Cannot add a partition to my hard drive

Hey everyone,
first post here.
I've searched in a lot of places, and I can't find the proper answer for this.
I have two partitions currently - Macintosh HD and BootCamp. I have Windows 7 set up on the other partition.
It's a 120GB MacBook hard drive, with something to the tune of 24 GB free on the Macintosh HD partition.
My Windows partition is 25 GB.
I want to create another 10GB partition, formatted in either in FAT or HFS+.
However, whenever I try to partition it, Disk Utility always tells me "not enough space left on the device"
I've tried deleting files over 1GB, the only file that I have that is over a gig is "The Usual Suspects".
How do I make this work?

indeeditisso wrote:
I originally wanted to make a partition that both OSX and Windows could both access,
then format your windows partition FAT.
but now I want to make a partition that will hold all big files.
what for?
I mean, I could wipe out my Windows partition and try again,
I just.. don't really want to, haha.
yet that might be the easiest. wipe the windows partition and format it FAT instead of NTFS.
Any other suggestions?
Also, what is a tool that I could use to defrag my HDD?
idefrag is the most common one. but defragging like partitioning is a dangerous operation. you should never do it without a backup. and if you do make a backup then it's easier to simply clone your OS X partition to an external using CCCloner or Superduper, then boot from the external, erase the OS X partition on the internal and clone the clone back to the internal drive. this will also defrag it.
Message was edited by: indeeditisso

Similar Messages

  • OS X Mavericks cannot create a new partition on main hard drive

    I am trying to partition the primary hard drive on my MBP (late 2011 model; 8,2) with OS X 10.9 installed.  Every time I try to partition it. I get a "Partition Falied" error (see picture below).  I tried repairing all permissions on that HD and still have the same problem.

    Please Help!!!!!

  • How can I partition an external hard drive with data in it? When I select the drive, the partition option is grayed out.

    I am having a problem partitioning an external hard drive with data in it. 
    When I select the partition, everything is grayed out.  I can't add a a partition for some reason.  When I asked this question to other people, they told me to select my partition "io" to do it from there.
    As you can see, I can't seem to partition it form there either.  I ran the Verify Disk utility but the volume came out okay.
    Any ideas as to what the problem would be?
    Thanks!
    Luis

    Select the main hard drive entry (topmost one.) Click on the Partition tab. Shrink the existing partition by grabbing the sizing gadget in the bottom right corner and pushing up until you free up enough space for your second partition. Be sure you do not shrink to less than the space currently occupied by your files. Click on the Add[+] button to create a new partition in the free space. Click on the Apply button and wait until the partitioning is completed.

  • How to put a recovery partition on the hard drive

    How can I create a recovery partition on the hard drive of my laptop. I had to reinstall the whole system, and tried to use the HP recovery software they sent me but it quit when it was about three quarters the way finished. I had to use a copy of windows 8 to put the system back on my laptop. After I got it all straighten out, I updated it to windows 8.1 and it seems like the computer runs a lot faster with windows 8.1 on it. Now I need to find away to install a recovery partition on my hard drive.
    Thank You
    Garry Crist

    When requesting assistance, please provide the complete model name and/or product number of the HP computer in question. HP/Compaq makes thousands of models of computers. Without this information it may be difficult or impossible to assist you in resolving your issue.
    The above requested information can be found on the bottom of the computer or inside the battery compartment. Please do not include the serial number. Please enter the model/product information into HP's Online Consumer Support page and/or post it here for our review.
    A Recover partition is something the factory places on the computer. It is an image of the factory installation and the software required to restore the computer to a factory like state using that image. You will not be able to create a Recovery partition on your computer unless you use the HP Recovery Discs to return the computer to a factory like state. Please note the HP Recovery Discs and the resulting HP Recovery partition will only contain an image of Windows 8 that cannot be updated to reflect the installation of Window 8.1.
    My suggestion is to use the Windows "System Image Backup" utility to create an exact image of the Windows 8.1 partition as it currently is. If your computer developes an issue or you need to replace the hard drive, all you have to do is "restore" the image to the computer. You will need to use an external USB hard drive or other media to store the image. Please see Windows 8.1 Tip: Use System Image Backup for instructions on creating and storing a "Windows - System Image Backup."
    If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
    Please click the white KUDOS star to show your appreciation
    Frank
    {------------ Please click the "White Kudos" Thumbs Up to say THANKS for helping.
    Please click the "Accept As Solution" on my post, if my assistance has solved your issue. ------------V
    This is a user supported forum. I am a volunteer and I don't work for HP.
    HP 15t-j100 (on loan from HP)
    HP 13 Split x2 (on loan from HP)
    HP Slate8 Pro (on loan from HP)
    HP a1632x - Windows 7, 4GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6450
    HP p6130y - Windows 7, 8GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6450
    HP p6320y - Windows 7, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GT 240
    HP p7-1026 - Windows 7, 6GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6450
    HP p6787c - Windows 7, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GT 240

  • Cannot add bootcamp partition to my new HD in MacBook Pro (4,1)!!

