Sometimes it is not possible to shrink the partition to get the desired size; in this case you can try a defrag before shrinking.
Thanks for the answers so far. What about the 200GB for system and installed programs? Is it about right? I shall not only do a defrag just before starting, but also transfer all data to an external disc, so as to reduce the size of the items remaining on the disc to be shrunk. After the operation, the data will be brought back to the new partition.
When windows is left to the standard settings the partition(s) will be 0% defragmented, it runs in the background. Just shrink the c partition in diskmanager and create a new one using the unallocated partition.
you can use aomei partition assistant OR easus partition manager they are free and easy to use ^.^ Good luck
If I learn what a native vhdx is, will Acronis True Image learn it too? The reason I want to put the system (including installed apps) on its own in a smaller partition is because I use Acronis TI to create a bootable image of the entire system partition, and I don’t want that partition to contain other stuff, so that the image size is kept to a minimum. I keep the bootable system partition image as backup on an external drive, and if my system gets screwed up, I can just restore the image, and I’ve got my system back again. As for my voluminous data, I put that on another, larger partition and back it up separately and independently, not as a bootable image. AfaIk, Acronis only backs up an entire partition. And I want that partition size to be minimum, otherwise I won’t have where to put its image, while baking it up will take for ever.
^^You are correct but there is no guarantee that MS own tools will also work without any issues.e.g.on my old laptop,using disc management tool of vista or win 7 to shrink C drive resulted in drive type being changed from basic to dynamic which was a big issue.
One of te advantages of the native VHDs is that they make almost useless the partition software. Backup? Just copy that file somewhere. Emergency OS? just keep a functional OS on the HDD partition or on a second VHD
˄ ˄ ˄ Thanks for the clarifications, it’s beginning to sound interesting. But as I’ve not tried it, I don’t trust that it will not let me down when I come to need it, while I’ve tried Acronis and it does what I want. A coupe of queries: What if Windows is so damaged that it won’t boot on its own and requires external booting? What if the HDD has failed? How do I load the functional OS on the HDD partition?
VHDs eliminates the need for physical partitioning of the hdd,rest remains the same.So if windows in a VHD becomes unbootable then it will require the same procedures as a windows install in a real partition on a hdd.You need to use tools like easy bcd & windows repair etc. If hdd fails then again the same thing.The difference is that you can simply copy paste a working VHD after it was shut down successfully to another hdd instead of using acronis to do a system image task. A good option would be to create a working bootable VHD,then after shutting it down make 2 copies of it.Keep one copy in another partition of same hdd & keep other copy in an external hdd.If somehow your windows install in VHD is corrupted,you can simply switch over to the copy in another partition.If hdd itself fails then you can switch over to the copy in external hdd.You can achieve the same thing using acronis too but in that case you have to also include the extra time acronis would take to copy over the system image on same partition/different partition of same hdd/different hdd.
You still think with old schemes. What's the point of another partition? Just duplicate the file and give it another name. Like w10.vhdx w10-emergency.vhdx and add both to the BL menu. Four mouse clicks or so...
Actually I prefer having all my media in a separate partition just for the sake of organizing things & keeping system/windows/program data separate from media,it is just a personal preference & of course I would only use it if my primary hdd is a big mechanical one.For a small size SSD I would go with no partition,dynamic VHDXs only.
That's what I do as well, but partitioning defeats one of the advantages of the VHD usage (avoiding the waste of space). I just have my desktop/documents/download/whatever folder on the real partition. On the real partition I have also a VHD folder. On that folder I place a couple (or more) small dynamically expandable vhdx with just the OS(es) But a further VHDX dedicated to the documents (nothing on the real partition other than the VHD folder) could do the job as well, depending on the personal preferences/needs.
that is also a good scheme.It is just that I like flexibility with system configuration.e.g.in light of the recent ransomware attacks I might select a lockdown/protection scheme which will deny any write attempt to media partition,only read operation allowed on media partition etc.even if I don't go through with it,I would still have the option which I think is worth a few MBs for one partition on a large hdd.Another scenario can be a backup solution which again gives more flexibility if one partition is solely for media & another solely for system related tasks etc.
Good explanation, which keeps my interest high, though it seems to me that, like Acronis, it will also take extra time to create the VHD copies. But as I’ve had no experience, I’d request the following clarification regarding the copy in an external bootable USB drive. That would be a copy of what? If copy of the main HDD, then it’s no good, it will be too large. If a copy of Windows only, again it’s no good, as I’d have to reinstall all apps. For it to be a usable bootable copy comparable to the Acronis image, it should include Windows plus installed apps (and desktop) only, nothing more and nothing less. Furthermore, it should be possible to boot the PC from the USB and put this copy in replacement of the items it contains, without disturbing anything else. Are the above requirements possible and easily achievable?