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From: Salvador Mirzo <smirzo@example.com>
Newsgroups: alt.comp.os.windows-10
Subject: Re: shrink drive c: to install a new operating system
Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:05:32 -0300
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"Alan K." <alan@invalid.com> writes:

> On 12/24/24 03:22 PM, Salvador Mirzo wrote:
>> Please followup-To alt.comp.os.windows-10.  (Note this is not just a
>> Windows question, but I believe the Windows newsgroup is more
>> appropriate: perhaps there are other system's shrinking tool that could
>> help me here.  Thanks for any ideas.)
>> I'm interested in installing a new operating system.  Haven't
>> decided
>> which yet---perhaps FreeBSD, perhaps GNU Guix.  I've got 195 GiB free in
>> my c: drive plus 655 MiB unallocated which I was able to get from
>> shrinking the c: drive using the Windows 10 Disk Management tool.
>>    Disk Management (how my storage looks right now)
>>    https://prnt.sc/WZ1fF5S9ARJ1
>> Disk Management is not able to shrink more.  It says it has been
>> done
>> what it could with those 655 MiB.
>>    https://prnt.sc/ez9O5JUVUVXv
>> I turned hibernation off, restarted and tried again.  Same thing.
>> Looking at the defrag event in the application log, I find:
>> --8<-------------------------------------------------------->8---
>> A volume shrink analysis was initiated on volume (C:). This event log
>> entry details information about the last unmovable file that could limit
>> the maximum number of reclaimable bytes.
>>     Diagnostic details:
>>   - The last unmovable file appears to be: \System Volume
>>     Information\{fba11b84-afde-11ef-adfe-48684ad40403}{3808876b-c176-4e48-b7ae-04046e6cc752}::$DATA
>>   - The last cluster of the file is: 0x76e787e
>>   - Shrink potential target (LCN address): 0x466119b
>>   - The NTFS file flags are: ---AD
>>   - Shrink phase: <analysis>
>>     To find more details about this file please use the "fsutil
>> volume
>>   querycluster \\?\Volume{f5e639db-a758-4dfa-9804-d5d4d0286fb7}
>>   0x76e787e" command.
>> --8<-------------------------------------------------------->8---
>> Using the fsutil command, I get:
>> --8<-------------------------------------------------------->8---
>> C:\Windows\system32>fsutil volume querycluster \\?\Volume{f5e639db-a758-4dfa-9804-d5d4d0286fb7} 0x76e787e
>> Cluster 0x00000000076e787e used by ---AD \System Volume
>> Information\{fba11b84-afde-11ef-adfe-48684ad40403}{3808876b-c176-4e48-b7ae-04046e6cc752}::$DATA
>> --8<-------------------------------------------------------->8---
>> Anything else I could try?  I have not tried to use other system's
>> shrinking programs.  Could they do a better job?  Perhaps this is not
>> the best newsgroup to ask this question.
> Delete all your trash.
> Delete all restore points.  Yeh, this one hurts when you want to play
> with the system.
> Then try.   I've had luck with this.   Then make a new restore point when done.

I don't think I had any restore points.  (Lol.  Should I have?  But I
disabled ``system protection'' anyway to make sure all would be
deleted.  I had a lot trash, so I emptied it out.)  Then plim!  I was
able to get 270 GiB unallocated!  

   --8<-------------------------------------------------------->8---
                               THANK YOU!
   --8<-------------------------------------------------------->8---

> Another option is to use a defrag tool or other utility that will let
> you see what is way out there on the last sectors of that partition.
> Possibly a file you can move to another drive temp.

I had done a defrag.  The tool called ``Optimize Drives''.  It did not
do anything for going beyond the 655 MiB.  But I opened it up again and
it seems to be giving me a progress of the shrinking process:

  https://prnt.sc/HLxeBbx2SBMK

> Please make an image of you drive!  I've done this before with no
> issues, but Santa may not be on your side.

Lol.  I'm risking it all. :)  May the Force be with me.