How do we move a volume?

[Blue Max]

We were exceptionally pleased to see that Windows Vista included functions
for shrinking and expanding hard disk volumes. However, aren't these
capabilities seriously crippled by the fact there is no feature for moving
volumes?

For example, we want to shrink drive D and add the free space to drive C by
expanding it. The problem here is that the space freed from shrinking drive
D is at the end of the drive D partition (volume) versus the beginning and,
as such, is not contiguous to drive C. Therefore, we cannot expand drive C
into the non-contiguous space freed from drive D.

Perhaps we have overlooked a feature?

FIRST, is there a MOVE function we may have missed that will allow us to
non-destructively relocate a drive or the free space?

SECOND, is there a way to shrink a drive so that the free space is created
at the beginning of its partition rather than the end. This would leave the
freed space contiguous to the end of the prior drive which could then be
expanded into the new free space. This would also allow the user to expand
and shrink prior drives (volumes) until the new free space was contiguous to
the desired drive.

Thank you for any help on this issue.

 

[Richard Urban]

The features supplied by the O/S are rudimentary - at best. Microsoft has to
be very careful due to the federal law suit that found them a monopoly. They
can not step on the toes of the other companies out there that have been
designing partitioning software for many years. If you want more features
you will have to buy a 3rd party application.

Acronis Disk Director Suite 10.0 is about as good as they get.

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

 

[Blue Max]

Thank you, Richard. I understand the dilemma, but sure feel that an
operating system should be natively allowed to perform these primitive
operations. Thank you for the referral to Acronis Disk Director Suite 10.0.
Is it Vista compatible? We have used Symantec Partition Magic and have been
pretty pleased with that product also.

Thanks

********************************************

 

[Richard Urban]

The older versions of P/M are not compatible and "will", at some time or
other, cause a problem.

Disk Director is 100% Vista compatible, and unlike anything Symantec, does
not suck resources.

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

 

[Blue Max]

Thank you for the referral and the insight on P/M.

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Max.

When the facts fit just right, good things can be made to work. ;<)

I had that problem just last month and was able to solve it by using only
Vista's built-in tools, mostly Disk Management. No, so far as I know, there
is no MOVE function in DM. Nor can we shrink a volume from the front. But
there may be another way to "skin the cat".

I have several physical drives, but the main action was on just one, a 200
GB SATA. There is just one primary partition (the System Volume), followed
by an extended partition divided into several logical drives. Vista
Ultimate x64 was in the first logical volume (30 GB), Ultimate x86 in the
second (30 GB), followed by a couple of data volumes. Another HDD,
similarly organized, had 40 GB free space at the end.

First I created a new 30 GB volume in that free space. Then, using Xcopy
/c/h/e/r/k, I moved all of the x86 volume contents to the new volume. And
then I used DM to delete the original x86 volume and extend the x64 volume
into that vacated contiguous space, growing it from 30 GB to 60 GB. Problem
solved! ;<)

Well, I did have to do some minor repair with BCDEdit.exe to get x86
bootable in its new location, but that was not a big problem. All this was
done while booted into Ultimate x64, my normal working OS.

As I said: when the facts fit. ;<) Your situation might not work as well,
but you might want to give it some thought.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail beta 2 in Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 beta v.275)

 

[Blue Max]

Thank you R.C. for the suggestions. A little scary, but might could work.
I can't believe they didn't provide a MOVE feature! Thanks.

********************

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Max.

A Move feature would be nice. But, as Richard said, MS has to walk a
tightrope between what we want on the one hand and what Symantec and other
competitors will stand for on the other.

If the present regulatory climate had been in place early in the last
century, we would now be buying cars without radios or air conditioners,
then taking them to third-party vendors to have those added on. I suppose
you've heard about the special versions of Windows - without Windows Media
Player - that MS must sell in European markets to satisfy the EU's
regulators.

If you try my workaround, please report back - good or bad - so that others
may learn from your experience.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail beta 2 in Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 beta v.275)