    Hi Folks,
    I used to be able to add a partition to my boot drive from either BootCamp or Disk Utility but since I've installed my new HD, Bootcamp Asst informs me that my software is not up-to-date and Disk Utility has the options greyed out!!
    Anyone have any ideas how i can sort this out..?
    ps. the new HD = Seagate Momentus 7200.4 Laptop 2.5 inch Hard Disk Drive 320GB SATA
    7200rpm 16MB (Internal) (ST9320423AS)

    Well, after some head scratching i thought about where my problem started and it turns out that i had to re-restore from my SuperDuper clone (which i'd done in the first place)! There must have been a problem the first time i restored!
    I booted from an external HD, reformatted and restored from my clone. All is now good.
    Thanks for the firmware advice. Seems I might also need to do this too.

  • Partitioning a single hard drive?

    Before anybody gives me a hard time about asking a repetitive question about partitioning let me explain. I know their are several threads on the forum that say this or that about partitioning but I would like to know some definite opinions. I've just got one Western digital 300gb hard drive on ide 1 (maybe I'll add another hard drive later) with windows XP loaded as the operating system.
         1.Do you guys think it is good idea to partition this hard drive?
         2. When would you partition?
         3. How would you seperate the partitions for example would you make a 10 gig partition for the hard drive, etc.
         4. What are the advantages of partitioning?
    Thanks for any feedback.

    :Don't worry! I will never hammer someone for asking a question .First of all, Yes I think you should PARTITION a HDD that is as BIG as yours!!. But keep in mind the BEST time to do it is BEFORE OS installation. That does not mean that it is BAD to do it after with a 3'RD party program ie. PARTITION MAGIC..ect... How big,and how many partitions is totally up to you,(as long as you are within space paramaters)..I myself would CUT that size drive into at least 2 150GB partitions.But it also depends on what you are going to put on it ...You can have 100GB for the WIFE, 100GB for PICS or DVDS, AND 50GB for the OS and the rest for GAMES!!! This is what you have to decide....Sean REILLY875

  • When trying to remove a partition on my hard drive I couldn't

    when trying to remove a partition on my hard drive I got an error and the option was grayed out in boot camp assistant. error message:  "The startup disk cannot be partitioned or restored to a single partition.  startup disk must be formatted as a single Mac OS Extended (Journaled) volume or already partitioned by Boot Camp Assistant for installing Window".

    I am going to revise my question to this.  If I compress my itunes folder which would save me a considerable amount of space will this make the music and apps information stored in there unsyncable? 

  • HT201250 Do I need to partition my external hard drive if I'm using Time Machine and other storage?

    I never used Time Machine before.  I was storing select files on my external hard drive as well as using my libraries (IPhoto, ITune, IMovies) directly off of the external hard drive.  That hard drive is giving me problems, so I bought a new one.  I want to set up Time Machine on this one, but I also want to keep my active libraries on it.  Do I need to partition the external hard drive?

    You can partition the new drive, just don't make one of the partitons a TimeMachine drive, save a TM for a entire drive with more space than the boot drive as it saves "states" thus requires more room than most people expect.
    I highly advise one drive to one drive for backups, and not placing too many backup eggs in one vulnerable hardware basket basically.
    Drives are cheap, data is not. Hardware can fail just as often as software, so you need a multiple backup and storage stragedy to protect even against theft and fire.
    Most commonly used backup methods

  • I've lost the use of Appleworks in 10.9.2. Is it possible to partition the internal hard drive of my MacBook Pro and install an older Mac OS (10.6.8) on the second partition with OS 10.9.2 on the other?

    I've lost the use of Appleworks by upgrading to 10.9.2.
    Is it possible to partition the internal hard drive of my MacBook Pro and install an older Mac OS (10.6.8) on the second partition with OS 10.9.2 on the other? I'd like to be able to boot to the older OS when I need Appleworks and  few other applications that aren't available on OS 10.9.2.
    Any suggestions?
    Thank you for your help.

    Hello again, WZZZ,
    Here's an update. I was successful in creating two partitions on my internal drive, and in installing OS 10.6.6 on the second partition, as per your guidence. I now have it up to 10.6.8 with all the security updates and AppleWorks. A great thing.
    Some thoughts:
    • The partitioning had one hitch; it failed at first. But once I "repaired" the disc with Disc Utility the partitioning went thru.
    • The partitioning took a long time in 'resizing the partition.' A few hours I think it was. Lots of progress bar watching.
    • If I had it to do again, I'd size the two partitions differently. My original data was occupying about 230 Gb of the 320 Gb disc. I made the new partitions share the space, about 230 and 75Gb. That left very little available space for the main disc. I ought to have put some breathing room in there. As it is, it's an incentive to clean up all those files, especially all those iTunes files. I now have about 10% of available space there and mean to continue deleting.
    So, all in all a good project that got me where I wanted to go. Thank you for your help.
    Appreciatively,
    wallah

  • HT201250 What does it mean to "partition" an external hard drive? Is it something that I want to do?

