How to grow SDA7 which is the Mint partition?

[deepakdeshp]

Hello,
I am looking to increase the size of sda7. My disk partitions are

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sudo fdisk -l /dev/sda 
[sudo] password for uma: 
Disk /dev/sda: 465.8 GiB, 500107862016 bytes, 976773168 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: E2C4A9A1-8B71-450A-9A1F-E5763564E0BD

Device         Start       End   Sectors   Size Type
/dev/sda1       2048   1333247   1331200   650M Windows recovery 
/dev/sda2    1333248   1865727    532480   260M EFI System
/dev/sda3    1865728   2127871    262144   128M Microsoft reserve
/dev/sda4    2127872 230522879 228395008 108.9G Microsoft basic d
/dev/sda5  230522880 443516927 212994048 101.6G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda6  920653824 976762879  56109056  26.8G Microsoft basic d
/dev/sda7  443516928 571676671 128159744  61.1G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda8  910200832 920653823  10452992     5G Linux swap
/dev/sda10 571676672 786716671 215040000 102.6G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda11 844060672 845084671   1024000   500M Linux filesystem

I wanted to post the image of gparted, but I am not able to attach any image. Please let me know if anything else is needed.

Thanks,
Deepak

[jimallyn]

You're going to have to shrink some other partition. Which partition are you willing to give up some space from?

[Spearmint2]

I wanted to post the image of gparted, but I am not able to attach any image.

Did you try the attachment area below the Post box? Or did that not work OK?

[deepakdeshp]

You're going to have to shrink some other partition. Which partition are you willing to give up some space from?

I was thinking that only the partitions adjacent to sda7 can be used to grow the FS in sda7 and my choice to shrink is limited to adjacent partitions.

[Pierre]

in theory, you would have to shrink SDA6, but in reality, you you could shrink either SDA4 or SDA5:
- shrink SDA4 & then move SDA5 to the left & then move SDA6 to the left
- shrink SDA5 & then move SDA6 to the left
finally,, expend SDA7 to the left.

Note: each operation, may take a little time to perform, before moving to the next operation.
- Gparted, from a Live Disk, for these steps, would be the best method.

[FreedomTruth]

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Device         Start       End   Sectors   Size Type
/dev/sda1       2048   1333247   1331200   650M Windows recovery 
/dev/sda2    1333248   1865727    532480   260M EFI System
/dev/sda3    1865728   2127871    262144   128M Microsoft reserve
/dev/sda4    2127872 230522879 228395008 108.9G Microsoft basic d
/dev/sda5  230522880 443516927 212994048 101.6G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda6  920653824 976762879  56109056  26.8G Microsoft basic d
/dev/sda7  443516928 571676671 128159744  61.1G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda8  910200832 920653823  10452992     5G Linux swap
/dev/sda10 571676672 786716671 215040000 102.6G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda11 844060672 845084671   1024000   500M Linux filesystem

Re-sorting that by start sector, it looks like your disk layout is something like this:

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/dev/sda1       2048   1333247   1331200   650M Windows recovery 
/dev/sda2    1333248   1865727    532480   260M EFI System
/dev/sda3    1865728   2127871    262144   128M Microsoft reserve
/dev/sda4    2127872 230522879 228395008 108.9G Microsoft basic d
/dev/sda5  230522880 443516927 212994048 101.6G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda7  443516928 571676671 128159744  61.1G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda10 571676672 786716671 215040000 102.6G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda11 844060672 845084671   1024000   500M Linux filesystem
/dev/sda8  910200832 920653823  10452992     5G Linux swap
/dev/sda6  920653824 976762879  56109056  26.8G Microsoft basic d

To grow sda7, it would be easiest to first shrink either sda5 or sda10. But, if sda7 is your / partition, does it really need to be larger than 61G?

[deepakdeshp]

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Device         Start       End   Sectors   Size Type
t would be easiest to first shrink either sda5 or sda10.  But, if sda7 is your / partition, does it really need to be larger than 61G?[/quote][/quote]
Thank you. I have only  one partition for sda7. There is no separate partition for home etc. Now this is almost 75% full.

