Issues shrinking a volume on Windows 10?

Michelle Bennett5 said:Does that have anything to do with it? The screenshot shows the C: and B: partitions.

(Shouldn't it be D:?)

Oh, honestly, I just assigned that letter myself just to see if it would work!

Have you tried using the allowed letter yet? Just a heads-up, though—A and B are already spoken for on Windows, reserved for those old-school floppy drives.
By the way, I dug around and found out that MiniTool Partition Wizard should actually be able to move the MFT mirror record...

So, just how much space did you actually shave off the Recycle Bin?

Carol Harris9 said:I find myself quite perplexed by this issue, especially considering I’m working with a brand-new hard drive that I picked up just two days ago and used to install Windows 10

I guess why didn't you just partition it during the initial setup? That's how most people handle it, and honestly, messing with partition sizes later on is usually more trouble than it's worth...

Alright, I've decided to assign the letter D: to this second partition.
I’ve gone ahead and capped my Recycle Bin at 5GB. I figured it was about time I took some control over my storage habits!
I find myself quite perplexed by this particular situation, and I must admit, it’s left me feeling a bit stumped! It seems I am running into a rather stubborn limitation while trying to manage my drive partitions. Specifically, I was hoping to allocate exactly 100 GB to my C: drive—just a nice, round, sensible number, wouldn't you agree?—but for some reason, the system refuses to cooperate. Instead of allowing that specific size, it insists on offering me a minimum of 121 GB. It feels a bit like trying to order a single scoop of ice cream only to be told the smallest serving available is a massive triple scoop! Has anyone else encountered this sort of quirk? I can't quite wrap my head around why it won't let me set a more precise limit. Any insights would be sincerely appreciated!

I find myself in a bit of a predicament, and frankly, it’s quite vexing. My Dell keyboard—which, I should add, I've always been quite fond of for its tactile response—has developed this incredibly frustrating habit where the spacebar simply sticks. It’s one of those small, seemingly trivial hardware issues that somehow manages to derail an entire afternoon of productivity. Every time I attempt to type a sentence, there’s that momentary, agonizing pause as the key refuses to pop back up. It makes me feel rather clumsy, as if my own typing rhythm is being sabotaged by a tiny piece of plastic. I’ve tried the usual suspects—blowing air under the keycap, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, I might admit—but no luck so far. Has anyone else dealt with this specific nuisance? I’m wondering if it’s just a stray crumb from a snack (guilty as charged, I suppose) or if there's some deeper mechanical failure occurring within the switch itself. If you have any advice on how to remedy this without having to go out and purchase an entirely new peripheral, I would be immensely grateful. I truly do hate wasting perfectly good equipment.

fadedorca66 said:I guess why didn't you just partition it during the initial setup? That's how most people handle it, and honestly, messing with partition sizes later on is usually more trouble than it's worth...

Well, if all that is considered "undesirable," then what on earth is the point of having these specialized partition management tools at our disposal?

Carol Harris9 said:I just finished installing Windows 10 (Home), and my very first order of business was wanting to split my hard drive into two separate partitions.
The drive itself is about 244 GB, and my plan was to set the C: drive to roughly 80 GB and leave the remaining 160 GB for a D: drive.
So, I opened up Disk Management within Windows 10 and selected the shrink volume option,
but then this popped up on my screen:
Total size before shrink in MB: 244000
Size of available shrink space in MB: 121000
Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB 121000
Total size after shrink In MB: 122000

Now, from what I can gather, the field labeled "Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB" is where I should be inputting the desired size for my new D: partition. However, the system simply refuses to accept anything greater than 121000.
On My PC, it shows that I've only used about 20 GB, which means there should be plenty of room—roughly 220 GB—to work with.
Does anyone happen to know why it won't let me enter a larger number when there clearly seems to be enough free space?

I don't get it—why didn't you just set up the partitions during the actual Windows installation when the option was right there in front of you, instead of waiting until after?

Carol Harris9 said:Well, if all that is considered "undesirable," then what on earth is the point of having these specialized partition management tools at our disposal?

Those tools are more like "if you absolutely have to" options. You can always end up losing data or just breaking things when you mess with partitions, so I guess it's probably better to just leave them alone as much as possible...

