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.

Download GParted live bootable iso

Gparted Download Page
- gparted-live-0.16.1-1-i486.iso is the version I used.

Get a USB flash drive (a 1GB is big enough)
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
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

It shows up as the orange Windows icon

Wait until GParted starts up
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
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)

shutdown the gparted live
- Click the red shutdown icon on the desktop

You now need your Windoze Install disk (flashed onto a USB drive) to fix the windoze bootloader.
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
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
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)
choose windows and you should boot into windoze with a bigger c:\ drive!

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