How to Shrink and Extend NTFS Partitions on Windows Vista

When Window Vista users need to re-size a partition in their Vista operating system, they have the option of using 3-rd party software such as Partition Magic, Ranish Partition Manager, Gparted and Disk Director. This option, however, takes money and time. Luckily, Vista users have a built-in option that they can use, that will not cost them a dime – the Vista Disk Management Utility. Read on to learn how to use the Vista Disk Management Utility to shrink and extend NTFS partitions on Windows Vista.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Shrink Windows Vista NTFS Partitions

1. Click on the "Start" menu in the bottom left-hand corner of your desktop. Click on "Control Panel" to open it.

2. Double-click on "System and Maintenance" in the "Control Panel" window. In the pop-up window, scroll down and click on "Administrative Tools."

3. Locate the "Computer Management" icon and double-click on it. Click on the "Disk Management" icon. You will now be presented with several options to create, format and expand hard drive partitions.

4. Right-click on the particular partition you would like to work with. Click on the "Shrink" option. Type in the amount of disc-space that you would like to have once you have shrunk this partition. Click on "Shrink."

5. Close the Computer Management console. You have successfully shrunk your partition.

Extend Windows Vista NTFS Partitions

6. Click on the "Start" menu in the bottom left-hand corner of your desktop. Click on "Control Panel" to open it.

7. Double-click on "System and Maintenance" in the "Control Panel" window. In the pop-up window, scroll down and click on "Administrative Tools."

8. Locate the "Computer Management" icon and double-click on it. Click on the "Disk Management" icon. You will now be presented with several options to create, format and expand hard drive partitions.

9. Right-click on the particular partition you would like to expand. Click on the "Extend" option. This will open the " Extend Volume Wizard" wizard. Click on "Next" to move on to the next screen.

10. Allocate some of the available free space on your hard-drive so as to extend your partition's space. You do have the option of using space from another hard drive instead. This is not recommended, however, because any hardware failure can and will affect all the hard-drives on your PC. Click on "Next" once you are done allocating the amount of space that you would like to use.

11. Double-check all your settings and then click on "Finish" on the confirmation screen.