[MULTI BOOT] Removing Windows 7 from a dual boot with KDE Neon

[SpecialEd]

I've seen instructions that say I can just delete the Windows partitions then expand my home partition. Will I be able to expand the home partition if the swap partition comes last?

[Snowhog]

Given the layout of your partitions, the answer to "Will I be able to expand the home partition if the swap partition comes last?" is 'No'. There isn't any unused space between /home and swap.

For now, what you want/should do first is boot into Windows and use it's disk management utility to shrink it's partition. This will create unused space that will show between the end of the shrunken Windows partition and beginning of your root (/) partition. Then we can assist in moving/resizing your KDE neon partitions.

[SpecialEd]

Thanks Snowhog but that is all the space Windows was willing to give up. When I first installed, I did exactly what you said and used Windows diskmgmt.msc to shrink the Windows partition and setup my Linux partitions. Unfortunately due to the way Windows, allocates files, and even though I have about half my 1TB disk free, Windows would only give me what I have. If I can remove windows without having to do a reinstall of Linux that would be great but if I have to start completely over, so be it. I've just realized that swap should have come before home.

[Snowhog]

Windows should allow you to shrink it's partition down to almost just what it has 'in use'. Given that it's partition is 800+ Gigabytes and only 443 Gigabytes are used, you should be able to shrink it down to about 850 Gigabytes.

[vinnywright]

I think windows can be ,,,strange like this , I had a similar experience on time ,,,,,if their are any bits of files scattered out near the end of the partition then no windows will not let you shrink it past them .

I was able to get more after running some check disk , defrag , check disk and then the compress files thing in C: right click>propertys ,,,,or something like that ,,,it been a wile.

and then ended up deleting the partition later,,,,,,,,,,

VINNY

[SpecialEd]

It will allow me 2GB more. You can see the row of files located at the bottom of the image. Those are the troublemakers.

[Snowhog]

Click on the Defrag button for options. Defragging the disk will move content such that it is all contiguous (All the 'green' blocks will be continuous, and all the 'blue' blocks will come afterwards). When that is done Windows will permit the shrinking of the partition further.

[GreyGeek]

Microsoft has a nasty habit of planting files right in the middle or top 1/3rd of their partition to prevent shrinking. IIRC, there is a utility to change the property of those unmovable files from RO to RW so that they can be moved by re-running the defrag program. The key is finding the names of those "troublesome" files. More than likely they'll be in one of the Windows system directories.

[SpecialEd]

I will look at it some more tomorrow, but as the overall goal is to go to Linux only, I'm thinking I'll end up starting over with a new partition scheme anyway.