Windows 10: Unable to Use Unallocated Space to Extend Partition

I was able to create the 4GB unallocated partition to the Left of D. The problem was that rather than dragging the double vertical lines to the left, I actually had to drag them to the right. This created an unalloated 4GB partition "before" (to the left) of the D partition.

However, when I attempt to copy the 4GB recovery partition from the 250GB SSD to this new unallocated 4GB partition to the Left of D on the 500GB SSD, there is a prompt that indicates the destination location is too small.

 

Just tried with my disk and it works so I don't know where it goes wrong with yours. Personally, I seldom use Minitool because certain partition type is not recognized by it or cannot be resized and also instead of cloning, I use copy since the 2 disks are 2 different sizes.

Post a screen shot of disk management so I can suggest another way.

In your case, the best way is to use: Macrium Reflect Free . This is an imaging software but can be used to copy from one disk to another.

 

I had successfully created a 4GB unallocated partition to the LEFT of D, but I went ahead reallocated it back into D after I was unable to copy the 4GB OEM recovery partition from the 250 SSD. So, you will not see the 4GB unallocated partition to the left of D in the attached screenshot.

Ironically, I downloaded and used Macrium Reflect Free earlier today to clone this drive. But I deleted it after the clone was successful, thinking I'd have no further use for it.

By the way, if you look at the screenshot in my first post, the 4GB OEM partition that I deleted was to the RIGHT of D. Should that be the goal again...to have a 4GB unallocated partition to the Right of D?

 

Yes, you'd want the same layout as the original with D extended for full use on the 500GB SSD.

EDIT: from disk management, you have 30GB unallocated after D, you could copy the 4GB to this partition. However, you waste 26GB.

 

Yeah, I'd rather not waste the 26GB. I probably should have quit while I was ahead but I messed around a bit and now have a 4GB unformatted "Raw" partition (G) to the Left of D. But it doesn't say "OEM" and I haven't figured out a way to move it to the Right of D.

Getting ready to throw in the towel unless you've got any other suggestions?

Appreciate the help thus far.

 

Forget about Minitool. Connect the 250GB and boot up from it, connect the 500GB via USB.

• Install Macrium and run.
• click on the 250GB SSD then click on clone this disk.
• select the 500GB SSD as destination drive.
• Click on each partition on the 500GB then click on "Delete existing partition" until the 500GB shows empty.
• Next click on each partition on the 250GB then drag and drop to the 500GB. Stop after dropping C in the destination. (by drag and drop, you actually copy the partition)
• Click on C then click "Cloned partition Properties" then resize it with Free Space show 30GB at the end
• Next, click on the 4GB partition and drop it to destination, click on the 25GB and drop to destination
• click Next->Finish.
• Connect the 500GB and boot up from it.

 

Okay...that's a bit too much for tonight. One last question for the evening. I have that unformatted 4GB "G" partition to the left of D. Is there some way I can "roll" that back into D at this point? Or make in unallocated so it can be reallocated later?

 

Don't worry about it. Macrium will take care of it in step 4.
Even though it looks too much but if you do exactly what I suggested, you'll be up and running within 20Minutes at most.

 

Okay...thanks. Will look at it tomorrow. FYI, I figured out how to get that unformatted G partition back into D.

In Disk Management, I right clicked G and selected "Delete Volume." That rendered the partition as unallocated. I was then able to extend D with that space.

Thanks again for all of the help!

 

Forgot that I did make a video for this except I did not include step 6.
[youtube]kMEOIU0zIdw[/youtube]

 

With most clone software if you actually clone it will ask if you want to extend partition and do it all for you

 

Don't think so. It might have an option to extend at the end of the drive if the destination drive having larger capacity which you can easily do it from disk management after cloning but not a partition in the middle of the disk.

Always best to copy if the disks are different in capacity/make so that the cluster size is properly aligned and also to avoid disk id collision. In addition, Macrium also perform trimming while copying on the SSD.

 

Thanks for the continued input. All of this stuff is very new to me. I simply wanted a larger SDD and figured I'd do some reading and try to figure it out myself. I'm not a "computer guy," beyond simply daily home usage.

I initially cloned the drive using Samsung's migration software but it only cloned the C partition. It did not clone the D partition. After some more research, I downloaded Macrium and was successful in cloning the entire drive. But as as been discussed in this thread, cloning onto a larger drive leaves the additional space unallocated.

With the help of the info in this thread, I was pretty much where I wanted to be, having realloacted the unalloacted space into the D drive (leaving about 30GB unallocated, just for contingencies) and would have been happy had I not made the mistake of deleting that 4GB OEM partition.

Just so I fully understand, what exactly am I giving up if I stay where I am right now without the 4GB OEM partition vs. attempting to follow the above procedure and restoring the OEM partition?

 

FYI, the 4GB partition is not empty and was marked as "OEM" and Minitool did not recognize it. By deleting this partition, you broke the capability to restore Windows back to the original state. -- quoting TopGunDCP from his earlier post

 

Thanks. I read that earlier. I guess I should have been more specific in asking, what exactly does it mean to restore Windows to its original state? Am I currently in an unoriginal state? Why would I potentially need to restore to an "original state."