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[Deivit]

Hi,

I would highly appreciate a recommendation for a disk partition software that I'd like to use to resize my primary partition without touching the data (currently a physycal 100 GB partitioned into one 20 GB + one 80 GB - both NTFS, Windows XP).  I intend to use it just one time (the primary 20 GB partition is almost full and the other one is empty), and therefore a free tool would be better... though I have no problem in paying for it if you think it's worthy.

Thanks in advance.

[Slope]

Well, the only software I know that does things like this is Partition Magic by Powerquest.

However, resizing the primary partition including windows can be pretty dicey. It might almost be safer to clone everything you've got (the whole partition) to an external disk with a software like TrueImage by Arconis and then format your hard drive whilst merging the two partitions.

[Mastiff]

Gparted should work perfectly (just Google it). I use that often. I would suggest that if you want to pay for anything, pay for a good backup program like Acronis True Image and use that before you change the partition. Gparted has never messed up anything in any of the systems I have used it on, but better safe than sorry. You boot from it, and it's a GUI shell on a Linux distro.

[Deivit]

Thanks very much to you both. Will take a look and will also keep in mind the cloning tip.

[Mr ChriZ]

If you do use PartitionMagic, only ever perform one operation at a time.
I found when you perform multiple operations things started going wrong.

[MrC]

Well, the only software I know that does things like this is Partition Magic by Powerquest. ...

FYI.  PartitionMagic was purchased by Symantec, and is now called Norton PartitionMagic.  They have basically abandon the software it seems, as it has not been updated in quite some time.  There is also Partition Commander 10 (which works in Vista):

http://www.avanquest.com/USA/pc-tools/disk-management-disk-partition/hard-disk-hard-drive/Partition_Commander_Professional_10.html

But for a one-shot, gparted will work just fine from various live CDs.

[mark_h]

Acronis Disk Director.   Have rearranged, added, deleted partitions many times with this software with zero problems.

Mark

[Frobozz]

If you have a Seagate or Maxtor drive you can use the Seagate/Maxtor DiscWizard software to manage the partitions and image the drive.  It is a special free version of Acronis that works on Seagate or Maxtor drives (it does not work on other brands of drives).

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/discwizard