Carol Harris9 said:Alright, I've decided to assign the letter D: to this second partition.
I’ve gone ahead and capped my Recycle Bin at 5GB. I figured it was about time I took some control over my storage habits!
I find myself quite perplexed by this particular situation, and I must admit, it’s left me feeling a bit stumped! It seems I am running into a rather stubborn limitation while trying to manage my drive partitions. Specifically, I was hoping to allocate exactly 100 GB to my C: drive—just a nice, round, sensible number, wouldn't you agree?—but for some reason, the system refuses to cooperate. Instead of allowing that specific size, it insists on offering me a minimum of 121 GB. It feels a bit like trying to order a single scoop of ice cream only to be told the smallest serving available is a massive triple scoop! Has anyone else encountered this sort of quirk? I can't quite wrap my head around why it won't let me set a more precise limit. Any insights would be sincerely appreciated!

I find myself in a bit of a predicament, and frankly, it’s quite vexing. My Dell keyboard—which, I should add, I've always been quite fond of for its tactile response—has developed this incredibly frustrating habit where the spacebar simply sticks. It’s one of those small, seemingly trivial hardware issues that somehow manages to derail an entire afternoon of productivity. Every time I attempt to type a sentence, there’s that momentary, agonizing pause as the key refuses to pop back up. It makes me feel rather clumsy, as if my own typing rhythm is being sabotaged by a tiny piece of plastic. I’ve tried the usual suspects—blowing air under the keycap, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, I might admit—but no luck so far. Has anyone else dealt with this specific nuisance? I’m wondering if it’s just a stray crumb from a snack (guilty as charged, I suppose) or if there's some deeper mechanical failure occurring within the switch itself. If you have any advice on how to remedy this without having to go out and purchase an entirely new peripheral, I would be immensely grateful. I truly do hate wasting perfectly good equipment.

1. You're using an outdated version of the tool; grab the latest one.
2. I'm pretty sure you can only move the MFT mirror before Windows actually boots up. Try using the "Bootable Media" option. Honestly, any changes you make to the boot partition should be done that way, rather than trying to do it "live"...
3. You would've saved yourself a massive headache if you'd just set this up during the initial Windows installation. This isn't how you do it...

coppersailor28 said:Just create a new partition—set your size and format it.

Besides, 240 GB isn't much room to be splitting up. And having only 80 GB on your C drive is cutting it close; you'll run out of space before you know it.

This is especially true when you're running Windows. Nowadays, if you don't have at least a 500 GB system drive, you shouldn't even be considering it. Sure, not everyone needs that much, especially if they aren't running many programs. But if you're someone who loads up heavy developer tools—especially resource hogs like Microsoft Visual Studio and Android Studio—not to mention video editing suites or 3D software like 3ds Max... well, you're going to be miserable without at least 300 GB dedicated just to the OS. 80 GB for Windows? I honestly doubt that's enough even for a casual user.

fadedorca66 said:Those tools are more like "if you absolutely have to" options. You can always end up losing data or just breaking things when you mess with partitions, so I guess it's probably better to just leave them alone as much as possible...

It isn't exactly like clicking a partition will cause immediate data loss. However, he’s running into the exact issue happening right now: the system won't let him shrink it below a certain size. Usually, Windows keeps the swap file on that specific partition. You can't shrink a partition if there's data sitting on those end sectors. He should try moving the swap file or just disabling it temporarily. If he does that, he'll likely be able to shrink the partition even further, though I have to ask—just like in that old philosopher joke—"but why bother?"

ironcyclist58 said:1. You're using an outdated version of the tool; grab the latest one.
2. I'm pretty sure you can only move the MFT mirror before Windows actually boots up. Try using the "Bootable Media" option. Honestly, any changes you make to the boot partition should be done that way, rather than trying to do it "live"...
3. You would've saved yourself a massive headache if you'd just set this up during the initial Windows installation. This isn't how you do it...

Well said. You really need to plan your partition layout from the get-go. Personally, I wouldn't go anything smaller than 100 GB. In fact, in my own setup, I wouldn't even dream of installing Windows on a partition less than 250 GB. I actually got into an argument about this once regarding Linux. People argue that Linux needs way less space... so maybe you don't even need an OS at all. But software requirements are a whole different story.

