Partition Problems

I've recently been messing around with partitioning my hard drive because I have been trying out different Linux distro's and somehow I can't figure out how to regain this 5GB of unallocated space. In the screen shot, I included what happens when I right-click on this particular partition so you know what I'm dealing with. I'm trying to get this chunk of memory back in my VistaOS partition but don't see an option for that. Let me know if there is anything else I can tell you to help solve this. (It's the far left box and the same thing is happening with the real small partition at the far right.)

Hi, ryanyo88, and welcome to the forums.

You can only add that green chunk to the other blue chunk inside that green
border.

The technical definition: There are two types of partitions - primary, and extended. Primary are the types of the first two. Extended typically show in XP and Vista with a green border around them - that whole big green bordered thing is one big extended partition space, in which you can create as many partitions as you want - but none of the space *inside* that thing can be reclaimed for use *outside the green box without reclaiming *all* of what is inside the green box.

Furthermore, even if you remove all the partitions inside the extended partition space (green box) and then remove the green box itself, so you're left with nothing but a black unpartitioned space, you cannot just add it to your *first* partition - they have to be together.

Now, the good news - you should be able to delete the extended partitions and space, then use a third party partition tool to 'move' the second primary partition to the end of the drive - and that will put space next to your Vista partition - then you should be able to reclaim the space for Vista.

***WARNING*** when you delete the extended partitions and the Extended Space, all the files and data in those partitions ***will be gone***. So, if you plan on doing this, keep that in mind.

Don't come to me flaming me that you lost stuff in there - use common sense - you're *deleting* a partition - and you know what the word delete means.

Hi johngalt and thanks for the reply. I get what you're saying about the different types of partitions, however I'm having trouble with the two "unallocated" partitions at either end of that diagram. I'm mainly looking to just reclaim that unused space and worry about how to use it once I have it back. When I messed around with it, I didn't see how to use it again like I have in the past which is why I included the right-click menu. Any ideas?

I would backup your data to an external source and reinstall properly. Remove all partitions and start over. Merging partitions can cause issues. Backup first.

My apologies also - your screen shot was tiny and I did not realize the first two partitions, as I previously referred to them, are actually 1 unpartitioned space and one real partition....

Extend C: so that it uses all the unallocated space.

Start>right click"computer">manage>disk management>right click "C">extend volume

Yes, I see now from the screen shot hat you're clicking on the *unpartitioned* space - by doing that you only get the options to create a new partition. Since you want to merge the unpartitioned space with an *existing* partition, you need to be right clicking on the *existing* partition.

I right clicked on the existing partitions and the option to extend the partition is grayed out...

Hmmm - You might just be out of luck then....

Try making a new partition in the open space, then formatting it, then deleting the partition and seeing if it can then be merged - it might still think it cannot be merged for some stupid reason because it is still seeing it as a foreign partition...

I just tried that and it failed too. Anything else I can try? I feel like my only other option is to reformat the entire hard drive....