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How can I increase boot camp partition size?

I have installed Win7Enterprise 64bit on my boot camp partition - which I have set to 20 GB. However, apparently, there is not much space left now. This is problematic since the whole purpose of the excercise was to run Win-only programs - which I cannot install due to lack of space.

Can I still increase the WIn7-partition size, although everything is already set up?

Thank you for any suggestion in this matter.

hhmos

MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2011), OS X Mountain Lion

Posted on Aug 3, 2012 3:44 PM

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Posted on Aug 3, 2012 3:47 PM

You can remove the Boot Camp partition then use Boot Camp Assistant to make a larger partition. Or you can use Paragon Camptune X 10 that can resize on the fly.

7 replies

Aug 3, 2012 3:50 PM in response to hhmos

The solution for this situation is to relocate space between volumes with Paragon’s CampTune utility. CampTune rearranges free space between HFS+ and Windows partitions and shrinks existing volumes to free unallocated space on a hard disk, and create new partitions without the need to use Boot Camp at all.

An easy alternative is to use Paragon CampTune from the beginning: resize the primary HFS+ volume, create second partition, format it as an NTFS volume and install Windows directly.


Best tool there is, and it has other features as well.


I keep telling people, 40GB minimum with 60-80GB if you can. If you want to try Windows 8 when it comes out you can maintain 7 and rollback if it doesn't work. An SSD also needs an added 10%.


Updates, page, cache, programs, temp space, hibernation - they all eat up extra space. Too little and the next set of patches and you could find it won't login or function.


http://www.paragon-software.com/home/camptune/

Aug 4, 2012 7:39 AM in response to Kappy

Thank you - I did as you suggested with simply pulling back to the stage before establishing Boot camp. However, during the installation process, I found now 6 or 7 partitions (some with small size) instead of just 4. Anyway, it worked and I can use the Windows programs that do not work with Mac OS.

Aug 4, 2012 7:51 AM in response to hhmos

GPT and EFI along with Lion/ML Recovery plus Mac and Windows more than that is probably caused by having to work around fragmented partitions and free space. Also, Windows 7 & 8 normally set aside 100MB system reserved since 2009 which Boot Camp Assistant doesn't work with or understand - another reason.


Ofrten when you remove and recreate you loose some space, overhead.


CampTunes would as I said been 1st choice. It even can be used instead to setup format and install Windows without having to go through FAT => NTFS because Apple does not have the rights to NTFS.

How can I increase boot camp partition size?

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