Resize Windows 7 BootCamp Partition on a MacMini

Post date: May 27, 2013 5:47:47 PM

How did I resize the Windows 7 ( Win7 ) BootCamp partition on my (kids) MacMini? I have a 2011 MacMini with a 500GB HD that has a 60GB Partition for Windoze7 created by BootCamp.

It became too small to hold all the games that are getting installed :( AND the Mac partition had lots of empty space.

You will need your windows install disc (or recovery disc)

You will need GParted Live iso

Here are the steps I used to increase the size of the Windoze partition:

It worked with NO data loss; however, there was a couple small tweaks to get the MacMini and the Windoze bootLoader to "see" the partition after the resize - see below.

    1. Download GParted live bootable iso
    1. Get a USB flash drive (a 1GB is big enough)
    2. On a linux box
      1. insert the usb drive
      2. go to a command line
      3. type> dmesg
        • to see the device name it connected as
        • mine came up as /dev/sdd
      4. type> sudo dd if=/path-to-gparted-live.x.y.z-w.iso of=/dev/sdd bs=4M; sync
        • this creates the bootable flashDrive
        • IT OVERWITES the entire drive, so make sure you back up its original files.
        • see GParted Live on USB page for other ways to create the USB drive
      5. Unmount the USB drive if it got mounted
      • sudo umount /dev/sdd
    3. On the MacMini:
      1. Shutdown
      2. insert the newly created USB drive - GParted Live
      3. Re-power on and hold the Option key ('alt' key if you have a non-mac keyboard)
        • this brings up the boot selection screen (Startup Manager)
      4. pick the USB drive
mac USB Drive boot selection
        • It shows up as the orange Windows icon
      1. Wait until GParted starts up
      2. run the GParted app by double clickking its desktop icon
        • Shrink the Mac Partition
        • Move the Recovery partition next to the Mac Partition
        • Grow the Windoze partition to fill the space
        • Apply the changes
        • Go get a beer and wait until its done
      3. Open a command window and type
      • sudo gptsync /path-to-disk-device
        • Where /path-to-disk-device is the device /dev/sdb
        • Find the device names in the upper right drop down in the gparted app
        • do it for the mac and windoze partitions
        • This is so the partitions show up in the mac after the move (see http://gparted.sourceforge.net/faq.php#faq-21)
      1. shutdown the gparted live
        • Click the red shutdown icon on the desktop
    1. You now need your Windoze Install disk (flashed onto a USB drive) to fix the windoze bootloader.
        • See my other blog entry on how to flash it.
        • You could now re-use the gparted live usb drive and overwrite it
    2. Insert the Windoze Install USB drive and start the MacMini
      • Hold the Option key while it boots and boot onto the USB Drive as you did in step 4-4
    3. a black Window install screen should come up
      • select the Repair install selection (or was it recovery)
      • It will suggest fixes to the master boot record.
      • I accepted what it recommended
    4. Restart the MacMini (WITHOUT any usb drives)
      • Hold the Option key while it boots to see what partitions show up
      • All your partitions should show up (as in the picture above in 4-4)
    5. choose windows and you should boot into windoze with a bigger c:\ drive!