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HDD primary partition not able to resize!

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Shades:
Do you have another Windows PC (no laptop) that does work?

If so, get: Eassos Partition Guru (the freeware version will do) and install it on that PC. Transfer the hard disk from the broken system into the alternative Windows PC. Make sure the hard disk in the alternative system has sufficient storage space for the data you are going to transfer. If there isn't enough storage space, use your portable HDD instead. The transfer will take (a lot) longer in that case.

Start the software and let it detect all the hard disks and available partitions. Take a good look at the options menu to find transfer and backup methods that you prefer. You are able to transfer files one on one with an interface that looks like the Windows explorer.

When you are done, you have a file backup. Make sure you can access a random set of files without problem on the alternative system. If that check succeeds you can put the hard disk from the broken system back into the broken system. You can use GParted or the Windows installer to wipe all partitions from the hard disk. You should have now one big block of umpartitioned space on the hard disk.

Start the Windows installer and create just the partition for the Windows installation. The installer will say that it creates the 100MB partition. Continue with the installation. Remember the limit of 4 primary partitions? This way your hard disk used up 2 primary partitions already. If you want to make 1 or 2 partitions more everything is still fine. If you want more, you have to return to the extending partition tricks.

I would also suggest to use the Windows 7 installer instead of the XP installer. Because that installer will not burden your hard disk with hard disk alignment problems like the XP installer does.
Also, use the Windows installer or Windows' Disk Manager itself to create the extra partitions. Use GParted only to create the extended partition and all the logical partitions you need or want.

After all the partitioning is done you can continue with the installation and start putting back your data. You could even attempt again to put back the image to see if acronis doesn't f.ck up now. If it does, cut your losses. Use the Windows 7 installer again to remove both the Windows partition and the 100MByte partition and reinstall Windows 7 in the unpartitioned space. You should be getting the idea by now.

All of the above results in in a fresh Windows 7 installation and backed up data.

Making images and putting those back is one way of starting fresh. Creating an optimized rebuild routine is another. Especially if you are the only user on your PC, consider the rebuild routine. Do that properly and the same routine will work with different Windows versions as well.

Vurbal:
I would also suggest to use the Windows 7 installer instead of the XP installer. Because that installer will not burden your hard disk with hard disk alignment problems like the XP installer does.
-Shades (May 18, 2015, 07:10 AM)
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Seeing an 8MB chunk of unpartitioned space at the beginning definitely makes me think it's a Windows install problem. I ran across a similar issue when I had to replace a NT 4 Server install with the Terminal Services version. Specifically, it had to do with an unsupported drive (actually RAID) controller. Normally, if you told Windows to use the whole drive, the installer would leave 8MB of unpartitioned space at the end of the drive. However, because the IBM controller wasn't supported until at least SP3, it put the unpartitioned space at the beginning of the drive, and before the actual partition, instead.

Had I provided the driver on a disc, when prompted during Windows installation, it would have worked fine. Of course, IBM didn't bother to mention anything about it with the documentation, and finding anything on their website was practically impossible. In fact, they didn't even ship the driver disc with it. I ended up using a Win 98 boot disc to partition and format to FAT16, after which Windows installed normally.

hulkbuster:
@ Shades/Vurbal: I did something little similar.I started backing up every file to an Ext HDD and went to NUKE the Disk, performed LLF with Data Lifeguard Diagnostics for DOS for WD hard drive.
How to low level format or write zeros (full erase) to a WD hard drive or Solid State drive

Then created new partition and restored the old backup. All went fine.
Coming to think of it, it was my fault all the time, the Restoration job which created 8 MB partition was actually the backup of Win7 on Dual boot.
It needed to be installed in Logical drive, but i choose to install it on Primary partition. Just presuming, this eventually led to create 8 MB partition.
I again tried to restore another image( have a dozen of backup images with different OS) of Win7 Pro with 100 MB partition , it went well.

For now, i am OK with Winxp, may be will switch to Win7 next week. If i get bored.

But thank you guys, for suggesting and keeping an open mind.
This experience really taught me something, i.e., never mess with partition tables and Restore jobs. It requires some understanding and little experience. I am just glad its over, with something to remember for sometime.   :Thmbsup:

MilesAhead:
Then created new partition and restored the old backup. All went fine.
-hulkbuster (May 20, 2015, 01:18 PM)
--- End quote ---

Glad you got it configured.   :Thmbsup:

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