On 2022-02-24 12:07 a.m., Paul wrote:
> On 2/24/2022 12:38 AM, ...w¡ñ§±¤ñ wrote:
>> Rene Lamontagne wrote:
>>> On 2022-02-23 10:42 p.m., Rene Lamontagne wrote:
>>>> On 2022-02-23 3:30 p.m., ...w¡ñ§±¤ñ wrote:
>>>>> Rene Lamontagne wrote:
>>>>>> On 2022-02-14 1:39 a.m., ...w¡ñ§±¤ñ wrote:
>>>>>>> Rene Lamontagne wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Not enough room to create the EFI partition, I have about 65GB
>>>>>>>> free on C: and 300GB of unallocated room on the drive so I am
>>>>>>>> thinking this space needs to be before C:\
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> My Son then needed the use of the machine so will continue next
>>>>>>>> week and create another unallocated 8GB in front of C: maybe
>>>>>>>> that will do it.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Rene
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> GPT partiton order on disk
>>>>>>> 1st EFI
>>>>>>> 2nd MSR
>>>>>>> 3rd Windows
>>>>>>> 4th Recovery
>>>>>>> 5th and later - anything else
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> EFI 100 MB
>>>>>>> MSR 16 MB
>>>>>>> Windows - optional
>>>>>>> Recovery 500 MB(1 GB is better)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Yes some were missing so tried the mbr2gpt  thing again today, Now
>>>>>> it says 'operation failed, could not shrink Windcows partion C,'
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Now why in hell did it want to do that?  C: is 100GB and there is
>>>>>> over 350GB of unallocated space on the disk, tried again, same
>>>>>> results
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Well to see what would happen I resized Windows to 120GB and tried
>>>>>> again,
>>>>>> A minor miracle happened and mbr2gpt came back with  'Operation
>>>>>> successful'.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Now that drive shows up as GPT at last, Next I ran Macrium reflect
>>>>>> 'Repair windows boot problems and that brought back all the
>>>>>> missing partitions on the disk.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Whynot11 now shows all 11 blocks Green and Windows update shows
>>>>>> computer is compatible with Windows 11, So Sunday I will install
>>>>>> 11, Well, That that was a bit of a struggle, Thanks to all for
>>>>>> your help.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Rene
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> Progess. Congratulations.
>>>>>   Revisit my post on the partition order for GPT.
>>>>>   - that order is the usual(and recommended) order.
>>>>>
>>>>> Looking back at your earlier error messages, in hindsight it may
>>>>> have helped to include or link to a picture of the partitions on
>>>>> the disk which showed their position and size.
>>>>>
>>>>> Even now it still might be appropriate to see a picture or the end
>>>>> result to determine if those GPT partitions are in the recommended
>>>>> order.
>>>>>   Why..in some cases after conversion the order isn't exactly as
>>>>> recommended. MSFT fixed a problem with the Recovery being created
>>>>> at the beginning of the disk and the EFI after the Windows which is
>>>>> contrary to the recommended GPT order(System-EFI, MSR, Windows,
>>>>> Recovery).
>>>>> - With the Recovery at the beginning, if the size of the Recovery
>>>>> is insufficient, it can not be resized larger thus an additional
>>>>> and the new current Recovery will be created in the recommended
>>>>> position(after the Windows) by shrinking the Windows partition -
>>>>> typically done if necessary with a feature update or o/s
>>>>> change(e.g. later 10 version/build and/or 10 to 11 o/s upgrade).
>>>>> Second, if a new EFI is created elswhere on the disk(after the
>>>>> Windows) then the end result could be a disk with a no longer user
>>>>> older System partiton(remnant of MBR at the beginning of the disk)
>>>>> and an extra an no longer used/necessary Recovery partition(at
>>>>> beginning or end of disk.
>>>>>
>>>>> With the partitions in the recommended order(System, MSR, Windows,
>>>>> Recovery - whenever the Recovery needs more space, by design
>>>>> Windows will shrink the Windows allowing the Recovery(adjacent and
>>>>> to right of Windows parition) to be resized larger preventing the
>>>>> recreation of a new Recovery partition.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you've time - Post or link to a picture or elaborate further on
>>>>> the partitions and order.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> OK as i rememberit .can'yt accss till next week
>>>>