[Spearmint2]

This is one area windows comes out ahead with ability to do "dynamic disks", which can string partitions together as if a single one.

[deepakdeshp]

This is one area windows comes out ahead with ability to do "dynamic disks", which can string partitions together as if a single one.

If one creates virtual volumes then there would be many options available,but in my case there are only plain disk partitions

[jimallyn]

I'll throw in my 2 cents worth, since I had posted above. As mentioned, you could take the space from several other partitions. Besides resizing partitions, gparted will also move them to the left or to the right. So, in theory at least, you could shrink just about any of the other partitions, then move the others so the free space is next to sda7, and grow sda7 into that free space. This will take several operations. When I have a complex task for gparted, I usually write it down: first shrink this, then move that, etc. Then I do the operations one at a time. I know you can enter a list of them and have it do them all at once, but I've always done them one at a time. I'm not sure if it makes any difference or not, but that just always seemed to me to be the best way to do it.

[deepakdeshp]

I'll throw in my 2 cents worth, since I had posted above. As mentioned, you could take the space from several other partitions. Besides resizing partitions, gparted will also move them to the left or to the right. So, in theory at least, you could shrink just about any of the other partitions, then move the others so the free space is next to sda7, and grow sda7 into that free space. This will take several operations. When I have a complex task for gparted, I usually write it down: first shrink this, then move that, etc. Then I do the operations one at a time. I know you can enter a list of them and have it do them all at once, but I've always done them one at a time. I'm not sure if it makes any difference or not, but that just always seemed to me to be the best way to do it.

+1 to a very systematic approach.

Now there is a free space at the beginning of sda7 which I want to grow. When I try that operation I get a warning that the partition wil be unusable since its beginning will change by growing it. Does it mean that the partition can be grown only at the end if I want to preserve the data?

[Mute Ant]

It's a Warning... "Moving a partition might cause your operating system to fail to boot" ...not a promise. The data will be intact at the end of the operation. Using EFI the boot-loader will find it in the new location, which will be stored in the GPT.

[deepakdeshp]

It's a Warning... "Moving a partition might cause your operating system to fail to boot" ...not a promise. The data will be intact at the end of the operation. Using EFI the boot-loader will find it in the new location, which will be stored in the GPT.

Does that mean that I will be able to boot Mint even though the beginning of the partition is change by growing it?

[Spearmint2]

Oh, I can't bear to look. Tell me when the disaster is over if/when it all goes wrong.

[deepakdeshp]

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Device         Start       End   Sectors   Size Type
/dev/sda1       2048   1333247   1331200   650M Windows recovery 
/dev/sda2    1333248   1865727    532480   260M EFI System
/dev/sda3    1865728   2127871    262144   128M Microsoft reserve
/dev/sda4    2127872 230522879 228395008 108.9G Microsoft basic d
/dev/sda5  230522880 443516927 212994048 101.6G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda6  920653824 976762879  56109056  26.8G Microsoft basic d
/dev/sda7  443516928 571676671 128159744  61.1G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda8  910200832 920653823  10452992     5G Linux swap
/dev/sda10 571676672 786716671 215040000 102.6G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda11 844060672 845084671   1024000   500M Linux filesystem

Re-sorting that by start sector, it looks like your disk layout is something like this:

Code: Select all

/dev/sda1       2048   1333247   1331200   650M Windows recovery 
/dev/sda2    1333248   1865727    532480   260M EFI System
/dev/sda3    1865728   2127871    262144   128M Microsoft reserve
/dev/sda4    2127872 230522879 228395008 108.9G Microsoft basic d
/dev/sda5  230522880 443516927 212994048 101.6G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda7  443516928 571676671 128159744  61.1G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda10 571676672 786716671 215040000 102.6G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda11 844060672 845084671   1024000   500M Linux filesystem
/dev/sda8  910200832 920653823  10452992     5G Linux swap
/dev/sda6  920653824 976762879  56109056  26.8G Microsoft basic d

To grow sda7, it would be easiest to first shrink either sda5 or sda10. But, if sda7 is your / partition, does it really need to be larger than 61G?

Thanks I never saw it that way,