Convert NTFS to ext4 without Windows

Ben L.

First of all, I know I can't just switch filesystems. My plan was to shrink the NTFS partition to half the drive, move the files over to an ext4 partition on the remainder of the drive, and then delete the NTFS partition and make the ext4 partition take the whole drive.

Unfortunately, the KDE partition utility refuses to change the size of the NTFS partition, which is apparently completely corrupted even though my system can somehow read files from it with no errors.

plz send teh coeds

mod: control your crazy, man. -dh

blakeyrat

what the fuck is this shit

blakeyrat

Why don't you use Windows Disk Management to shrink the NTFS partition? To ask the obvious question.

Ragnax

@blakeyrat said:

Why don't you use Windows Disk Management to shrink the NTFS partition? To ask the obvious question.

Because: thread title?

pbean

@Ragnax said:

@blakeyrat said:
Why don't you use Windows Disk Management to shrink the NTFS partition? To ask the obvious question.

Because: thread title?

That's not a reason, that's an undocumented (and quite silly) limitation. There's loads of Windows Live CD/USB disks you could use to play with NTFS partitions.

My suggestion: get a new disk (they're cheap any way), create ext4 on it and copy everything over. If it's very important to have everything on the first disk (ie. because it's an SSD or something), wipe it, create ext4 on it and copy everything back.

I once converted 5 hard disks from NTFS to ext3 and found this was the most solid way to do it. Especially since the resize - copy - resize method takes much longer and is much less safe. And in an operation like this, you want an external back-up any way, which you automatically have this way.

Cassidy

@Ragnax said:

Because: thread title?

.. talks about not using Windows to perform the conversion.

Doesn't mention anything about not using it to resize the NTFS partition first.

Linux (or some other system) could then create and mkfs.ext4 on the freed space, mount + copy, then e2resizefs to reclaim the NTFS partition. But I've found manipulating NTFS partitions from outside windows to be problematic.

Ben L.

@pbean said:

@Ragnax said:
@blakeyrat said:
Why don't you use Windows Disk Management to shrink the NTFS partition? To ask the obvious question.

Because: thread title?

That's not a reason, that's an undocumented (and quite silly) limitation. There's loads of Windows Live CD/USB disks you could use to play with NTFS partitions.
My suggestion: get a new disk (they're cheap any way), create ext4 on it and copy everything over. If it's very important to have everything on the first disk (ie. because it's an SSD or something), wipe it, create ext4 on it and copy everything back.
I once converted 5 hard disks from NTFS to ext3 and found this was the most solid way to do it. Especially since the resize - copy - resize method takes much longer and is much less safe. And in an operation like this, you want an external back-up any way, which you automatically have this way.

What I ended up doing:

Realize that the only stuff I care about on the drive that isn't already on the interwebs is the two VM hard drives I put there last week
Move the VMs to my internal hard drive
lolext4

Somehow, it not only runs better on Linux, it also runs quieter. Huh.

Cassidy

@Ben L. said:

Somehow, it not only runs better on Linux, it also runs quieter. Huh.

What's the "it" in this context? Some application?

Ben L.

@Cassidy said:

@Ben L. said:
Somehow, it not only runs better on Linux, it also runs quieter. Huh.

What's the "it" in this context? Some application?

The drive. It's a 1GB Seagate FreeAgent USB external hard drive.

blakeyrat

@Ragnax said:

@blakeyrat said:
Why don't you use Windows Disk Management to shrink the NTFS partition? To ask the obvious question.

Because: thread title?

God fucking damnit.

Look, ONLY WINDOWS CAN DEAL WITH NTFS PARTITIONS. To shrink a NTFS partition, you log into Windows, you fucking open Disk Management, you right-click the partition and you select "Shrink". THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO DO IT THAT ISN'T A GIGANTIC WTF.

I don't give a shit about your pointless arbitrary "challenge mode" limitations. Get the fuck over it. You probably have 37 Windows PCs within 100 meters, and in a later post you even mentioned the drive was USB!

