resize ext3 for win7 dual boot

[CarlC4]

I have a 320gb hard drive with Ubuntu 9.10 karmic fully installed on it. I need to know how to shrink the partition my ubuntu is on so i can create another partition for win7.

please help, thank you.

[jamesisin]

First, let me say that I usually recommend running a virtual machine rather than a dual boot. For virtualization I use VirtualBox:

http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Linux_Downloads

You can follow the instructions under "Debian-based Linux distributions" to add a repository and keep up to date using Synaptic.

Ok, I feel better.

If you want to resize your operating system partition (or any partition used by your operating system), you will not be able to do so while signed into that operating system. You cannot resize a mounted partition and any partition in use is by necessity mounted.

So, get a copy of the current installation CD and fire that up. You will want to use the try Ubuntu without installing option. This will allow you to boot into Ubuntu while leaving your installed Ubuntu partition unmounted.

Once you are in the Live Ubuntu environment you can start the partition editor. It is called GParted (though it may be termed simply Partition Editor or something similar). You will find that here:

System —> Administration —> Partition Editor [or] gparted

You can see a little information about using gparted on this post of mine:

http://www.soundunreason.com/InkWell/?p=587

Now for the important bit: be very careful. You can easily delete a partition and destroy all data on it if you don't make slow, calculated choices. Also, I recommend shrinking the partition from the end of the drive rather than the beginning (moving the ending bit toward the left rather than moving the beginning bit toward the right).

Best of luck.

[tom4everitt]

The idea is that you can't resize partitions on a hard drive that is mounted (its risky, and therefore disabled). So what to do?

Burn yourself a live cd (or make a bootable usb with system->admin->usb startup creator) or use an old live cd or whatever. Boot into that. Open gparted (applications->system tools->gparted). do the resizing/partitioning. restart.

[CarlC4]

thank you very much, i'll give it a try

[jamesisin]

Great. Let us know how it goes.

[CarlC4]

the resizing went perfectly, now just to install windows 7

[CarlC4]

installed windows 7, but how do i get back to ubuntu i don't understand the directions ubuntu.com gives

[jamesisin]

What trouble are you running into? You are likely now using the Windows boot loader and may need to add a line to include the Ubuntu installation among your boot choices.

[jpl888]

You need to boot back off the live CD and reinstall grub

grub-install /dev/sda

Grub 2 should then automatically detect and add an entry for your Windows 7 install but YMMV

[jamesisin]

Grub is probably the preferred boot loader. Take a look at this Ubuntu Help page:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Re...tallingWindows