Red Hat LINUX ES 2.1 -, Installation Manual

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Appendix D. An Introduction to Disk Partitions 85
D.1.4.3. Using Free Space from an Active Partition
This is the most common situation. It is also, unfortunately, the hardest to handle. The main problem
is that, even if you have enough free space, it is presently allocated to a partition that is already in use.
If you purchased a computer with pre-installed software, the hard disk most likely has one massive
partition holding the operating system and data.
Aside from adding a new hard drive to your system, you have two choices:
Destructive Repartitioning
Basically, you delete the single large partition and create several smaller ones. As you might
imagine, any data you had in the original partition is destroyed. This means that making a com-
plete backup is necessary. For your own sake, make two backups, use verification (if available in
your backup software), and try to read data from your backup before you delete the partition.
Caution
If there was an operating system of some type installed on that partition, it will need to be
reinstalled as well. Be aware that some computers sold with pre-installed operating systems
may not include the CD-ROM media to reinstall the original operating system. The best time to
notice if this applies to your system is before you destroy your original partition and its operating
system installation.
After creating a smaller partition for your existing software, you can reinstall any software, re-
store your data, and continue your Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES installation. Figure D-10 shows
this being done.
Figure D-10. Disk Drive Being Destructively Repartitioned
Caution
As Figure D-10 shows, any data present in the original partition will be lost without proper
backup!
Non-Destructive Repartitioning
Here, you run a program that does the seemingly impossible: it makes a big partition smaller
without losing any of the files stored in that partition. Many people have found this method to be
reliable and trouble-free. What software should you use to perform this feat? There are several
disk management software products on the market. You will have to do some research to find the
one that is best for your situation.