New hp dv6tqe partitioning

I just bought hp dv6tqe laptop:
CPU: i7-2630QM
RAM: 8 GB.
HDD.: 1 TB.
GPU: Intel 3000 + AMD 6770m (1 G.)
Screen: HD (CMO) (No FHD here)

I tried to get answer to my problem in the forum but without luck.

I tried MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition to resize C (916 GB.) in order to create new partition, but after resizing the unallocated space can't be converted into new partition: ERROR MESSAGE (Partition Wizard cannot creact a partition at here. There are no free MBR slots on the disk).

what is the solution???

appreciate your help

O.K.
after google search, the only option I have to delete recovery or hp tool partition, which I didn't want to do, so I choose to resize "shrink" C partition and "enlarge" D partition (Hp recovery) which I can use as storage.
I wish it may help other hp dv6 owners

 

There is another option. I think it was even covered earlier in Owner's Lounge thread. Unfortunately, while I've tested it successfully on a desktop PC, I don't recall all exact details just now. You should be able to find them though.

BE SURE you have all the info you need and know how to complete ALL the steps BEFORE performing step 2.

1. Mount the 'system' partition in win7 and copy the boot files to the proper folder on c:.

2. Delete the 'system' partition and expand the c: partition to fill the now unallocated space. You with then have only 3 primary partitions on the drive and will be able to add a fourth later.

3. Use a Win7 "Installation dvd" to run a 'repair' to revise the BCD file now on c: to allow booting. [NOTE: There may be other ways to get this repair done without the install DVD, even by editing the relocated BCD file just after moving it to c: in step #1.] Sorry, I haven't done this recently and don't want to test my memory and possibly mislead you. Suffice it to say that it can be done.

4. Shrink c: partition and create a new partition in the now unallocated space.

5. If you're using 3rd party partitioning software (not Win7 itself) to do any of the partitioning, you should do a little more checking/research. Many current 3rd party partitioning apps do not completely support newer "advanced format" drives and will not properly align all drive structures. If your drive is of these newer types (the Hitachi drive in my dv7tqe is), you should run an alignment utility after repartitioning the drive to make sure things are properly aligned. Take a look at index | Advanced Format Drives for some background info and possible download.

Good luck. I'm sorry I can't give you a more comprehensive step-by-step.

Edit: You might also look at http://www.multibooters.co.uk/system.html for info on the Win7 booting process to help understand what's being done in these steps.

 

^ This is way too complicated for simple partitioning. No easier method? What about the Gnome partition manager bootable CD? Can't we simply shrink C: drive and create another drive with the remaining space?

 

Use the gparted live cd

 

Here's an easy fix http://www.minitool.ca/blog/?p=22

 

The issues are as follows: The Win7 "system" partition MUST be a Primary partition and the Active partition. The OS (boot) partition (c: drive) on the HP laptop is a primary partition. The HP_Tools partition is and must be a FAT32 partition. The Recovery partition is (and I believe must be) a primary partition. Thus, shrinking c: drive would not allow creation of a new partition because that would exceed the limit of four primary partitions (the 'container' for any logical drives counts as one primary for this purpose).

It is possible to delete either the HP_Tools or the Recovery partition to allow creation of another partition and then shrink the c: drive to allow added space for it. However, either deletion results in some loss of functionality (something I presumed 'wkbag' did not desire).

The minitool fix converting one partition to logical would work, but would seem to require the OS partition (c: drive) be the one converted in this case. Win7 will run from a logical drive but would be a little odd for a single boot installation (and remember the 'system' partition must be a primary one).

No matter what partitioning is done, unless it is done with Win7's own utilities, there remains the question whether the 3rd party partitioning software handled the alignment correctly on an Advanced Format drive. If it is an 'AF' drive, some care is required to be sure a proper alignment is completed. Some Seagate drives realign automatically over time, while WD and Hitachi provide an alignment tool to check the drive and realign it if needed. So, some investigation here would be advisable.

Frankly, while the procedure I outlined in my earlier post sounds complicated, it generally takes only a few minutes (most of the time is in the software moving the OS partition). The time it takes depends on what amount of risk you're willing to take -- whether you feel a need to learn about Win7 partitioning and boot processes first, or are comfortable with just following someone else's step-by-step guide.

Finally, I read 'wkbag' question with the understanding that he did not want to lose the functionality of the Recovery or HP_Tools partitions and answered it that way. Personally, I dealt with the issue in what I think is most practical way: I deleted the Recovery partition, resized the OS partition (c: drive) to 50g and created a new partition in the unallocated space made available by those operations. If I need to "Recover", I'll do it from the Recovery DVDs I created.

I do apologize for the length of these posts, but while partitioning can be somewhat "simple," explaining it without leaving something out that could foul up somebody else's computer is a bit more challenging since the rules have changed from XP to Vista to Win7 and with AF drives.

 

Hmm so if one doesn't mind losing the recovery partition functionality, we can simply delete that partition and make new ones as per our will?
If we DO want to retain the recovery partition, we need to follow the instructions in your previous post?

 

Yes, you can delete the recovery partition and create a new partition (primary or extended/logical) in its space. You could do a I did: remove the recovery partition, shrink the adjacent OS (c: drive) and create a new partition in the combined unallocated space. But, it is not just "per our will" since there are strict limits on what's allowed.

The dv6 and dv7 laptops drives are partitioned using the Master Boot Record MBR) method ( Master boot record - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). This limits the number of partitions to 4, including any extended partition (that itself can contain logical drives, but these are not "partitions"). Win7's default is to install using two of these partitions ('system' and 'boot'), and this is the way HP delivers it. Add the Recovery partition and the HP_Tools partition and you're maxed out.

If you want to retain the recovery partition, whatever you do MUST be done within 4 partitions or less. You could delete the HP_Tools partition, resize c:, and create a new partition in the unallocated space. [If the OS (c: drive) partition and the HP_Tools partition are not adjacent (as on my drive), you would have to move things around before creating the new partition or just leave what was HP_Tools as unallocated.] Also, as I said in my last post, I suppose that you could convert the c: to logical, etc. but I have never run Win7 on a logical drive when it didn't involve a multiboot system and can't really comment further on it.

So, the only other course is to somehow combine the 'system' and 'boot' partitions to reduce the partition count to 3 and go from there. One way to do this is as I described previously. Another would be to do a clean install of Win7. When Win7 is installed to a drive with certain existing partition structures, it will install onto a single 'system-boot' partition. To get what you want, at the beginning of the clean install you would delete both the the existing 'system' and 'boot' partitions and create 2 new ones of the sizes you desire in the now unallocated space. Then, in the installation, select which of these new partitions you want Win7 installed in.

There may be other methods I'm not aware of, but however it might be done it must work within the limits of the MBR. You might want to check out wikipedia article cited above and the information at Multibooters, Vista Dual and Multibooting - The Windows System and Boot Partitions, including the related subjects presented there (helpful even if you have no interest in multibooting).