Move/resize BitLocker partitions without decrypting?

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chileverde
Posts: 28
Joined: Thu May 03, 2018 5:04 pm

Re: Move/resize BitLocker partitions without decrypting?

Post by chileverde »

Thanks
Scott
Posts: 79
Joined: Thu May 16, 2013 11:17 am

Re: Move/resize BitLocker partitions without decrypting?

Post by Scott »

I have a BitLocker-encrypted Windows volume, and the Windows 10 Disk Management tool offers an option to "Shrink Volume". I've never tried it, but it would be weird if it didn't work reliably. Is there some reason not to simply use this tool?
chileverde
Posts: 28
Joined: Thu May 03, 2018 5:04 pm

Re: Move/resize BitLocker partitions without decrypting?

Post by chileverde »

Yes, I want to do more than that. I want to shift space "down" the partition. The goal is to increase the size of my C: drive, which is actually the third partition from the "bottom": #1 is EFI, and #2 is the Microsoft Reserved Partition, which shows up in IFW, but not in Windows Disk Management. After C:, there are two more partitions which were created during two attempts to enable BitLocker. (Can't remember why I needed to do it a second time, but each time this extra partition, which is not NTFS, was created.) After that there are 3 data partitions, which are numbered 6, 7, and 8 by IFW. So I need to be able to shift 8 into the unallocated space space between it and the Recovery partition at the very top or end of the drive. Then I need to shift 7 into the new free space between 7 and 8, etc.

To possibly save others time, let me report here that I tried buying Paragon Hard Disk Manager™ 17 Advanced, after they responded to my email query and claimed that indeed that program would allow me to move/resize BitLocker partitions without decrypting. They didn't tell me at that time I would need to add a line of code to a file to even enable this claimed feature. So after I wrote to them again, they sent instructions, and I tried again, all I could do was increase the size of #8 into the unallocated space, but I could not move the partition—I could not shrink it back to the original size leaving unallocated space between 7 and 8, so I could then move 7 into that space.

Further emails to Paragon went unanswered, so I just asked for a refund before the 30-day window closed. That took more than one request, but I finally got my money back.

Unfortunately, I doubt that enough people would use this feature for TeraByte to add it to one of their products. I know I can do what I want to with BootIt® UEFI, so that is what I will do. I'll just have to decrypt all four BitLocker partitions, move them, and encrypt them again.

Thank you for your suggestion. I wish it were that simple. FWIW in my experience, BootIt is more powerful than Windows Disk Management. For example, when I buy a new laptop, except for the hidden partitions, the entire HD is taken up by C:. I need to shrink C: to make room for the extra partitions I want to add. I have found that Windows Disk Management will shrink C:, but only so much, even though there is still LOTS of free space left which could be given up. I needed to use BootIt to shrink C: down to the size I wanted. (This was done before enabling BitLocker on the new laptop.)

Another reason I don't think I can accomplish the task in Disk Management is that DM cannot do anything with those partitions (4 and 5) which were created by BitLocker when I enabled it. When I right-click on them, the only option is Help, no options such as Extend or Shrink, which appear when I right-click on other partitions.

So I will eventually use BootIt UEFI for this. Will do a system BU first, decrypt all BitLocker partitions, do another system BU, and then delete partitions 4 and 5 before I go to the moving and resizing.
Scott
Posts: 79
Joined: Thu May 16, 2013 11:17 am

Re: Move/resize BitLocker partitions without decrypting?

Post by Scott »

Well yeah, my unvoiced implication was that you'd finish in BootIt, but just for the initial resizing of the BitLocker-encrypted volume, you could do it in Disk Management. I thought you wanted a way to reduce the partition without decrypting and re-encrypting. I wasn't trying to claim that you could do it all in DM, of course.
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