    What does it mean to "partition" the external hard drive?  Is it something I want to do?  How do I save files from another hard drive to the new one?  I have to reformat the old one as it was not set up correctly.  The drive I have is Seagate but not specifically for MAC, so I have to format it.. never have done this before. Don't know the jargon.  I read that Time Machine will back up automatically but I want to take files from the old drive to the new one.  Do I have to take them to the computer first and then to the new drive?  I need more memory on my computer. It's way too cluttered and congested.  HELP!

    Whoa! Slow donw. TRhere's a lot here. I would suggest you buy a good book on computers in general or macs in particular, one is "OSX the missing manual".
    What does it mean to "partition" the external hard drive?
    It means you take one large drive and make it into more than one volume. This means that it might show up as 2,3 or 4 inde[pendenmt drives. Each one could have, for example, a different operating system on it. Its  a good thing to do if you want to use a drive for several purposes
    Is it something I want to do?
    beats me, you didnt way what you're trying to accomplish. Sorta like sking "should i turn left?"  Depends on where you want to go.
    How do I save files from another hard drive to the new one?
    See advice n book above. Copy them in finder. Copy them in unix. Use a backup or sync utility. No different from Windows in that respect.
    I have to reformat the old one as it was not set up correctly.  The drive I have is Seagate but not specifically for MAC, so I have to format it.. never have done this before. Don't know the jargon.
    Hook it up. Run disk utility. Partition 1 or more partions. GUID map.  Format each partition Mac OS extended, Journaled.  for more, read book, above.  Seriously - we could give you more tips, but you really should learn enough to be comnfident.
    I read that Time Machine will back up automatically but I want to take files from the old drive to the new one.  Do I have to take them to the computer first and then to the new drive?
    I have no idea what you are asking.
    I need more memory on my computer. It's way too cluttered and congested.  HELP!
    What kind of memory and why?  RTAM? Hard drive space? Explain. By the time you are done explaining, i suspect you will have ansered your own question.
    Good luck,
    Have you read the PDF manual for your cmputer?
    Have you used a search engine to look for info, for example, in two seconds i got this from google and wikipedia:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_partitioning
    Grant

  • I have an IMAC and I'm running OSX 10.9.2.  I'd like to store my Aperture /IMovie Libraries to an external hard drive.  In addition, I'd like to partition the external hard drive so that Time Machine can use it to both back up my IMac and the externa

    I have an IMAC and I'm running OSX 10.9.2.  I'd like to store my Aperture /IMovie Libraries on an external hard drive.  In addition, I'd like to partition the external hard drive so that Time Machine can use it to both back up my IMac and the external library drives.  Is this possible? Can I set up a RAID 5 format for redundancy?

    I'd like to store my Aperture /IMovie Libraries on an external hard drive.
    That is fine and recommended.. use the fastest disk you can afford.. ie Thunderbolt>USB3>FW800>USB2.
    In addition, I'd like to partition the external hard drive so that Time Machine can use it to both back up my IMac and the external library drives.
    Let me be clear.. you want to partition the one disk.. use it for TM and move your files to the external disk.. and then backup to the same disk.. You can do it.. but that is not a backup.. that is an experiment in how long you can get away with running files and backups on the same disk before you lose everything.. like Russian Roulette.. pull the trigger enough times and laws of probability will do you in.
    You must have backups on a different disk .. otherwise it is pointless.
    Can I set up a RAID 5 format for redundancy?
    No.. you can buy special USB and Thunderbolt external drives that support RAID..
    BUT that is still not a backup.. let me show why.. you make a silly move and corrupt your file in aperture.. it is not that rare.
    Raid will corrupt all copies of the files.. it is replicated across all disks.
    Delete a photo it is deleted across all disks.. you have no recovery.
    Alway, always consider RAID system one disk.. backup onto another disk.. and if the photos or movies are at all important to you.. ie your family .. make another copy and store in a relatives house.. There is no such thing as too much redundancy.

  • How can I add media from an external hard drive into Premiere Elements? Please answer.

