extending existing windows-partition and changing os on linux partition
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extending existing windows-partition and changing os on linux partition
i tried ubuntu 8 for a while now and am not as satisfied as i was with opensuse 11. so when i first find the time to do that i want to switch ubuntu for opensuse, and at the same time i want to extent my windows-partition. i use this to store my data, since linux can both read and write ntfs now, so i don't need that much space in linux. how do i repartition without harming my data in the existing windows-part of my harddisc? can i do that while installing opensuse, and do i need to "uninstall" ubuntu or can i just remove it in one step while installing opensuse?
* boot from a live cd with gparted (Like the Parted Magic "OS")
* Use gparted to resize the windows partition however you like (deleting the old linux partition in the process.)
* Boot the SuSE disc and proceed reinstalling that.
You can install Parted Magic to a USB key if you like, I believe, to save a CD-R! (Who has those lying around anyway?)
Incidentally, Bergen is an absolutely beautiful city. I got to spend a few days there last winter.
gparted almost worked as it was supposed to. i extended the ntfs-partition i use for windows in the partition programme, but unfortunately nothing happened to it. is this a known problem? the linux partition in ext3 worked well.
When I resize a partition I use a livecd(ubuntu/parted,etc), and I do only one operation at a time-ie, I delete the partition that will become part of the other, press "apply".
Then I resize the partition, "apply".
I have noticed with Gparted,etc that if you try to do sequential operations at once it has problems-least for me.
Also, make sure to backup windows and do a good defrag before installing linux.
that might have been the problem - i did several steps at once. there is no space to defrag on my windows partition, that's part of the reason behind extending it. is the chance of losing data very high? since i have installed opensuse during the weekend already, i hope i can just confirm a change of the ntfs-partition?
best regards
ungua
edit: an analog "screenshot" of the gparted window. now i see there is a column stating "unused".
you don't un-install any version of linux - just overwrite the partition with the new version.
& shrink down the lnx partition, apply, & expand the M$ partition, apply again.
as stated above.
now i think i am in some serious trouble. here is what happened:
1) during the installation of opensuse i removed the option to mount two partitions, root and home, and had everything on one ext3-partition. i could not use all of the available 31.49gb, but could only choose round numbers - i ended up with 31gb.
2) when i had a look at the extended windows-partition, i found out i'd rather ask you guys one more time before i change anything. that is because the partition is supposed to be 263gb big in gparted [screenshot], but contains only 244gb in windows [screenshot] (partition > check as a possible solution?).
3) i extended the ext3-partition flagged "boot, lba" and containing opensuse to 31.49gb. after a restart i was stunned to see the machine telling me "error - no operating system".
4) with a friend's "ultimate boot cd" i ran fixmbr, fixboot and chkdsk in a hope to recover what has been lost. i ended up with making the windows partition my boot-partition. at the same time, chkdsk told me that "the volume appears to contain one or more unrecoverable problems" [screenshot]. does this indicate a physical error?
now i'd like to get linux back to work. but i really don't dare doing anything. my friend recommended "easybcd", but does opensuse come with a recovery option for messed up bootloaders and the like? i'd probably start trying to save some data i, being stupid, "backed up" on the linux partition. hope a live-cd works for that.
best regards & big thanks in advance!
ungua
edit: i move around, deleted and backed up some 65gb from my windows-partition to do a defragmentation of it earlier today.
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