Tell me more ×
Unix & Linux Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for users of Linux, FreeBSD and other Un*x-like operating systems.. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 2 down vote favorite

I'm trying to create an extended partition. In GParted, I shrunk the size of the existing partition and now want to create a new EXTENDED partition in the free, unallocated space. GParted only lets me create a PRIMARY partition. What am I doing wrong here?

Here's what I've got right now: http://i.stack.imgur.com/WkEIS.png

You can actually ignore the flag for the swap as "boot." That was me just messing around trying to get it to work. I've removed that flag. Not sure how the question of boot affects all of this...maybe it factors in somehow.

share|improve this question

1 Answer

up vote 2 down vote

You already have an extended partition. Unless you go through hoops, you can only have a single extended partition, but it can contain as many logical partitions as you want. Filesystems live on primary partitions (of which you can have at most 3, or 4 if you don't have an extended partittion) or logical partitions. The extended partition is only a container for logical partitions.

Resize the extended partition sdc2 to occupy more space, and create a new logical partition sdc6 (and more if desired) inside the extended partition.

share|improve this answer
Gilles, oh wow and it was staring me in the face the whole time. Thanks so much!!! wait, uh oh. GParted won't let me do anything with sdc2. No option to resize... – LuxuryMode Mar 14 '11 at 1:24
Filesystems have nothing to do with partitioning. You can have a filesystem on any partition whether it's a primary or a extended partition. – Deleted Account Mar 14 '11 at 1:31
@LuxuryMode: I thought you could resize an extended partition with GParted. Try creating a logical partion, maybe. If all else fails, at this point, you can just delete the swap partition and start again. – Gilles Mar 14 '11 at 1:36
@Deleted: Yes, technically you can put a filesystem on an extended partition, but it'll be very confusing. – Gilles Mar 14 '11 at 1:37
1  
@LuxuryMode you have to unmount sdc5 (it's being used for swap) and then sdc2 first before you can do anything to sdc2. – phunehehe Mar 14 '11 at 4:04
show 3 more comments

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.