Resizing BootCamp Partition - Snow Leapord/Windows 7

[MythicFrost]

I've done this several times before:

When in Snow Leopard, use WinClone to copy the Windows 7 partition to your desktop as an image file. Use Boot Camp Assistant to remove the Windows 7 partition (after WinClone is finished) and then use BCA to create a new larger partition for Windows 7. And then use WinClone to restore that image back to the partition. Voila.

 

[Wmatthies]

The problem is that Disk Utility won't handle NTFS or the resize operation properly.

Winclone essentially uses the same tools behind Disk Utility along with ntfsprogs to enable the resizing.

In generally Winclone still works fine, as long as you set it for uncompressed DMG.

B

I've done this several times before:

When in Snow Leopard, use WinClone to copy the Windows 7 partition to your desktop as an image file. Use Boot Camp Assistant to remove the Windows 7 partition (after WinClone is finished) and then use BCA to create a new larger partition for Windows 7. And then use WinClone to restore that image back to the partition. Voila.

I'm confused as to whether or not the WinClone solution will work when the Win 7 BC partition is NTFS, Mac OS 10.6.8?

 

[balamw]

I'm confused as to whether or not the WinClone solution will work when the Win 7 BC partition is NTFS, Mac OS 10.6.8?

Winclone-2.2 will work, but you need to keep the format as uncompressed DMG. It is not supported on 10.7 although there are unofficial hacks that exist.

B

 

[mlc444]

Solution

I tried WinClone... but it kept giving an error and wouldn't work.
I'm running Snow Leopard and Win 7
Here is how I resolved the issue so I didn't have to reinstall:
While in MacOS I moved the slider to shrink the size of the Mac drive
Reboot into Win and go to Disk Management (from search type in "Disk Management" and hit enter as someone stated above)
Right click on the free space and create a "New Simple Volume"
Assign a drive letter
Format using NTFS
Click Finish

After it is done you will have a new volume (drive) available for windows files. Whether its games, programs, or anything else you can store it and access it on this volume.
You will have to remember to specify this drive when performing installs, but it is a good solution to wiping windows and then having to re-install the operating system.

 

[gusanitoverde]

I thought W-Vista was bad.

W-7 ate up almost 50 GB of my HD. Another reason to dislike Windows. However, I want it for gaming. So, my HD is small in my MBP. Is there any way to rather slim down W-7 instead of resizing my 50 GB?

Thanks.

 

[wchoc86]

I tried WinClone... but it kept giving an error and wouldn't work.
I'm running Snow Leopard and Win 7
Here is how I resolved the issue so I didn't have to reinstall:
While in MacOS I moved the slider to shrink the size of the Mac drive
Reboot into Win and go to Disk Management (from search type in "Disk Management" and hit enter as someone stated above)
Right click on the free space and create a "New Simple Volume"
Assign a drive letter
Format using NTFS
Click Finish

After it is done you will have a new volume (drive) available for windows files. Whether its games, programs, or anything else you can store it and access it on this volume.
You will have to remember to specify this drive when performing installs, but it is a good solution to wiping windows and then having to re-install the operating system.

So I did this and I got an error message saying "there is not enough space on the disk to complete this operation"

I put about 54 gigs away (ontop of the 20 gigs I already had on the boot camp)

so I did it again and for the screen in the wizard where it had max space min space, and then the box, I put it at 4500 mbs, but I got the same message. Any thoughts on how to fix this? Also I'm running Lion

 

[limesoda11]

Lost mac partition

Hello

I read some of the early posts of this thread about expanding my windows partition by decreasing my mac partition in disc utility manager in osx (lion) and then from my windows partition in windows increasing that partition in disk managment using "extend volume". The "extend volume" was greyed out so I tried to format the allocated part, about 5GB. I never did anything to my mac partition, but something happened and they all turned into the same color in disk managment. When I rebooted the mac holding down the option key to choose startdisk only the Windows partition was avaliable. Anyone have a clue how to recover the lost partition or at least recover the files on it?

 

[MythicFrost]

I'm confused as to whether or not the WinClone solution will work when the Win 7 BC partition is NTFS, Mac OS 10.6.8?

Just noticed your post now, but yes. It gets you to download some free software/files for compatibility with NTFS. Works with SL, no idea about Lion though.