>>>> 1.  8GB unallocated
>>>> 2. 16GB other
>>>> 3. 100MB EFI
>>>
>>> 4. Windows C: 120GB
>>>
>>>> 5. 616MB recovery
>>>> 6. other data partitions
>>>>
>>>> I think that is fairly accurate, The 8GB came about when I moved
>>>> Windows over, so I think i will leave it alone,  I don't need the
>>>> space.
>>>>
>>>> Rene
>>>
>>>
>>>> Screwed that up, Windows should have been 4.
>>>
>>> Rene
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> I thought the Windows partition might show up eventually :)
>> As intended, The EFI was created before Windows.
>>   - also if one looks at that disks partitions in diskpart or a 3rd
>> party utility like Easus Partition Master or similar utility, the 16MB
>> MSR might exist between the EFI and Windows partitions.
>>
>> And Recovery sits in the right place(after Windows).
>>   - Interesting size too.
>>
>> The oddballs are those at front
>>   8 GB unallocated(understandable you moved Windows, though if that
>> was the case and Windows was first in the devices earlier days, with
>> MBR the System and Windows could have been the same partition.
>> The other odd ball is 16 GB of something.
>>
>> Imo, if working then best left alone. Recapturing that 24 GB and
>> moving the EFI with 3rd party tools or intermingling with Diskpart and
>> 3rd party tools can get messy.
>>   -lol..it might actually be easier to backup the data to external,
>> wipe to bear metal, diskpart for GPT(EFI, MSR, Windows, Recovery and
>> data partitions then clean install Windows to the Windows partition.
>>
>> Paul may have ideas too.
>
> Depending on what is in those "other" partitions, they may be
> getting auto-assigned drive letters, or they may receive fixed
> letters by the user.
>
> If for any reason, some software that happened to run in there, was
> addressed by letter, you could break something by moving them.
>
> I think I was screwing around here recently (with several backups
> available on
> the 6TB scratch), and I noticed a Windows partition change from
> C: to D: and I took that as a bad omen (the OS was not running
> at the time). The hardware discovery process plus the auto-assignment
> of letters, occasionally leads to surprises, and you have to be careful
> to not move too much stuff around.
>
> *******
>
> As for the 16MB partition, that little pecker is a menace.
>
> The MSR or Microsoft System Reserved, is merely a buffer space.
> It has no valid partition inside.
>
> If I use a tool like Paragon on it, as soon as no recognized partition
> is located inside, it's treated as if it is "corrupted". Lots of
> tools run CHKDSK as part of their routine, and that cannot end well.
> I think Paragon and Gparted, gave me a hard time. My operation would
> not complete.
>
> To move the MSR, you can use Macrium. Back up the MSR to a .mrimg,
> then drag and drop into the correct "space" in your partition lineup.
>
> I have been redoing ("cleaning") a 3TB drive here by hand, and that's how I
> handled the MSR. Drag and drop restore. The only reason the MSR
> needed to be moved, is there was some space to consolidate by
> moving C: to the left. And the MSR had to be moved left-ward and
> stop acting as a "barrier" to my partition management techniques.
> I went from 24 partitions, to 7 partitions.
>
> The MSR does not show up in all tools. And that's part of the fun.
>
> In Linux, you can use
>
>    sudo gdisk /dev/sdb
>    p
>    q
>
> and print out the partitions on your GPT disk. For a legacy MSDOS
> partitioned disk, you can try this (when Gdisk patiently explains to
> you that it is not a GPT disk).
>
>    sudo fdisk /dev/sdb
>    p
>    q
>
> Do not start typing too quick in Gdisk, as it can throw up a prompt
> after you start it, and the prompt needs to be answered. Most of the
> time there is no prompt, and you could be in a rush to type p for "print".
> Fdisk leaves fewer manhole covers off the holes :-) It's a more reliable
> friend.
>
> The gdisk is a great design, and a help. I don't have a problem with the
> service it provides. I also don't see a good way of handling the prompt
> issue.
> I don't know how I'd fix that, if I was editing the source.
>
>    Paul

Thanks Winston and Paul for all the help and advice.

If it was my own machine I would probably try moving stuff around at my
leisure, But seeing it is my Sons and I have only limited time on it and
he depends quite heavily on its use, I think I will leave it be as it is
now working quite well,
If it were to act up badly again I would then do the nuke and pave game
with a fresh start.

Rene