TruthSeeker

Well I've finally gotten my laptop on which I'm attempting to install Debian. It's a Toshiba Satellite A65-s126 with a 60 GB hd. I want to leave a small Windows XP partition, just in case I ever need it. Naturally it comes with a restore disk rather than an OS disk, and my understanding is that this means you can't just install the OS into a small partition, it has to restore factory settings. (I don't actually have the disk, but I will soon.) So the partition must be shrunk nondestructively.

I've read that it's good to do a defrag first to compact the data as much as possible prior to resizing, so I did that. The defragger's legend showed data extending to about 15 GB, with a lot of blank space in between. I figured, great, this should be able to bring it down to about 5 or 10 GB. Instead, the defragger plopped down a hunk of data right in the middle of the drive, and refused to move it to the beginning. (Ah, the user-friendliness of Windows...) So when I tried to shrink the partition with the Debian installer (which uses Partman, which uses ntfsresize), I couldn't get it any smaller than about 32 GB.

So is there any way to move, or get Windows to move, that bit of data to the beginning of the drive, so it can be shrunk more? (And no I'm not buying PartitionMagic.) Or is there some way of using the restore disk to reinstall Windows onto a small partition (though maybe I shouldn't ask that on a Linux forum)?

d38dm8nw81k1ng

well, the best way is to have an OS CD (like me) but in this case, like you said, it ain't happening.
i'm not sure if the restore CD will work, but if it doesn't have the OS on it (which i imagine it doesn't) then there is no chance. you could try getting your hands on a copy of the windows OS CD (legally or illegally, you choice). i had a problem where i needed to reinstall windows when i first installed SuSE so i know the situation you are in.

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Here's why Linux is easier than Windows:
Package Managers! Apt-Get and Portage (among others) allow users to install programs MUCH easier than Windows can.
Hardware Drivers. In SuSE, ALL the hardware is detected and installed automatically! How is this harder than Windows' constant disc changing and rebooting?

TruthSeeker

I don't want an illegal CD because I don't want to take the risk, plus it gives a bad reputation to Linux users. But I definately don't want to pay the MS Tax twice. I don't actually need to reinstall, if that bit of data could just be moved to the beginning of the drive. Maybe there's some proprietary freeware program that can do it? If it can't be done, I suppose I could do a restore, which would at least reduce the used space on the partition back to about 15 GB... maybe I could use the space for read-only stuff like music.

bigtomrodney

If it comes to installing linux with a disc procured using "questionable" means, remember it's not the disc that's illegal, it's the use of it. You have a licence for Windows already. A recovery CD is only good for so much, I would say for most serious problems you need an OS disc. Everyone knows a reinstall every six months is almost necessary!

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d38dm8nw81k1ng

^^what he said. it's worth noting that most people here have not paid for windows in a loooooooong time. we either get them with our PCs or transfer the license from an old PC (which is illegal but the EULA is bs). technically, since you've paid for the license (with you PC), using a different CD to "refresh" that license (as long as you use your own CD-Key) is not illegal

__________________
Here's why Linux is easier than Windows:
Package Managers! Apt-Get and Portage (among others) allow users to install programs MUCH easier than Windows can.
Hardware Drivers. In SuSE, ALL the hardware is detected and installed automatically! How is this harder than Windows' constant disc changing and rebooting?

irgu

The debian installer includes an older ntfsresize which couldn't relocate yet fragmented Master File Table. Use the latest ntfsresize, currently 1.11.2, and your problem is gone. See here more: http://mlf.linux.rulez.org/mlf/ezaz/ntfsresize.html

In other words, you don't need to use and care about defragmentation at all if you're using ntfsresize 1.11.2.

TruthSeeker

But isn't that impossible? i.e. if I use my key, doesn't it have to be my (nonexistant) OS CD in order to install? And if I were to obtain a working CD/key combo from someone, I couldn't "activate" it since the key would be in use by that person.

d38dm8nw81k1ng

nah, that's a load of crap. the CD key will work with any disc so don't worry about that. the CD key is transmitted to MS HQ and they have no way of knwoing whether you used the CD they gave you or not.

__________________
Here's why Linux is easier than Windows:
Package Managers! Apt-Get and Portage (among others) allow users to install programs MUCH easier than Windows can.
Hardware Drivers. In SuSE, ALL the hardware is detected and installed automatically! How is this harder than Windows' constant disc changing and rebooting?