 

[shuka.margolin]

works as promised

I've done this several times before:

When in Snow Leopard, use WinClone to copy the Windows 7 partition to your desktop as an image file. Use Boot Camp Assistant to remove the Windows 7 partition (after WinClone is finished) and then use BCA to create a new larger partition for Windows 7. And then use WinClone to restore that image back to the partition. Voila.

only be sure that after removing the bootcamp partition with disk utility, you add all the space left to a single partition. Only then when you run BCA it will have all the space available to allocate between the windows and mac partitions.

 

[MythicFrost]

only be sure that after removing the bootcamp partition with disk utility, you add all the space left to a single partition. Only then when you run BCA it will have all the space available to allocate between the windows and mac partitions.

I don't think your supposed to use Disk Utility to remove the partition, the Boot Camp app has an option to do that for you.

 

[Oviedesia]

Hi guys, this is my first post here.

I'm about to do the partition thing with Winclone, but before i do it there's something important i really need to know:

When i finish doing the back up and mount the image back again to the Bootcamp drive, do i need to reinstall EVERYTHING again? or do i get the same i had before, but with increased space on the bootcamp partition?

This is really important for me to know as i am a music producer, and i have TONS of instruments that would need to be reinstalled and it would be completely hideous to do so!

BTW i am running Snow Leopard, is it completely safe to do it in it or should i update to Lion or Mountain Lion?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT:

And one more thing! If after making the backup and wiping the bootcamp partition, i reinstall the same version (Windows 7 32bit) but with another installation disk, and not the one i originally had when i made the backup, does it affect the process of mounting the image back to the bootcamp drive and running the same as it was before?

 

[MythicFrost]

I've not done it in a while so maybe another member can chime and confirm what I'm saying, but I think Winclone makes a copy of the whole drive, so after you delete and recreate your partition all you need to do is open Winclone and then clone the image back unto the drive. You don't need to install anything again on the drive.

But take that with a grain of salt.

 

[Oviedesia]

Alright thats a good start, i hope someone can come and clear it up!

 

[balamw]

I also haven't revisited this myself since Lion and Mountain Lion changed the partition scheme and Winclone came back from the dead.

However the idea is to use Winclone to clone everything on the Windows partition, apps, data, etc... and then use Boot Camp Assistant to delete the existing partition and create a new larger one. Then Winclone will restore your system to where it was with a larger partition.

YMMV.

B

 

[Oviedesia]

I also haven't revisited this myself since Lion and Mountain Lion changed the partition scheme and Winclone came back from the dead.

However the idea is to use Winclone to clone everything on the Windows partition, apps, data, etc... and then use Boot Camp Assistant to delete the existing partition and create a new larger one. Then Winclone will restore your system to where it was with a larger partition.

YMMV.

B

Thanks for this man!
How about the different windows CD question? Would it be the same installing another disks's 32 bit version instead of the original one i used to make the partition first?

 

[mixlplex]

Used a free windows partition resize tool and it worked

You don't need any additional programs. Windows 7 and OS X both have partition resizing functions built in. In OS X go to the disk utility manager and manually shrink the mac partition. Then in windows re-allocate the freed space to the windows partition.

The problem I ran into is that although Windows 7 has a resize ability, it only extends partitions into unallocated space to the RIGHT of the existing Windows 7 partition. To get around this problem I used the free MiniTool Partition Wizard (Home Edition.) (I tried the EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition as well, but it failed, I then uninstalled my AntiVirus program and tried the MiniTool, and it worked... not sure if it was Symantec that was the problem, or Easeus just wasn't up to the task.)

I didn't use WinClone as I'm running Lion, and it's not free for Lion. (And, yes I'm aware of the risks of resizing a partition without a backup, and did so anyway.)

The only problem I faced is that upon boot after successful resizing I was informed that my version of Windows might not be genuine/legal (which it is).

 

[glaganie]

The problem I ran into is that although Windows 7 has a resize ability, it only extends partitions into unallocated space to the RIGHT of the existing Windows 7 partition. To get around this problem I used the free MiniTool Partition Wizard (Home Edition.) (I tried the EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition as well, but it failed, I then uninstalled my AntiVirus program and tried the MiniTool, and it worked... not sure if it was Symantec that was the problem, or Easeus just wasn't up to the task.)

I didn't use WinClone as I'm running Lion, and it's not free for Lion. (And, yes I'm aware of the risks of resizing a partition without a backup, and did so anyway.)

The only problem I faced is that upon boot after successful resizing I was informed that my version of Windows might not be genuine/legal (which it is).

It worked beautifully ! Thanks for the tip about using "MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition". I did not even encounter the problem about Windows not being genuine/legal. This makes me a happy bootcamper !