Need help resizing HFS+ partition

I need help resizing my HFS+ partition on my Mac iBook G4. I have been trying to resize my Mac OSX partition size to allow more free space on my single hard drive to install Ubuntu. I've tried using parted from the Ubuntu install cd but it won't work. It keeps giving me an error message and will not resize the partition. I really need to resize this partition because as of right now it is the only one on my hard drive taking up the whole 80GB of space. If anyone knows another way to resize this partition please let me know, I really love Linux and have been trying to do this for weeks. Thanks!

Are you trying to resize a mounted partition? You can't normally resize a mounted partition. It must be unmounted before it can be resized.

What is the error message?

Just to make sure you are trying the shrink from the end to the beginning leaving the start of the partition as is. You cannot move an hfs partition but only shrink it where it is.
http://www.gnu.org/software/parted/

Brian1

Well thats what I thought. I already tried parted from the Ubuntu install cd to try to use it to resize my OSX partition. Thats when it gave me the error. The error says that parted failed to resize the partition because an extent was not relocated and also because some files (doesn't give names) were not relocated. It just keeps saying the same error every time I try. Sometimes it says the error when it is starting to resize the partition and sometimes it gives the error when it has almost compleated resizing the partition. It hasn't ruined any of my data or the partition because I am posting this from OSX. I f I could find a way to resize the partition it would really be nice.Thanks again!

These are the exact steps I followed while trying to resize my HFS+ macOSX partition and their exact outputs:

First and before all I dsiabled Journaling on my Mac HFS+ partition. First I followed all the steps on the Ubuntu install disk up to the partitioner. When I was in the partitioner I selected "Go back" and then in the menu I selected "Exicute a shell". Once in the shell I typed

Parted

after this I typed

Print

This brought up the hard drive name and information. After this information I typed

resize 3 128.031 72319.081

this happens to be the resize information I want my 80GB hard drive to be resized to. Once I enter this information it comes up with a message sying this exactly

Warning: You have an HFS+ file system that has a feature that I haven't seen used anywhere. Parted can theorectically handle it, but the corresponding code has never been tested, so this might be risky. Please email me so I can see how it works <xilun666@libertysurf.fr>

Then I type I for ignore and it starts to resize the partition. After it starts it stops and these exact messages come up

Warning: An extent has not been relocated.

Error: Data relocation left some data in the end of the volume.

Error: Resizing the HFS+ volume has failed.

Any ideas please!!??

You might try using the gui part of parted called qtparted on a Live CD like Knoppix or the System Rescue CD from http://freshmeat.net/projects/systemrescuecd/

Make sure to get the latest release. Might be an issue with the version you are using.
Thats about all I know to do.

Brian1

The System Restore cd looked great and like it might work but the only problem is after I download and burn the .iso it boots up normally and then the screen goes black and then nothing happens. I let it stay that way for about an hour and still nothing hapened, the scree was solid black and the hard drive and cd drive wern't doing anthing.Any ideas about this? Can you get Knoppix for power pc?

Sorry my fault, I did not see you were working on an iBook. Never used a power pc before.
Brian1

Originally Posted by Lizard66 The System Restore cd looked great and like it might work but the only problem is after I download and burn the .iso it boots up normally and then the screen goes black and then nothing happens. ?

A similar thing happened to me, only that I was using Win XP. It worked perfectly after I installed ntfsresize.

Before you re-size partition, you may consider defragmenting the drive. Maybe some data is left at the end hence causing problems.

Now there's an idea! How stupid of me, thanks man, I never thought of that! I know I do it all the time on my Windows XP downstairs but never thought to do it on my mac. I've been looking around and can't find a good free program to defragment my Mac OSX. If you have any ideas or suggestions I'm listening. Again, thanks a lot!

Found a reported solution at sysresccd.org:

Mac users: I just discovered that during the boot phase the rescue disc blanks the screen. Using the brightness controls I have been able to see the display again!

.
(I can't post the URL; this is my first post...)