Issues creating new partition [RESOLVED]

[trsblader]

Hey guys, been searching google and this site for days now and every time I think I found the solution, it doesn't work. I thought maybe if I posted my problems someone could point me in the correct direction and offer more tips.

Basically I just want to add a 20gb partition to my system (160gb hard drive from early 2008 macbook). I'm on Snow Leopard 10.6.7 as well.

I have 76.x gb of space left on my system, so I should have more than enough to make a 20gb partition. My problem is this. When I use disc utility (either booted from the install DVD or from my main drive), it stalls on shrinking my current partition. It eventually gives me the error that I should "try reducing the amount of change in the size of the partition." I've gone down to 10gb and is still isn't working.

I tried booting with the install DVD and verifying and repairing my drive, as well as repairing permissions and those steps work just fine.

I also tried zero'ing out the drive, and after it completed, I still get the issue.

I'm not exactly sure what to try next. Is there anything I can do WITHOUT wiping the entire drive, partitioning the system, and then restoring from a time machine backup?

 

[Makosuke]

You could try a defragmentation program, which might succeed at consolidating the space where Disk Utility didn't. That also might not help, however, and it's entirely possible that the defrag utility will cost more than a 160GB drive to do a clone-reformat-reclone operation to get it partitioned.

Do you have a backup drive? In which case, try using that (or a newly-created partition on it) for the clone destination. If you don't, BUY ONE NOW, and that solves both of your problems.

Note, by the way, that you can get a 320GB 5K drive, or 250GB 7K drive, for under $50 shipped from Newegg, and swapping out the hard drive in those systems is VERY easy, so you might consider this a good opportunity to increase your available storage and speed in addition to gaining a clone-able backup drive (so long as you have a USB-SATA converter thingy, which sell for about $20, or you can borrow one from a friend).

 

[trsblader]

Thanks for the reply. I have quite a few external drives, so increasing internal storage isn't necessary, especially with getting a new iMac in the next couple weeks.

I'll check to see if any defragmentation software has some sort of trial to try out.

It's really not a big deal to get this partition, I mostly just wanted it to mess around with, so if it's going to cost money I'd rather just say forget it.

I was hoping there was a quick fix using built in applications already, but it's not looking good.

EDIT: I actually found a program along with a little common sense and got my issue fixed!

 

[Makosuke]

EDIT: I actually found a program along with a little common sense and got my issue fixed!

Glad to hear that. If you don't mind, could you post what you came up with? It might help other people with the same issue who search the forums in the future.