Fuuuuck.

blakeyrat

@Ben L. said:

What I ended up doing:

Realize that the only stuff I care about on the drive that isn't already on the interwebs is the two VM hard drives I put there last week
Move the VMs to my internal hard drive
lolext4

Somehow, it not only runs better on Linux, it also runs quieter. Huh.

Oh and as a fucking bonus you're asking for advice on an operation YOU DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE goddamned I hate you I hate you so much I am seething with hatred seeth is an awesome word I wonder what its origin is but I'm too lazy to look it up even though I could do it with a single Google search fuck I hate you

Ben L.

@blakeyrat said:

@Ragnax said:
@blakeyrat said:
Why don't you use Windows Disk Management to shrink the NTFS partition? To ask the obvious question.

Because: thread title?

God fucking damnit.

Look, ONLY WINDOWS CAN DEAL WITH NTFS PARTITIONS. To shrink a NTFS partition, you log into Windows, you fucking open Disk Management, you right-click the partition and you select "Shrink". THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO DO IT THAT ISN'T A GIGANTIC WTF.
I don't give a shit about your pointless arbitrary "challenge mode" limitations. Get the fuck over it. You probably have 37 Windows PCs within 100 meters, and in a later post you even mentioned the drive was USB!
Fuuuuck.

Yeah except the only computer I have is this one and it's running Fedora. I'm not about to buy and install Windows in order to run a utility that has existed since MSDOS and then discard it, reinstall Fedora, somehow get all my files back, and change a drive.

blakeyrat

@Ben L. said:

Yeah except the only computer I have is this one and it's running Fedora. I'm not about to buy and install Windows in order to run a utility that has existed since MSDOS and then discard it, reinstall Fedora, somehow get all my files back, and change a drive.

And you have no friends because of the B.O. And your neighbors run screaming from "that crazy greasy guy with the cats." Right?

Waaah waaaah waaaaaaaaaaah I'm a helpless infant! I can't figure out how to find or borrow a Windows machine even for only a few seconds! I wet myself daily! Waaaaah waaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Fuck, how did you dress yourself in the morning?

Ben L.

@blakeyrat said:

Waaah waaaah waaaaaaaaaaah I'm a helpless infant! I can't figure out how to find or borrow a Windows machine even for only a few seconds! I wet myself daily! Waaaaah waaaaaaaaaaaaah.

You're suggesting I go into a random neighbor's house, hook my USB1 hard drive up to their computer which may or may not exist and may or may not be Windows, then use utilities that require multiple reboots, spend about an hour waiting for the drive to chkdsk, then go back to my house, plug the drive back into my computer, spend another three hours moving data around and reformatting...

dhromed

@blakeyrat said:

Oh and as a fucking bonus you're asking for advice on an operation YOU DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE goddamned I hate you I hate you so much I am seething with hatred seeth is an awesome word I wonder what its origin is but I'm too lazy to look it up even though I could do it with a single Google search fuck I hate you

Put your feelings in a song!

alt joke

YOU ARE KARKAT.

blakeyrat

@Ben L. said:

You're suggesting I go into a random neighbor's house, hook my USB1 hard drive up to their computer which may or may not exist and may or may not be Windows, then use utilities that require multiple reboots, spend about an hour waiting for the drive to chkdsk, then go back to my house, plug the drive back into my computer, spend another three hours moving data around and reformatting...

No I'm suggesting you're an infant who can't solve simple problems like putting on pants in the morning.

@Ben L. said:

hook my USB1 hard drive up to their computer which may or may not exist and may or may not be Windows,

You knock and ask them. Or go to the local Starbucks, there's 10 of them in there.

@Ben L. said:

then use utilities that require multiple reboots,

... which ones? The only requirement you gave is shrinking a NTFS partition, which requires exactly zero reboots.

Ben L.

@blakeyrat said:

You knock and ask them. Or go to the local Starbucks, there's 10 of them in there.

