4(Optional) Click the Cluster Size drop-down list and select a new size or use the recommend cluster size that is already selected.

This option is only available for FAT and FAT32 partitions. For more information, see “Resizing Clusters” on page 66. You can resize NTFS clusters by clicking Partition Advanced Resize Clusters.

5Click OK.

Notes about Resizing Partitions

When you resize a partition, data is consolidated, not compressed. To make a partition smaller, unused space must exist within the partition. To enlarge a partition, there must be adjacent unallocated space. If there is unallocated space on the disk, but it is not adjacent to the partition you want to enlarge, adjust the location of the space by moving other partitions. You can resize/move a partition to create space before it even if there is used space shown at the beginning of the partition. For example, if you are shrinking a D: partition so you can enlarge a C: partition, you can just drag the left handle of the D: drive to create unallocated space next to the C: drive, then drag the right handle of the C: drive to use that space.

IMPORTANT! Exercise caution when resizing partitions smaller, especially a partition containing an operating system. Leave at least 50 MB more space in the partition than the operating system requires. Swap files, drivers, and other files may require the extra space. Additionally, operating systems can become unbootable if moved beyond certain boundaries. For more information, see “Creating Bootable Partitions” on page 38.

Resizing FAT and FAT32 partitions smaller may reduce the amount of wasted space on a hard disk. When you resize a FAT or FAT32 partition, PartitionMagic automatically resizes the clusters to their optimal size for the partition. For more information, see “Resizing Clusters” on page 66.

You should be aware of the following limitations when resizing partitions:

You cannot make a partition smaller unless it contains unused space. You can only reduce a partition to the used size shown in the disk map plus a small buffer area. During a Resize/Move operation, data is consolidated to the front of the partition as needed, but no data compression takes place. Because of the way a FAT partition is structured, you can often resize a partition a second time and make it even smaller or larger than the first time you resized it.

In certain instances, you cannot make a FAT partition larger when the partition contains no unused space. If you have a full partition and plenty of unallocated space

32Chapter 3: Managing Partitions

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Norton Abrasives 8 manual Managing Partitions