Solved How to resize Surface 3 Pro drive by third party utility

churin

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I could manage to resize the system partition by using a third party utility software but think there must be more efficient way to do it. Here's how I did it:
1. I let the Surface 3 Pro boot from a USB bootable drive for the third party utility.
2. Noted that I could not resize the OS drive or any drive.
3. I disabled TPM and Secure Boot Control on UEFI.
4. Surface 3 Pro did not boot and instead got to recovery mode asking for recovery info.
5. I could not find the info anywhere and I reset the Surface 3 Pro.
6. I launched the third party utility again and could resize the partition this time.

BTW: After the step 6 I enabled TPM and Boot Control, and now I can no longer resize the partition.

Any suggestions?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro/W8.1 Pro/ W7 Ult
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six-Core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte X570 AORUS Ultra 1.1/1.2 BIOS v.F32
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    16GBx2 DDR4 3600 G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series
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    Case
    Fractal Design Focus G Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, FD-CA-FOCUS-BK-W
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    Cooler Master MasterLiquid Lite 120 AIO CPU Liquid Cooler
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    DURGOD TAURUS K320 Mechanical Keyboard
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    Microsoft Model 1049
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    ICY DOCK 4 x 2.5 SSD to 5.25 Drive Bay - ExpressCage MR324SP-B
    ICY DOCK M.2 NVMe Mobile Rack for External 3.5" Bay - MB834M2K-B
TPM = Trusted Platform Module
SecureBoot = Prevents anything from loading before the OS

Both have to be disabled - before trying to boot from 3rd party software.. So it is working as it is suppose to be..

Your system most likely has 5 partitions ( standard setup for OEM PC's) or has 4 partitions if it has a 32GB drive or less (usually a wimboot setup)

So what is it you looking for suggestions for ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 3.1 > Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8700
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    24 GB
If both are disabled my experience as stated in my previous post indicates I have to go through the step 4 to 6. I would think this cannot be the solution. Or the recovery mode is not supposed to happen?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro/W8.1 Pro/ W7 Ult
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six-Core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte X570 AORUS Ultra 1.1/1.2 BIOS v.F32
    Memory
    16GBx2 DDR4 3600 G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon RX 6500 XT
    Sound Card
    -
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell UP2720Q
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    1TB SATA SSD(OS) SSung 870 EVO, 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD(OS) SSung 970 EVO Plus, 4TB SATA SSD(Data)
    PSU
    Corsair RM650 650W
    Case
    Fractal Design Focus G Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, FD-CA-FOCUS-BK-W
    Cooling
    Cooler Master MasterLiquid Lite 120 AIO CPU Liquid Cooler
    Keyboard
    DURGOD TAURUS K320 Mechanical Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Model 1049
    Internet Speed
    600Mbps/25Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox & IE
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    ICY DOCK 4 x 2.5 SSD to 5.25 Drive Bay - ExpressCage MR324SP-B
    ICY DOCK M.2 NVMe Mobile Rack for External 3.5" Bay - MB834M2K-B
There are some Linux distro's that will work with UEFI on, You just boot up on the USB stick that holds the Live version of Linux, then resize with Gparted.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
I am not familiar with Linux. Could anyone point me to a specific Linux distro?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro/W8.1 Pro/ W7 Ult
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six-Core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte X570 AORUS Ultra 1.1/1.2 BIOS v.F32
    Memory
    16GBx2 DDR4 3600 G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon RX 6500 XT
    Sound Card
    -
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell UP2720Q
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    1TB SATA SSD(OS) SSung 870 EVO, 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD(OS) SSung 970 EVO Plus, 4TB SATA SSD(Data)
    PSU
    Corsair RM650 650W
    Case
    Fractal Design Focus G Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, FD-CA-FOCUS-BK-W
    Cooling
    Cooler Master MasterLiquid Lite 120 AIO CPU Liquid Cooler
    Keyboard
    DURGOD TAURUS K320 Mechanical Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Model 1049
    Internet Speed
    600Mbps/25Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox & IE
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    ICY DOCK 4 x 2.5 SSD to 5.25 Drive Bay - ExpressCage MR324SP-B
    ICY DOCK M.2 NVMe Mobile Rack for External 3.5" Bay - MB834M2K-B
broe23,
Do you mean encrypted drive can be accessible from Linux so that I can resize/create/delete its partition?

KYHI,
Thanks for the info but this is not a Linux distro or is it?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro/W8.1 Pro/ W7 Ult
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six-Core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte X570 AORUS Ultra 1.1/1.2 BIOS v.F32
    Memory
    16GBx2 DDR4 3600 G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon RX 6500 XT
    Sound Card
    -
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell UP2720Q
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    1TB SATA SSD(OS) SSung 870 EVO, 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD(OS) SSung 970 EVO Plus, 4TB SATA SSD(Data)
    PSU
    Corsair RM650 650W
    Case
    Fractal Design Focus G Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, FD-CA-FOCUS-BK-W
    Cooling
    Cooler Master MasterLiquid Lite 120 AIO CPU Liquid Cooler
    Keyboard
    DURGOD TAURUS K320 Mechanical Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Model 1049
    Internet Speed
    600Mbps/25Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox & IE
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    ICY DOCK 4 x 2.5 SSD to 5.25 Drive Bay - ExpressCage MR324SP-B
    ICY DOCK M.2 NVMe Mobile Rack for External 3.5" Bay - MB834M2K-B
If the partition or drive is encrypted, You need to turn it off, before the resizing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is an international standard for a secure cryptoprocessor, which is a dedicated microprocessor designed to secure hardware by integrating cryptographic keys into devices.

thus
If the partition or drive is encrypted, You need to turn it off, before the resizing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 3.1 > Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8700
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    24 GB
Thanks everyone for your help.

I have found out by now that my problem was that I did not know the Surface 3 Pro's hard drive was encrypted out of the box.(W8.1 automatically encrypts if the hardware supports) The encryption key did not come in the box, thus I could not enter the key when requested. BitLocker key I knew is that it is created when a storage device is encrypted. In my problem case, it came encrypted but the system is set up to allow the key to be backed up by the user. I was supposed to back up the key or turn off the encryption soon after the initial basic configuration was done.

Any comment or correct me if any part of the above is incorrect.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro/W8.1 Pro/ W7 Ult
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six-Core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte X570 AORUS Ultra 1.1/1.2 BIOS v.F32
    Memory
    16GBx2 DDR4 3600 G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon RX 6500 XT
    Sound Card
    -
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell UP2720Q
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    1TB SATA SSD(OS) SSung 870 EVO, 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD(OS) SSung 970 EVO Plus, 4TB SATA SSD(Data)
    PSU
    Corsair RM650 650W
    Case
    Fractal Design Focus G Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, FD-CA-FOCUS-BK-W
    Cooling
    Cooler Master MasterLiquid Lite 120 AIO CPU Liquid Cooler
    Keyboard
    DURGOD TAURUS K320 Mechanical Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Model 1049
    Internet Speed
    600Mbps/25Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox & IE
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    ICY DOCK 4 x 2.5 SSD to 5.25 Drive Bay - ExpressCage MR324SP-B
    ICY DOCK M.2 NVMe Mobile Rack for External 3.5" Bay - MB834M2K-B
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