    Alright, so I have looked all over the website and the way adobe's frequently asked questions about adding media did nothing for me. I am editing a large full length video in premiere elements 13 and so I would like to add media from my external hard drive and edit from that location. Is that possible? Because I do not have enough space on my laptop to keep hundreds and hundreds of GB of videos on my internal hard drive. I have looked on how to add media from the hard drive location and adobe says to add it using the files and folders tab, but when I select it to add it, it says I need to use the Video Importer. So I go to use the video importer and have no way of figuring out how to select my hard drive. Any ideas?

    Spencer WhiteOut
    Thank you for the follow up with the information
    it is a MacBook pro retina . OS X Operating system. External hard drive is connected by the USB cable. fat32.
    It is my understanding, whether you have Premiere Elements on Windows or Mac, if you have files on an external hard drive,  you do not select
    Add Media and head for a choice that includes Video Importer. Instead, you select Add Media/Files and Folders and navigate to the external hard drive to select your file(s) for import into the project.
    But, you seem to be saying that when you do you are met with a message to use the Video Importer. Does the message give you any other related information on why you are being detoured to Video Importer since Video Importer does not import from an external hard drive for me or you. It does for me using Add Media to get the files from my external hard drive into a project.  I am strictly an Elements Windows user, so my Mac information is from what I have read. Based on that...
    1. Please evaluate the format of your external hard drive. Please review the following if you have not considered this point before.
    http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-set-up-an-external-hard-drive-for-use-with-os-x/
    There are many online articles on this matter which would point you away from Fat32 as the format for a external hard drive Mac.
    2. From what you wrote, you are not dealing with a DVD drive so I see no way to implicate one of them in this issue. You are dealing with an
    USB external hard drive and not a USB external DVD/CD drive. Correct?
    Please review and consider.
    We will be watch for further news from you.
    Thank you.
    ATR

  • Itunes and all my movies have disappeared,i can no longer add to library from my external hdd which ive always used and can only add from the laptops own hard drive,any ideas what the issue could be?

    ive recently updated, itunes and all my movies have disappeared,i can no longer add to library from my external hdd which ive always used and can only add from the laptops own hard drive,any ideas what the issue could be?if i transfer the movies from the external to the laptop they will add to the library without any problem so theres no issue with the laptop but when i go to add file in itunes i can path to the external but as soon as i select the file nothing happens, just goes back to itunes

    This happens if the file is no longer where iTunes expects to find it. Possible causes are that you or some third party tool has moved, renamed or deleted the file, or that the drive it lives on has had a change of drive letter. It is also possible that iTunes has changed from expecting the files to be in the pre-iTunes 9 layout to post-iTunes 9 layout,or vice-versa, and so is looking in slightly the wrong place.
    Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Ctrl-I to get info, then cancel when asked to try to locate the track. Look on the summary tab for the location that iTunes thinks the file should be. Now take a look around your hard drive(s). Hopefully you can locate the track in question. If a section of your library has simply been moved, or a drive letter has changed, it should be possible to reverse the actions.
    Alternatively, as long as you can find a location holding the missing files, then you should be able to use my FindTracks script to reconnect them to iTunes .
    tt2

  • Partitioning an external hard drive for Mac and PC

    I want to partition an external hard drive (3TB) into 3 even partitions. I want to use one for PC storage, one for Mac storage and the last for Mac backup. Is this possible and how do I do it?

    Drive Partition and Format
    1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
    2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
    3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Apply button and wait until the process has completed.
    4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
    5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
    6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
    7. Re-partition the drive to create the three partitions. The one you wish to use on a PC you should format MSDOS (FAT).
    When you connect the drive to your PC it should have no problem reading the partition set up for a PC. Now while on the PC you may wish to consider reformatting that partition using ExFAT (if supported on your PC.) This format is more compatible with both OS X and NTSF supporting long file names and other FAT filesystem irregularities.

  • Is it possible to use Boot Camp to partition an external hard drive so there is a OSX partition and a Windows partiton?  I want to use the external drive for backup only, NOT to load Windows and NOT to use as a boot drive.

    I have partitioned the internal hard drive and am running Lion and Win7 Pro on my iMac i5 2.7GHz with 16GB RAM.  Can I use Boot Camp to create a Windows partition on an OSX external hard drive to use for backing up both systems to the same HDD?  I do NOT want to install OSX Lion or Windows 7 Professional on the external drive.  I do NOT want to boot either system from the external drive.  The 3TB external drive is for backup only.

    Use NTFS for Windows and buy Paragon NTFS for OS X
    You can also try Paragon HFS for Windows
    As long as you are using for data and backups, you can leave the drive as GPT too.
    I would recommend strongly to always have a 2nd bootable Mac OS drive, only need 30GB partition. System maintenance. Though LIon Recovery Mode finally makes it less but not totally unneeded.
    And yes you can use Windows to create a partition.
    Boot Camp is too broad. Do you want or mean BC Assistant? not needed but probably possible.
    MBR has trouble with 3TB drives.

Maybe you are looking for