Just the Windows install itself, plus all the bells and whistles, eats up about 25GB. Then you throw in your apps and you're looking at another 20 or 25 easy. Add in the local and roaming files, temp folders, updates, and whatever else—you'll hit 80GB before you know it. In my book, you need at least a 240GB SSD... anything less is just pointless.
Today, partitioning isn't even necessary; it’s a total myth. Back in the Windows XP days, you’d lose everything if the OS died, but things don't work like that anymore.

Honestly, if you're still messing around with NTFS—that outdated journaling file system with its ridiculous limitations—you probably haven't realized just how much better life gets with Btrfs. Between things like online resizing, self-healing, snapshots, subvolumes, and built-in compression, it's a total game changer. It wasn't until I fully made the switch to Btrfs that I truly realized how much of a mess Windows actually is as an OS; honestly, the sooner it goes extinct, the better.

Windows has a massive footprint, and let’s face it—Bill Gates has enough marketing muscle to ensure they stay on top forever. It's not going anywhere. Sure, Linux is a decent alternative if you're into that sort of thing, but it’s definitely not for everyone. You have professionals who have spent years mastering Windows—expecting them to just jump from one version to another, let alone switch entire operating systems? Yeah, not a chance.

My first run of Windows 10 was on an old-school 80GB IDE drive—I’d just upgraded from Windows 7 back then. After about two years of that, I cloned everything over to a 320GB SATA drive, split right down the middle.
Then, fast forward another two years, I picked up a 120GB Adata SSD and cloned my Windows 10 setup onto that. Here’s how things look currently:
https://ibb.co/Xkcr44Q

wearymason4 said:My first run of Windows 10 was on an old-school 80GB IDE drive—I’d just upgraded from Windows 7 back then. After about two years of that, I cloned everything over to a 320GB SATA drive, split right down the middle.
Then, fast forward another two years, I picked up a 120GB Adata SSD and cloned my Windows 10 setup onto that. Here’s how things look currently:
https://ibb.co/Xkcr44Q

So, what's the move then? 🤷

"Windows 10 Now Requires a minimum of 32GB of storage space."

Maybe you and @Michelle Bennett5 should look into it.Carol Harris9 A 35 GB partition would have been plenty.
Just like how 35 gallons of gas might be plenty for some people—depending on their personal views and needs. Just an idea. Regarding,
Why? [No input provided for rewriting.] What? Not even owning a vehicle.

coppersailor28 said:So, what's the move then? 🤷

"Windows 10 Now Requires a minimum of 32GB of storage space."

Maybe you and @Michelle Bennett5 should look into it.Carol Harris9 A 35 GB partition would have been plenty.
Just like how 35 gallons of gas might be plenty for some people—depending on their personal views and needs. Just an idea. Regarding,
Why? [No input provided for rewriting.] What? Not even owning a vehicle.

I think the whole point was about moving or cloning an OS from one drive to another and being smart about space... ☕
Personally, I like keeping my daily drivers on the C drive (actually, I don't bother with partitions anymore since SSDs became the standard, and mine are usually 256 GB), while I use my old SATA drives as a D drive for storage and archives...
There are a million different theories on how to organize storage.
I don't mess around with software installations much anymore; I don't spread them across different partitions because it's pointless when you have to rebuild everything after a crash anyway. A data partition makes sense for easy archiving, but the most important thing is just having some common sense when installing stuff. I don't install things I don't actually need or use actively. Everything else is just a quick download away...
Ever since SSDs hit the scene, it feels like there's been this general shift. We went from those massive 1 or 2 TB HDDs where everyone tried to cram the "entire internet" onto them, to the era of the 256 GB SSD which was the sweet spot for price and performance during the initial boom. We finally learned how to be efficient...
Those old TB drives were a nightmare. I once helped a buddy by swapping in an SSD and setting up a 1 TB HDD for his "everything else" storage. A few days later, he calls me complaining about a "problem." I look at the drive and it's absolutely slammed. He had crammed half a closet full of CDs/DVDs and MP3s onto it, and he's whining about how much more he still needs to move over...
WTF? You aren't going to listen to 3 TB of music in your lifetime, let alone every single day... plus then the kids jump in with movies and those ridiculous games that eat up an entire universe, along with millions of useless photos from phones, all under the logic of "I don't need it now, but I'll keep it just in case..."