You seem to think asking for a computer is like asking for sugar.

"Hey, can I borrow your personal information and financial history? I need it to make this box smaller."

blakeyrat

@Ben L. said:

I need it to make this box smaller.

WTF. Ok first you started with "resizing a NTFS partition", then it was "running utilities requiring several reboots" now you're, what, woodworking? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH AND WHY DOES IT CHANGE EVERY POST?

And I still don't know what a "karkat" is.

Ben L.

@blakeyrat said:

@Ben L. said:
I need it to make this box smaller.

WTF. Ok first you started with "resizing a NTFS partition", then it was "running utilities requiring several reboots" now you're, what, woodworking? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH AND WHY DOES IT CHANGE EVERY POST?

And I still don't know what a "karkat" is.

Hello. I'm here from WHOOSH Incorporated. I've been sent by the CEO of our fantastic company to invite you to come work for us. You've already demonstrated you have what it takes.

pbean

Already mentioned it before: there is a plethora of bootable Windows CDs and USB sticks available on the internet which you can use to resize your partition. There is no reason for not wanting to use Windows besides your short-sightedness. Next time don't put random limitations in your question but rather think about the limitation. Ie. not "I don't want to use Windows", but rather "I do not want to / can not install Windows".

dhromed

@blakeyrat said:

And I still don't know what a "karkat" is.

http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=003894

And here

http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=004528 (open the pesterlog. Yes that's an atrocious UI but eh.)

@KARKAT said:

CG: BUT YOUR PRAYERS WILL NOT BE ANSWERED.
CG: THERE ARE NO MIRACLES IN STORE FOR YOU, HUMAN.
CG: ONLY MY HATE.
CG: IT IS A HATE SO PURE AND HOT IT WOULD CONSUME YOUR SAD UNDERDEVELOPED HUMAN THINK PAN TO EVEN CONTEMPLATE.
CG: IT IS A HATE THAT TO FATHOM MUST BE PUT INTO SONG.
CG: SHRIEKED BY THE TEN THOUSAND ROWDY SHOUT SPHINCTERS PEPPERING THE GRUESOME UNDERBELLY OF THE MOST TRUCULENT GOD THE FURTHEST RING CAN MUSTER.
CG: IT IS A HATE THAT MADE YOU AND WILL SURELY DESTROY YOU.
CG: MY HATE IS THE LIFEBLOOD THAT PULSES THROUGH THE VEINS OF YOUR UNIVERSE.
CG: IT IS MY GIFT TO YOU.
CG: YOU'RE WELCOME FOR THAT.
CG: YOU UNGRATEFUL PIECE OF SHIT.

boomzilla

@pbean said:

Already mentioned it before: there is a plethora of bootable Windows CDs and USB sticks available on the internet which you can use to resize your partition.

That sounds like an awesomely legal and secure solution.

boomzilla

@Ben L. said:

Hello. I'm here from WHOOSH Incorporated. I've been sent by the CEO of our fantastic company to invite you to come work for us. You've already demonstrated you have what it takes.

He just gets irritated at the thought of someone not using Windows. Context and limitations of reality are not terribly interesting or understood.

blakeyrat

@dhromed said:

@blakeyrat said:
And I still don't know what a "karkat" is.
http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=003894

Oh don't get me wrong. I don't give a flying shit what it is. I was just informing you that your insult has zero impact on me, or anybody else who isn't a part of your tiny little Internet clique based around a terrible web comic made in Paint.

dhromed

@blakeyrat said:

I was just informing you that your insult has zero impact on me

It's not an insult. :(

mott555

Hey, I was wondering, what's the fastest way to get to New York from Missouri? I need to be there tomorrow. Oh, by the way, I refuse to use any kind of powered vehicle at all. Cars and planes are stupid. They only keep the poor man down while lining the pocketbooks of greedy CEOs. But seriously, my friend is getting married in New York tomorrow and I'm the best man and I really need to get there. Without powered vehicles.

Any ideas?