But you can't, because you already have four primary partitions. You can't have a fifth. ALL new partitions you create MUST be placed inside of the extended partition sda4. Currently you only have one partition inside sda4, which is your data partition sda5, and it's using all the space. That means that in order to create ANY new partitions on your drive, you must either expand sda4 to include your unpartitioned space, or you must shrink sda5 to make room for another partition inside sda4.

Unless you want to delete one of your other three partitions (sda1, 2, or 3).

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I've done this before without any issues - created a partition where my 104GB space is located, between 2 other partitions.

What is and GPT and what would that do for me?
Would this even be compatible with my current system?
Are there concerns of data loss if a conversion were done?
What are the implications?
Thank you

Resolved it how?
Instead of being insulting, have you really read what is going on here?

Retain system restore (yeah, those two stupid hidden system-reserved partitions), one for Windoze, one for Data, and find a way to get Linux onto there. As you have already read (because we know that you wouldn't dare being caught of not doing what you accuse others of not doing) Linux Mint installer was refusing to use an extended partition to install the OS!

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This is a newer way of partitioning disk, and was introduced to allow use of disks greater than 2 tera bytes. The limit on MBR ( what you have ) is 2 tera bytes. GPT also removes the restriction of 4 primary partitions per disk.

Not without removing everything, and a complete re-install after setting up GPT. Since I don't know what version of WIn you have, be aware not all Win versions support GPT.

There is no conversion process, you have to delete everything from the disk, a linux dd command will do that. Then a full reinstall of everything you want on the disk.

I would advise you to either add the empty space to the partition with your data, and install linux there. You would have to add partitions in the extended space.

or, add an external disk,

or install v-box in windows, then install a linux system in v-box.

Post #10, for example, is a solution.

The Linux Mint installer didn't refuse to use an extended partition. It refused to create a new partition in an area of unallocated space because in doing so it would have needed to have created a fifth primary partition and, under MBR architecture, that is impossible.

By the way, those "hidden" partitions are not hidden in Linux, only in Windows. There is no such thing as a hidden partition in Linux.

P.S. It was me by the way who accidentally "liked" your previous post (instead of hitting the Quote button) so I'm not firing on all cylinders today. But I wholeheartedly recommend that you take a step back, clear any preconceived ideas that you may have, and read this thread again. Several people, myself included, have provided you with the solution.

This is not true. If you search on the web for MBR GPT without data loss, you will find various ways of converting without having to remove the data.

One example: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/convert-mbr-to-gpt-disk

However, in saying that, things can go wrong and I would never attempt such a procedure without having backed up my partitions onto a secondary media beforehand.

Anyway, although it is one of several solutions, it is not required in OP's case.

But you didn't already have four primary partitions, that's the problem here, not that your unallocated space is in the "middle" of the drive instead of the beginning or end. The problem, and I'm going to try to make this very clear, is that you already have 4 primary partitions (sda1, 2, 3, 4). MBR can not have more than four primary partitions.

The ONLY way, and I do mean the ONLY way to have more than four partitions on an MBR disk, is for one of those four primaries to be an extended partition. You can then create as many partitions as you want INSIDE the extended partition. You already have an extended partition, sda4, BUT IT'S FULL. That means you CANNOT create a new partition in your unallocated space, because doing so would require the addition of a fifth primary partition, which you can't do on MBR. You also CANNOT create a new partition in your extended partition sda4, because it's full, its entire capacity is being used by sda5.

You have three options (ignoring things like wiping the entire disk):
1) Delete one of your existing primary partitions (sda1, 2, 3, 4). This will allow you to make a new primary partition in your existing unallocated space.

2) Expand your extended partition, sda4, to include your unallocated space. This will then give you unallocated space inside sda4, where you can create a new partition.

3) Shrink the data partition, sda5, that is currently taking up your entire extended partition, sda4. This will then give you unallocated space inside sda4, where you can create a new partition.

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No I didn't believe they actually had 255 heads. Did you? Or were you just in the mood to belittle and to insult?
Such a wonderful welcome to the Linux community here, by you two.
Maybe you want me to just stay with Windoze.
If you don't want newcomers to Linux, keep it up, you're doing the right thing, and in the right place, the newbie forum.

hydrurga;

I stand corrected. Last version of win I had anything to do with was win 7. I do agree the OP needs a full hard drive backup before this should be attempted.

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Again, Timmi, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you seem to be too easily "insulted" by what is essentially honest criticism of your current inability to listen to, absorb and accept advice from folk who are experts on Linux.

If you want to stay with Windows then that's your prerogative. I would love to see you installing Linux on that computer of yours though, and so do others here, which is why we have been trying to tell you how to do it. All you need to do is listen and understand what folk are saying.

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What's this love affair with primary partitions? Absolutely the only thing that needs a primary partition is a Windows installation.

All you need to do is expand extended partition "sda4" to include your 104GB unallocated space, then create another logical partition in that 104GB space. You've said that Mint complained about that, well it's not complaining because it's a logical partition, you've got some other problem.


I've got 5 linux OSs on this machine and 4 of them are on logical partitions, one is on a primary partition only because I had Windows at one point, otherwise there would only be logical partitions on this machine.

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You need to create a logical partition and then install Mint to that.

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Yes, I tried that.
The installer said it cannot use that partition.

1. This seems self-explanatory to me: If a primary partition is lost, I am worried that data on an extended attached to that, will be lost too. It's not about going through the trouble of placing one's data in a different location, it's about protecting against data loss caused by issues from the main Windoze partition. Are you able to certify that if you delete or have a damaged primary, the extended attached to it will be just fine?

2. The installer refused to use an extended partition.

3. However, I would have no objections reinstalling Windoze onto an extended partition - but having done a factory restore a couple of times in the past, it does not give you the opportunity to choose your partition. It merely restores to C: (and thankfully ignores any other primary partition, like my data partition D)