i cannot add free space into my disk

LEONIDty1hggh · 2025-08-16 08:24:59

➜ ~ lsblk
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINTS
sda 8:0 0 447.1G 0 disk
├─sda1 8:1 0 100M 0 part
├─sda2 8:2 0 16M 0 part
├─sda3 8:3 0 250G 0 part
├─sda4 8:4 0 654M 0 part
├─sda5 8:5 0 15G 0 part
├─sda6 8:6 0 1G 0 part /boot
└─sda7 8:7 0 130.5G 0 part /
sdb 8:16 1 7.5G 0 disk
└─sdb1 8:17 1 7.5G 0 part

i use gparted
https://postimg.cc/G9NHJb3B
https://postimg.cc/bG3vGhFw

Last edited by LEONIDty1hggh (2025-08-16 08:25:16)

_lex_1234 · 2025-08-16 09:20:48

What is it exactly that you are tying to do?
And what did you use to boot from to run gparted? (since you cannot resize a partition that is in use, see https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Parted'

Alex.

Last edited by _lex_1234 (2025-08-16 09:21:22)

close2zero · 2025-08-16 11:50:54

You are a bit unclear about what you are trying to achieve here. But from the "i cannot add free space into my disk" title and the pictures you provided I will try to guess. One picture is showing the disk with unallocated space between partition /dev/sda3 and /dev/sda5. The next picture is showing your /dev/sda7, which is your root partition. My guess is that you want to grow root partition into the unallocated space between /dev/sda3 and /dev/sda5. Ok, first some fact, and the second - a bad suggestions, and the third - a horrible suggestion, and the fourth - maybe the best option of them all.

1. To grow a partition squeezed in between two partitions into an unallocated space elsewhere on the disk is not possible.
2. You can make a partition on the unallocated space, then mount it into a folder within your system to use.
2.1 [Warning: If you are doing this you should know what you are doing] – If you as an example want to use the new partition as your /home folder (make sure that the partition is large enough to work as your home folder), create a new partition on the unallocated space. Mount it into a temporary folder (eks: /mnt). Use rsync to sync your /home folder with your mounted partition in the /mnt folder. Log out of your user account and log in as root. Delete the content of your /home folder. Umount the /mnt partition and mount it as /home. Take a backup of your fstab and make a new one using genfstab. Now you can log out and log in as your user again. And now what was your unallocated space is now a partition mounted as your /home folder.
3. [This point I wont even recommend, as the risk of doing it will make you doing something you will regret. You will most likely end up with neither Windows or ArchLinux will boot at all. If you still are willing to take the risk: Make a dd image of your entire /dev/sda disk over to an USB disk. And make sure you have an archiso thumb-drive ready so you can restore the /dev/sda disk as was. The chances for this to go totally wrong is high] – Before you do this you need to make a record of all your partitions PARTUUID's and UUID's. This is important because gparted can make new (PART)UUID's when changing, growing or moving partitions. When this is done you have the possibility to sett the correct (PART)UUID's back if needed. Now you can start: Boot up the medium with the tools you need to work on the /dev/sda without anything on it is mounted. Move swap to the unallocated space left of it. Then move the boot into the unallocated space into the left of it. Now that the unallocated space are to the left of your root it is possible to grow it. Now you can grow the root partition, at the same time it will move all the data inside the partition to the left. So this process will take a while. Now you need to check that all of the (PART)UUID's are the same as they where. If so, you're good to go. If not, you need to change them manually back with either gparted (if it has that option) or with the tune2fs command (which has that option at least). When that is done you can try to boot into your system. If it worked. Yey. If not – I did warn you not to go down this path in the first place. But if you did dd the whole disk to a backup image on a USB disk, you can just dd it back, and all is back to where you started.
4. My point 2 is maybe the best suggestion if done in another way. You drop the mount to /mnt and so on. You can just mount the new empty partition inside your /home/<your-user-name> folder. Just make a directory in your ~/ folder named whatever you want. Mount the partition into it. Take ownership over it. Use genfstab to get the line you need to add to your fstab. Now you have a folder inside your home folder which contains the newly added partition. Then you're good to go.

Of these ideas provided, my last one is the safest. But all of this you will do at your own risk. I do not trust gparted at all.

Good luck whatever you wish to do.

Lone_Wolf · 2025-08-16 12:32:20

Moderator Note

Not a kernel & hardware issue, moving to Newbie Corner.

Arch Linux

#1 2025-08-16 08:24:59

i cannot add free space into my disk

#2 2025-08-16 09:20:48

Re: i cannot add free space into my disk

#3 2025-08-16 11:50:54

Re: i cannot add free space into my disk

#4 2025-08-16 12:32:20

Re: i cannot add free space into my disk

Board footer