Safely resizing NTFS partition
 

I would like to dual boot Windows XP and Linux (Slackware 10.0) on my laptop, but I don't want to reinstall Windows/lose the data on the drive already. Is there a way to simply resize the Windows partition to make it smaller and provide space for Linux, without harming the current data?

step1: make backup of important data
step2: defrag
step3: defrag again
step4: defrag again
step5: make sure you know how to restore the MBR with recovery console or a bootdisk
step6: choose a program to resize: a liveCD with qtparted (knoppix?), Acronis, Partition Manager

OK, if I totally screw my drive, the computer came with an assortment of recovery discs that are supposed to revert the drive back to how it was shipped. I'm not too worried about losing stuff, I just really don't want to have to reinstall Windows. (In fact, due to the nature of those recovery discs, reinstalation would just get me to where I am now anyway...)

So, what is a recommended program for doing this?

I think I had a RedHat installation at one point that had... Fips I think? It was suppsoed to resize Fat32 partitions. I don't have the disc with it anymore, but is this something that will work on NTFS, and if so where can I get it?

I had the same problem, I haven't installed Slackware yet but I made the partitions. I used Slax (make sure you get older than 4.2.0 because it won't work with that) and the QTParted module. Defrag your Windows disk (and any other partitions on that drive) and start Slax and load the module. Start QTParted and resize your Windows partition. Before you commit, open a console and umount everything. Umount the /dev/ stuff, not the /mnt/ stuff. I did that and I lost Windows (I did have recovery disks.) Then commit and make your linux partition(s). Now, install Slackware (I haven't done it yet so I don't know all about that) but if your not positive about what you're doing, don't install LILO and boot from the disk. (That's what I plan to do, I don't know enough about LILO yet).

Good luck and hope it works. This worked for me but I messed up the first time so back-up, back-up, and back-up.

You could buy Partition Magic (for windows). It might be less likly to have problems w/ NTFS and it has some sort of recory disk thingy.

AND NEVER FORGET TO CHECK ON ERRORS BEFORE PARTITIONING!!!
PS:NEVER!!!

OK, I haven't tried this yet because I'm waiting on a USB floppy drive that I'll be getting soon, since the laptop didn't come with one. (I want to make sure I can use a boot disk.) Speaking of which, does anyone know if you can boot from a USB floppy drive?

You can boot Slackware from CD if you want to do that. Unless you want the USB floppy for LILO or something. I'm going to boot from CD till I feel comformtable to play with LILO.

Well, OK so maybe I don't need a floppy to just install Slackware, but as I have almost no experience with Linux thus far, it'd be nice to be able to throw a Win98 boot in there to repartition or something. But I still don't know if I'd be able to boot from a USB drive.

You can boot to a usb floppy if your system has that feature in the bios. Just move the removeable device up where it boots first.
If you get to using Linux fdisk, after a while you won't feel a need to use Windows boot disks at all.