Hi, I'm new in this forum and in Linux generally. I have installed Suse 9.1 on an old PC and now I want to install it on a normal one. I have Windows XP Home on a 37,25G partition and I want to resize it to 30G so that I can create a swap partition and a 7G (or something less) ReiserFS partition. I used ntfsresize in the old PC, but I damaged all partitions (cause I didn’t know how to use ntfsresize; I hadn’t found the guide below), so now I am asking you if everything I am going to do is right before I proceed (I want to do it manually and not with Partition Magic cause I don’t have it).

# ./ntfsresize --size 30000M /dev/hda1
ntfsresize v1.7.1
NTFS volume version: 3.1
Cluster size : 4096 bytes
Current volume size: 20390432768 bytes (20391 MB)
Current device size: 20390436864 bytes (20391 MB)
New volume size : 10999996416 bytes (11000 MB)
Checking filesystem consistency ...
100.00 percent completed
Accounting clusters ...
Space in use : 7851 MB (38.5%)
WARNING: Every sanity check passed and only the DANGEROUS operations left.
Please make sure all your important data had been backed up in case of an
unexpected failure!
Are you sure you want to proceed (y/[n])? y
Schedule chkdsk NTFS consistency check at Windows boot time ...
Resetting $LogFile ... (this might take a while)
Updating $BadClust file ...
Updating $Bitmap file ...
Updating Boot record ...
Syncing device ...
NTFS had been successfully resized on device '/dev/hda1'.
You can go on to resize the device e.g. with 'fdisk'.
IMPORTANT: When recreating the partition, make sure you
1) create it with the same starting disk cylinder
2) create it with the same partition type (usually 7, HPFS/NTFS)
3) do not make it smaller than the new NTFS filesystem size
4) set the bootable flag for the partition if it existed before
Otherwise you may lose your data or can't boot your computer from the disk!


# fdisk /dev/hda

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/hda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 2480 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 2479 19912536 7 HPFS/NTFS

Command (m for help): d
Partition number (1-4): 1

Command (m for help): n
Command action
e extended
p primary partition (1-4)
p
Partition number (1-4): 1
First cylinder (1-2480, default 1): 1
Last cylinder or +size or +sizeM or +sizeK (1-2480, default 2480): +30100M

Command (m for help): t
Partition number (1-4): 1
Hex code (type L to list codes): 7
Changed system type of partition 1 to 7 (HPFS/NTFS)

Command (m for help): a
Partition number (1-4): 1

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/hda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 2480 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 1403 11269566 7 HPFS/NTFS

Command (m for help): w
The partition table has been altered!

Calling ioctl() to re-read partition table.
Syncing disks.





Is it correct?
What should I be careful at?
What about bugs in ntfsresize?

Anyway, this mini-guide can be used by others like me who don’t know how do resize a partition using Linux.

Thanks in advance.

It looks OK. What is risky is ntfsresize. So I'd recommend to copy your most important files somewhere... ntfsresize works for most people. That's all I can say.
The second part, with fdisk, can be repeated or fixed when something goes wrong (and at this strage it shouldn't).

Note that 'normal' reisize of partition does not look that way. Linux partitions can be resized more easily (using parted or its frontends). The only problem is with NTFS.

Ntfsresize is very mature and safe but resizing an NTFS partititon requires resizing BOTH the filesystem and the partition.

Unfortunately the partitioning resizing part, depending on the partitioning tool, can be error-prone, moreover many softwares have or had minor or major bugs that resulted unbootable Windows or lost partitions independently of the filesystems in use (FAT32, NTFS, ext3, reiserfs, etc).

The partitioning problems are always recoverable if you saved your original partition table. Hence it's important that if you don't trust yourself then save your partition table. But do so otherwise as well ;-)

Here are some more info about the NTFS resizer reliability
http://mlf.linux.rulez.org/mlf/ezaz/....html#reliable
http://mlf.linux.rulez.org/mlf/ezaz/...ize.html#write

Potential troubleshooting help if you or your partitioning software damaged something:
http://mlf.linux.rulez.org/mlf/ezaz/...l#troubleshoot

SUSE 9.1 partitioner problem:
http://portal.suse.com/sdb/en/2004/0...booting91.html

Mandrake 10.0 partitioner problem:
https://qa.mandrakesoft.com/show_bug.cgi?id=7959

Fedora partitioner problem:
http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/....cgi?id=115980

Solution if Linux 2.6 kernel and Parted damaged you partition table:
http://lwn.net/Articles/86835