Shrinking a system partition

I have a dual-boot configuration with XP on my C partition, also the
system partition, and Vista on my V partition. I also have several
partitions in between including G immediately following C. What I'm
trying to do is insert a new partition between C and G, shring either
C or G or both. Although I have 5.37 GB free on C, Computer Management
shows only 23 MB available shrink space, even though I moved XP's page
file to a different partition and deleted its hibernate file. Is there
anything I'm missing or is it the fact that it's my system partition?
Drive G reports 1.7 GB free, all of it shrinkable.

Thanks in advance,
Boris Zakharin

You probably have an unmovable system file close to the end of the
partition. You cannot shrink any further than the last such file. It may
be a VSS file. Defrag is designed to move all the files it can towards the
front of the disk, but it cannot move these types of files.

<zakharin@alumni.upenn.edu> wrote in message
newsnqmn29i27omahb6svr7fslagrqq4vfibm@4ax.com...
>I have a dual-boot configuration with XP on my C partition, also the
> system partition, and Vista on my V partition. I also have several
> partitions in between including G immediately following C. What I'm
> trying to do is insert a new partition between C and G, shring either
> C or G or both. Although I have 5.37 GB free on C, Computer Management
> shows only 23 MB available shrink space, even though I moved XP's page
> file to a different partition and deleted its hibernate file. Is there
> anything I'm missing or is it the fact that it's my system partition?
> Drive G reports 1.7 GB free, all of it shrinkable.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Boris Zakharin

Would there be VSS files on an XP drive? I thought this feature was
only on server OSs up until Vista? Or are you saying that Vista put
those files there?

On Sat, 9 Dec 2006 19:12:43 -0700, "Colin Barnhorst"
<colinbarharst@msn.com> wrote:

>You probably have an unmovable system file close to the end of the
>partition. You cannot shrink any further than the last such file. It may
>be a VSS file. Defrag is designed to move all the files it can towards the
>front of the disk, but it cannot move these types of files.
>
><zakharin@alumni.upenn.edu> wrote in message
>newsnqmn29i27omahb6svr7fslagrqq4vfibm@4ax.com.. .
>>I have a dual-boot configuration with XP on my C partition, also the
>> system partition, and Vista on my V partition. I also have several
>> partitions in between including G immediately following C. What I'm
>> trying to do is insert a new partition between C and G, shring either
>> C or G or both. Although I have 5.37 GB free on C, Computer Management
>> shows only 23 MB available shrink space, even though I moved XP's page
>> file to a different partition and deleted its hibernate file. Is there
>> anything I'm missing or is it the fact that it's my system partition?
>> Drive G reports 1.7 GB free, all of it shrinkable.
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>> Boris Zakharin

XP has VSS.

<zakharin@alumni.upenn.edu> wrote in message
news:sjvmn215r8ngrcdegmgkmiq431b2u1e4ie@4ax.com...
> Would there be VSS files on an XP drive? I thought this feature was
> only on server OSs up until Vista? Or are you saying that Vista put
> those files there?
>
> On Sat, 9 Dec 2006 19:12:43 -0700, "Colin Barnhorst"
> <colinbarharst@msn.com> wrote:
>
>>You probably have an unmovable system file close to the end of the
>>partition. You cannot shrink any further than the last such file. It may
>>be a VSS file. Defrag is designed to move all the files it can towards
>>the
>>front of the disk, but it cannot move these types of files.
>>
>><zakharin@alumni.upenn.edu> wrote in message
>>newsnqmn29i27omahb6svr7fslagrqq4vfibm@4ax.com. ..
>>>I have a dual-boot configuration with XP on my C partition, also the
>>> system partition, and Vista on my V partition. I also have several
>>> partitions in between including G immediately following C. What I'm
>>> trying to do is insert a new partition between C and G, shring either
>>> C or G or both. Although I have 5.37 GB free on C, Computer Management
>>> shows only 23 MB available shrink space, even though I moved XP's page
>>> file to a different partition and deleted its hibernate file. Is there
>>> anything I'm missing or is it the fact that it's my system partition?
>>> Drive G reports 1.7 GB free, all of it shrinkable.
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance,
>>> Boris Zakharin

So is there any way to defragment them or get rid of them?

On Sat, 9 Dec 2006 22:46:05 -0700, "Colin Barnhorst"
<colinbarharst@msn.com> wrote:

>XP has VSS.
>
><zakharin@alumni.upenn.edu> wrote in message
>news:sjvmn215r8ngrcdegmgkmiq431b2u1e4ie@4ax.com.. .
>> Would there be VSS files on an XP drive? I thought this feature was
>> only on server OSs up until Vista? Or are you saying that Vista put
>> those files there?
>>
>> On Sat, 9 Dec 2006 19:12:43 -0700, "Colin Barnhorst"
>> <colinbarharst@msn.com> wrote:
>>
>>>You probably have an unmovable system file close to the end of the
>>>partition. You cannot shrink any further than the last such file. It may
>>>be a VSS file. Defrag is designed to move all the files it can towards
>>>the
>>>front of the disk, but it cannot move these types of files.
>>>
>>><zakharin@alumni.upenn.edu> wrote in message
>>>newsnqmn29i27omahb6svr7fslagrqq4vfibm@4ax.com ...
>>>>I have a dual-boot configuration with XP on my C partition, also the
>>>> system partition, and Vista on my V partition. I also have several
>>>> partitions in between including G immediately following C. What I'm
>>>> trying to do is insert a new partition between C and G, shring either
>>>> C or G or both. Although I have 5.37 GB free on C, Computer Management
>>>> shows only 23 MB available shrink space, even though I moved XP's page
>>>> file to a different partition and deleted its hibernate file. Is there
>>>> anything I'm missing or is it the fact that it's my system partition?
>>>> Drive G reports 1.7 GB free, all of it shrinkable.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks in advance,
>>>> Boris Zakharin

I guess they are called "unmovable system" files for a reason. On the
offchance that it happens to be a system restore point file, you could try
turning off System Restore and rebooting.

<zakharin@alumni.upenn.edu> wrote in message
news:24ton2p75npjguuttp13a3pn4iedboamuh@4ax.com...
> So is there any way to defragment them or get rid of them?
>
> On Sat, 9 Dec 2006 22:46:05 -0700, "Colin Barnhorst"
> <colinbarharst@msn.com> wrote:
>
>>XP has VSS.
>>