Extending volumes in Windows 8

So I'm attempting to extend my windows 8 partition on my computer, I've set myself some unallocated space but when I try extending the volume the bar is greyed out. I can extend my initial volume but when I attempt to do so with my Windows 8 Volume like I said above the bar is greyed out. Sorry if there's a really obvious solution I'm missing but I've been trying for a few days now and I can't get it working.

Here's an image of what I mean

See if any way to increase size of disk partition? helps

Calico said:

See if any way to increase size of disk partition? helps

Click to expand...

EASEUS Partition Manager worked good for me.

When you extend to the right, it can be done within windows disk management. But if you need to extend your partition to the left... it has to be done with other tools (the ones mentioned in Calico's post)

Regards
Hopachi

Partition Wizard worked fantastic for me I also have EaseUS Partition Magic Pro edition, but Partition Wizard worked so well that I have not used the other yet. As already stated, resizing to the right is easy. resizing to the left causes the data to have to be moved which has to be done outside of Windows. This is where the 3rd party app is needed.

MrAlex said:

So I'm attempting to extend my windows 8 partition on my computer, I've set myself some unallocated space but when I try extending the volume the bar is greyed out. I can extend my initial volume but when I attempt to do so with my Windows 8 Volume like I said above the bar is greyed out. Sorry if there's a really obvious solution I'm missing but I've been trying for a few days now and I can't get it working.

Here's an image of what I mean

Click to expand...

oh boy what a mess, your C:\ drive is at the end of the HD, it's why you can't extend, the only one you can extend is D:\

Partition Wizard will allow you to extend the Win 8 drive into the unallocated space in front of it. During the resize the data needs to be moved so once you choose Apply, the system will reboot and Partition Wizard will resize and move your Win 8 CP to the front of the new partition.

You open the Partition Wizard tool. Select the partition you wish to work with. A new Window open that shows the chosen partition and the unallocated space. Grab the edge of the existing partition and drag it to the end of the unallocated space so that it encompasses the entire space. Choose Apply and let the app take over.

Any good 3rd party partitioning app can resize a partition forward as well as behind the existing partition into unallocated space. The built in Win 7 and Win 8 CP Disk Manager can only resize behind the existing app. These apps are limited because the resizing forward requires the moving of the data in the existing partition to the front of the new partition after it is resized, and this must occur outside of Windows.

this must occur outside of Windows.

Click to expand...

Not necessarily.

The other way I can think to do this would be to create an Image prior to the resize, then to restore the Image into the larger partition after the fact. This would most likely have to involve fixing the MBR as well. I believe the method outlined above would be somewhat easier to accomplish using less steps. Obviously creating an Image is a must before attempting any of these changes.

What a big discussion for a simple task. As was said, C: cannot be extended with Disk Management because the unallocated space is to the left of the partition. Use the bootable CD of Partition Wizard (last entry on the webpage). Highlight the C partition and go to Move/Resize above. A smaller window will open where you can slide the slider to the left into the unallocated space. Then click OK and Apply on the bottom left.

This picture is only an example to show the sliders. But there is no unallocated space in this example.

Exactly what I was talking about. Very simple.

The disk management has no difference from windows7

The tediously simple solution:

This is because drive can only be extended to the left.. the resulting drive must be contiguous on your disk. You cannot extend backwards (right) or by leapfrogging over a space that is already taken with another partition!

There is a (somewhat tedious) workaround, in which I am assuming:
a) You want your C drive to end up in the the leftmost position.
b) You have only files in the other partitions, ie not whole operating systems.
c) You have significant free space on your drive to play with and no rediculously sized files that fill entire drives.

What you need to do essentially is clone your C drive into an unallocated space on the left hand side of the drive. You can then extend it into any unallocated space directly to the right of it.

To do this, you will first need to make a partion that is the size you want the C drive to be, all the way over to the left. You will need to shrink the partition that is currently there down to the size you wish the eventual C drive to be and then MOVE THE DATA IN IT ESLEWHERE! This is the tedious part. Depending on the amount of data in the drive, it may take several steps.

You can then delete the empty partition and clone the C drive into the unallocated space (plenty of good software for this out there). Note the cloned drive will be the same size as the current C drive, so just extend it into the remaining unallocated space.

Similar shrink, copy, paste, extend operations can be carried out to get the remaining drives where you want them. Labourious, yes, but worth it to get your structure the way you want. Reminds me a bit of the oldTower of Hanoi game you used to see on mobile phones in the old days...

Word of caution: if you have a recovery partition and I am not sure whether tif you moved it, the result would still work. Windows 8 is pretty good at working out these issues though, and you can always wipe and re-make the recovery.

Oh, and one last point: Measure twice, cut once!