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...partitionmagic