Strange partitioning problem in Vista =(

So I'm excited because got my Vostro 1400 within one week. First thing I wanted to do is partition the main drive so of the 100GB, 30GB will be for Windows Vista and applications, and 70GB will be for archives, media files, and etc.

I used the built-in "Disk Management" under "Computer Management" to partition the drive. But no matter what I do, the program only allowed me to partition up to 50GB.

I even tried reformatting the drive and installing my copy of Windows Vista Ultimate. I still can't partition it past 50GB. The drive is mostly empty at this point, too.

Is there a way for me to partition it to 30GB/70GB in Vista? I can't use Partition Magic, either.

 

Did you try to format it without loading into an OS? Try booting Partition Magic and create the partitions. Another idea would be to download a LiveCD version of Linux and use the built-in partition tools to create them. Knoppix is great.
After you create the new partitions, see if you can install Vista then.

 

Darn it, I'm already getting my Vista Ultimate going. Is there a way for me to do this without having to reformat again? How do I create a bootable Partition Magic disk? Can I resize partition with it without having to reformat?

 

You should be able to resize the partitions without reformat. I just assumed you wanted to reformat, sorry.
I couldn't find a tutorial for creating a bootable Partition Magic disk, however there is a great open-source alternative. Download the iso for GParted and burn it to a disk using something like Nero. Restart your Laptop, make sure your BIOS settings enable you to boot off a CD, and then just use the CD to resize your partitions. Good luck!