Basically, most of the "problems" I see on the computers I help out with (friends, family) end up being caused by completely maxed-out drives.

dustyowl29 said:Windows has a massive footprint, and let’s face it—Bill Gates has enough marketing muscle to ensure they stay on top forever. It's not going anywhere. Sure, Linux is a decent alternative if you're into that sort of thing, but it’s definitely not for everyone. You have professionals who have spent years mastering Windows—expecting them to just jump from one version to another, let alone switch entire operating systems? Yeah, not a chance.

Well then, I guess we'll all just have to suffer through that NTFS junk.

driftingcanyon2 said:Honestly, if you're still messing around with NTFS—that outdated journaling file system with its ridiculous limitations—you probably haven't realized just how much better life gets with Btrfs. Between things like online resizing, self-healing, snapshots, subvolumes, and built-in compression, it's a total game changer. It wasn't until I fully made the switch to Btrfs that I truly realized how much of a mess Windows actually is as an OS; honestly, the sooner it goes extinct, the better.

Look, for anyone just opening a browser, surfing the web, or doing whatever 99% of the people on this forum actually do, it doesn't matter if they're using NTFS, Btrfs, or whatever else. Most of them don't even know what those terms mean.

Most people barely know how to navigate the internet, let alone master Windows. They might have heard the word "Linux" tossed around, but concepts like online resize, self-healing, or snapshots? Yeah, not happening.🤦

Take this guy, for example—instead of actually setting up his partitions correctly during the Windows install, he’s trying to fix everything after the fact...

Michael Jackson10 said:I think the whole point was about moving or cloning an OS from one drive to another and being smart about space... ☕
Personally, I like keeping my daily drivers on the C drive (actually, I don't bother with partitions anymore since SSDs became the standard, and mine are usually 256 GB), while I use my old SATA drives as a D drive for storage and archives...
There are a million different theories on how to organize storage.
I don't mess around with software installations much anymore; I don't spread them across different partitions because it's pointless when you have to rebuild everything after a crash anyway. A data partition makes sense for easy archiving, but the most important thing is just having some common sense when installing stuff. I don't install things I don't actually need or use actively. Everything else is just a quick download away...
Ever since SSDs hit the scene, it feels like there's been this general shift. We went from those massive 1 or 2 TB HDDs where everyone tried to cram the "entire internet" onto them, to the era of the 256 GB SSD which was the sweet spot for price and performance during the initial boom. We finally learned how to be efficient...
Those old TB drives were a nightmare. I once helped a buddy by swapping in an SSD and setting up a 1 TB HDD for his "everything else" storage. A few days later, he calls me complaining about a "problem." I look at the drive and it's absolutely slammed. He had crammed half a closet full of CDs/DVDs and MP3s onto it, and he's whining about how much more he still needs to move over...
WTF? You aren't going to listen to 3 TB of music in your lifetime, let alone every single day... plus then the kids jump in with movies and those ridiculous games that eat up an entire universe, along with millions of useless photos from phones, all under the logic of "I don't need it now, but I'll keep it just in case..."

Basically, most of the "problems" I see on the computers I help out with (friends, family) end up being caused by completely maxed-out drives.

I don't really get these digital hoarders. They feel the need to cram everything onto physical drives like we're still stuck in the 56k dial-up era, even though everything is just available on demand via streaming services now.

So I was talking to a buddy of mine the other day. I asked if he finally jumped into that game he’d been obsessing over for years—you know, the one that dropped a few months back. He tells me he hasn't started because his drive is totally maxed out. When I asked why on earth his storage is full, he goes, "Oh, I keep all my Star Wars movies in 4K and stuff." I mean, does he really need to watch them every single day? I guess not. 🤔

coppersailor28 said:So, what's the move then? 🤷

"Windows 10 Now Requires a minimum of 32GB of storage space."

Maybe you and @Michelle Bennett5 should look into it.Carol Harris9 A 35 GB partition would have been plenty.
Just like how 35 gallons of gas might be plenty for some people—depending on their personal views and needs. Just an idea. Regarding,
Why? [No input provided for rewriting.] What? Not even owning a vehicle.

🤣