Possible to safely change size of partition? Windows XP, NTFS

Question

I currently have a 160GB drive partitioned as C: (Windows, Primary) and D: (data). I was a terrible estimator in the beginning, and the C: drive is approaching capacity, whereas I have ~35GB spare on the data drive.

Is it possible (and using what?) to safely change/adjust these two partitions so that I can expand C:, without losing any data?

(Just for your own peace of mind, I'm backing everything up and starting fresh anyway, as I figure that's safest, but I've been wondering about this).

Answer 1

Yes - you can use Partition Magic or the like to do this. Defragmenting your drive first should give you a bit more space at the end of the drive to work with.

Answer 2

It is possible, and I know gParted (a Linux/Gnome application) will resize Windows partitions for you. If done right everything works great, however one time I hit a snag and lost all the data (although it could have been my fault, it was the first time I attempted it).

Answer 3

You can also use a free program called NTFSResize, available on a bootable SystemRescueCD.

Answer 4

I recommend gParted too, you can get it on a LiveCD, and resize your partitions rather safelly. It's never 100% safe though, you should always backup important data first.

Answer 5

Although I love GParted, I would have to recommend EASEUS Partition Master. I just used it to repartition my Windows 7 computer and know that it works flawlessly. It runs directly from within Windows so you don't have to create a boot CD.

Answer 6

It's not free, but Terabyte Software's BootIt NG app is really good and inexpensive at about $35. I'm using it mainly for the boot manager feature which makes running multiple operating systems more convenient, but it also handles resizing partitions with ease.

(I'm not affiliated with them in any way. Just a happy customer)