Multiple OS

Okay so i know that it is possible to have multiple os's at the same time but i am wondering if i can add another one if i already have one installed. I already have vista installed when i partitioned my hard drive i didn't leave any extra space. Is there a way i can re-partition my hard drive with out reformatting me entire system?

 

Yes, you can create another partition within vista using the disk management tool.

* Click on the Start menu
* Right click on My Computer and click on Manage
* If you get a User Account Control dialog here, simply click Continue
* In the left pane, choose the Storage category and open Disk Management. What you will find here are the partitions on your hard drive
* Right click on the partition that you wish to change.
* Choose Shrink Volume to shrink the selected partition
* Enter the new size for the partition, and click Shrink
* Now, you will notice that the partition is smaller, and some free space is available to create a new one; right click on the "free space" area.
* Choose "New Simple Volume" from the menu that appears, then click Next.

By default, Windows Vista will use all the free available space to create the new partition. Change the size if you need, or simply click Next if you agree with the default size.

Now that your new partition is almost created, choose a drive letter and click Next.

At last, you should change the file system settings and format your new drive. In most cases, the NTFS file system using the default allocation unit size and a Quick Format should be fine. Click Next...and you're done!

 

i tried that but it is only letting me partition 341mb of space when i have over 80gb free on my hard drive any idea why?

 

Could be used up with a hidden recovery partition. Try using a third-party app, like Acronis Disk Director suite or gParted to see what's really going on with your hard drive partitions.

 

okay so i tried gparted and i didnt see anything different then when i went to my disk manager.

 

If GParted also shows 341MB of free space, then that's all there is.
When it shows 80GB of free space, you can use that, or a part of it, to make another partition.
Make sure that the current partition is defragmented though.

 

when i use gparted it wouldnt let me partition anything it said that my max space and minimum space were the same thing and i coulnt change anything

 

At this point, it might be useful for the rest of us if you took a screenshot of what gParted is saying about your partition structure and posted it here so the rest of us could see what's going on.

 

Yeah take a screenshot because there may be something your missing.

 

sorry its so big and about the quality had to use a cell phone.

 

When you select sda2 (ntfs, 229.83 GB), does the Resize/Move option become available?
If so, you should be able to move a slider from right to left (in the area where your mouse cursor on the picture is located), indicating that you can resize that partition.
Cheers.

 

yes i can click resize/move but i can not resize it at all the slider won't move and i can't set the space manually either.

 

Maybe a dumb question but how are you running GParted?

 

i burnt the ISO to a disc and booted into it, it was the only way i could get it to work.

 

Off topic, how'd you take a screenshot of Gparted?

Sorry, see you used a cell phone.

Shouldn't there be a sda4 in there?

 

hiker im not really sure i understand your question sorry

 

The screenshot shows a warning triangle next to the dev/sda2 entry. This usually means that there is a problem with the partition that is preventing gparted from resizing it. Try running chkdsk or another disc utility to see if you need to repair the partition first.

 

Aah, that's what it means? I just couldn't pinpoint it.
Thought it might be a mounted partition but those show either locks or keys, not red triangles.
Draxxus, does running chkdsk in a WinOS solve this issue?

 

i ran chkdsk and it said that there were errors, how would i go about fixing them?

 

At the command prompt type: chkdsk c: /f
If that doesn't help, type chkdsk c: /r

Check this page for further explanation of those commands.
Cheers.

 

I wasn't sure when I asked it. Yor patitions go sda1,2,4, 5. Was wondering if there should be a 4