Try to shrink the partition in the Windows Disk Management snap-in. The event tells you the last unmovable file or just the number of the last cluster of such a. Apr 26, 2010 - The space after this file is the amount by which you can shrink a volume. There are some. The last unmovable file appears to be: System Volume. C: Windows system32>fsutil volume querycluster? Third-party disk defrag programs have better luck moving 'unmovable' files than the built-in defrag. Feb 8, 2011 - (The title mentions Vista, but it worked well for Windows 7 too.). Is treated as unmovable, including browser cache files); Run the Windows Disk.

• Windows 7 Shrink Disk Partition
• Windows 7 Shrink Disk

To install Ubuntu alongside Windows 7, I have to shrink Windows 7 partition C:. But due to some unmovable files, I cannot shrink as much as I plan by using Windows own shrinking tool. I guess many of you who have both OSes on the same hard drive must have similar experience. How to solve this problem?

Any reference that can help is also appreciated!

Thanks and regards!

UPDATE:

I have identified what unmovable file currently stop further shrinking:

If I understand correctly, the file belongs to Windows Search. Can I set up somewhere in Windows system settings to temperately eliminate the file and similar ones (because there are many similar files under the same directory which I guess will also stand in the way of shrinking and unmovable by defrag)?

closed as off-topic by chaskes, Eric Carvalho, Richard, waltinator, RinzwindMay 10 '14 at 7:48

This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:

• 'This is not about Ubuntu. Questions about other Linux distributions can be asked on Unix & Linux, those about Windows on Super User, those about Apple products on Ask Different and generic programming questions on Stack Overflow.' – chaskes, Eric Carvalho, Richard, waltinator, Rinzwind

6 Answers

Just had the same problem, but the instructions in Working around Windows' 'Shrink Volume' inadequacies worked well for me. (The title mentions Vista, but it worked well for Windows 7 too.)

It's a bit long to repeat here, but the main points are

• Close every program you can (any file currently in use is treated as unmovable, including browser cache files)
• Run the Windows Disk Cleanup Wizard
• Disable pagefile, kernel memory dump, system restore and hibernation (the primary system level unmovable files)
• Run a defragmenter that can move files to the start of the disk

On a 60 GB SSD with about 35 GB free space, 'Shrink Volume' in Windows 7 initially freed a paltry 100 MB, but following the steps in the article it was able to free the whole 35 GB.

See also the ubuntuguide.org documentation on multiple OS installation. Hiren boot cd 10.1 iso image.

The old fashioned way before Windows finally came up with their own resize tool: gparted. Best done from the live cd.

There's a great defrag utility for Windows that can move all the files to the front of the disk, as well the little bit of space used between files (interstice problem): dirms (dirms-cl).

Running the defrag in safe mode may help with the unmovable file. Of course, what will certainly help is to make sure the filesystem is not in use before defragmenting (by booting Windows from CD/DVD or by using another computer for the defrag operation).

Does not work with Windows 7.

if you plan to dual boot with partitions on the same physical drive I recommend you use the Windows partition method as detailed here but you should always defrag the hard drive first.

While gparted is an excellent partition tool it does not take into consideration the fragmented data on the drive.

Trust me - from past experience once you make the mistake of not defragging the Windows partition using Windows tools you will screw up the windows install and will end up having to re-install it as well.

Kill the explorer.exe using task manger and reload it.Then try to shrink the partition

Well, I've just spent a day trying to get various defraggers to move the (extremely stubborn) unmovable metadata which Win7 puts in the middle of the drive for safety. None worked (Raxco, Ultradefrag, Win7 defragger). Finally I used MiniTools Partition Wizard (free for home use) which 'knows' about Win7 and does not mess up the Win installation. From what I have read, GParted (which I know and love) seriously risks screwing things royally, and I could not take the risk. Partition Wizard seems a very slick program, BTW. I used the CD version - much safer.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged 10.10dual-bootwindows-7 or ask your own question.

The Shrink Volume feature in Windows Vista and above has some serious limitations, which we’ll try and explain and then suggest a few workarounds that might help you out. Be careful when following these steps, because they could leave your system unable to boot… advanced geek level required.

I would also suggest that if you are trying to configure a dual-boot system, your best bet is to backup all your data, and setup a fresh new dual boot system, remembering to install the oldest OS first. (XP before Vista, and Linux last)

Problem Explanation

The main problem that we encounter with the shrink volume feature is that you can’t shrink the volume even when there is clearly free space.

You are unable to shrink the volume at all, since according to Windows you have no free space to shrink:

The reason why Windows won’t let you shrink the volume is because there are immovable system files at the very end of the volume, as this screenshot from Auslogics defragment utility shows us. In this case, the immovable file is actually the MFT, or Master File Table for the volume.

Making Shrink Volume Work

Windows 7 Shrink Disk Partition

To absolutely ensure that you can shrink the volume, you should disable as many of the system files as you can, at least temporarily. Here’s the list of steps:

1. Run the Disk Cleanup Wizard, making sure to remove the hibernation file and all restore points.
2. Disable the pagefile ( Open up System in Control Panel, then Advanced System Settings Advanced Performance Advanced Change No Paging File.
3. In the same Advanced Settings, go to Startup and Recovery Settings and then change the Write debugging information drop-down to “None” to disable the kernel memory dump.
4. Disable Hibernation mode in your power options advanced power options screen.
5. Reboot the machine, and then delete your c:pagefile.sys file, following these instructions if you are having issues.

Windows 7 Shrink Disk

Now that we’ve deleted almost every system file that we can, you should run at least one of these free defrag utilities, but preferably all of them, in order to move all of the files to the beginning of the volume, so we can force the Shrink volume feature to work.

1. Power Defragmenter(GUI interface for sysinternals contig)

If you are encountering the MFT problem, then you won’t have too much luck even after running those utilities. What you’ll need to do is use one of the non-free defrag utilities that is able to move the MFT files. If somebody can suggest a free way to move the MFT, leave a note in the comments.

1. You can download a 30-day free trial of Perfect Disk and then uninstall it when you are done. Or not.

At this point you should be able to shrink the partition, at least a decent amount. Once you’ve gotten the partition shrunk, you should re-enable those important files:

1. Re-enable the Pagefile (Reverse instructions above)
2. If you have issues re-enabling hibernate, follow these steps.
3. Enabling System Restore or kernel debugging information is entirely up to you.
4. Reboot.

Again, your best bet for dual-boot is backup, wipe, and reload, but these steps did work for me during testing.

Using Linux to Resize

You can also use the gparted live cd to resize your partitions. The problem with this is that it will definitely cause your system to not boot anymore unless you follow some very specific steps, because Vista can’t handle it.

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Using Commercial Utilities

There are a number of commercial software utilities that can handle this type of thing for you, like Partition Magic. We prefer free software here whenever possible.

In summary, If you are lucky enough for Shrink Volume to work for you, great. If not, I’d recommend backing up, wiping, and installing fresh.