Hard disk partitioning

[stefangs]

I have an older MacBook Pro (early 2011) with three HD partitions:
1. with OSX 10.6.8
2. with OSX 10.9
3. with OSX 10.12

I use the second partition the most and I'm running out of disk space. I used disk utility to try and move the paritions so that more space is allocated for it. Since it didn't work as needed, I ended up deleting the third partition, but I still cannot allocate more space to 10.9. I can only increase the size for 10.6.8. 10.9 does not have the button to drag its size (see screenshot). Is there a workaround?

 

[chscag]

You can try the application "iPartition" by Coriolis Systems. Since they are no longer updating or developing their apps, they have put them in the "free" category. You can download the version which applies to you along with a free license.

 

[honestone33]

You can try the application "iPartition" by Coriolis Systems. Since they are no longer updating or developing their apps, they have put them in the "free" category. You can download the version which applies to you along with a free license.

One of my favorite programs. I just downloaded the latest version, V3.6.2 (thanks for the link, chscag). Just hope it works, as I am using Mojave on both of my machines. I am going to want to partition my Samsung 500 EVO SSD External Drive in the near future, so that I can test Catalina.

 

[pm-r]

I use the second partition the most and I'm running out of disk space. I used disk utility to try and move the paritions so that more space is allocated for it. Since it didn't work as needed, I ended up deleting the third partition, but I still cannot allocate more space to 10.9.

You need and additional hard drive to make the process a lot easier, partition it as to space reqired and clone each volume as needed.

PS: On a HDD, clone the main boot OS to the outermost and first partitioned volume as it will be the fastest for read/write access.

I hope this helps and also consider having data backups when transferring and/or moving such user data.


- Patrick
======

 

[MacInWin]

One of my favorite programs. I just downloaded the latest version, V3.6.2 (thanks for the link, chscag). Just hope it works, as I am using Mojave on both of my machines. I am going to want to partition my Samsung 500 EVO SSD External Drive in the near future, so that I can test Catalina.

Mojave uses APFS, which handles "partitions" totally differently. That may well be why iPartition abandoned the development as Apple has not released the internals of how APFS actually works. At the link chscag provided, it says:

The final nails in the coffin were the decision of Apple to switch to its new filesystem, APFS, the volume format for which was totally undocumented until the week before macOS Mojave shipped, and the increasingly draconian security controls that made it harder for third-party utility software to function in a manner end users would find acceptable. In early 2019, Alastair finally took the decision to shut down the company he'd founded nearly 15 years previously.

 

[honestone33]

Mojave uses APFS, which handles "partitions" totally differently. That may well be why iPartition abandoned the development as Apple has not released the internals of how APFS actually works. At the link chscag provided, it says:

Thanks for that information. I will just use Disk Utility to partition that external SSD when I plan on testing Catalina.

 

[stefangs]

You can try the application "iPartition" by Coriolis Systems. Since they are no longer updating or developing their apps, they have put them in the "free" category. You can download the version which applies to you along with a free license.

Thanks for the link. I will check it out.

- - - Updated - - -

You need and additional hard drive to make the process a lot easier, partition it as to space reqired and clone each volume as needed.

PS: On a HDD, clone the main boot OS to the outermost and first partitioned volume as it will be the fastest for read/write access.

I hope this helps and also consider having data backups when transferring and/or moving such user data.


- Patrick
======

Thanks Patrick. Good tips for sure. I will remember this!

 

[honestone33]

Thanks for the link. I will check it out.

- - - Updated - - -

You might want to look at the post above by MacInWin. Given that I will want to test Catalina for a while, such a device would need to be formatted as APFS. As it is, both of my external SSDs that I use for my SuperDuper! backups have 3 partitions each, each of them formatted as APFS (I am using the latest version of Mojave).

 

[stefangs]

iPartition was a great find, but it didn't help. I booted into the 10.6.8 partition so I could allocate more space to 10.9, but it wouldn't let me.

Assuming I can't get this work the way I hoped to, how does cloning a disk work? I have a spare hard disk where I could temporarily park everything, reformat the laptop's drive and copy everything back. I suppose dragging a volume over to my other hard disk isn't the same as cloning?

Thanks

 

[honestone33]

Thanks for the report, stefangs. Although it has already has been established that iPartition is not compatible with Mojave, still useful to know.

As for "cloning", thee are two excellent backup programs that clone one's "system" drive /partition to another device/partition: SuperDuper! (I use it), and Carbon Copy Cloner. Both are excellent, and each one makes a bootable backup/clone of (typically) your internal drive/partition that you use for starting up your Mac.

With your 2 remaining partitions, and having OS 10.6.8 on one of them and OS 10.9 on the other one, would you want to clone both of them to separate partitions on your new external drive?

Also, to clone either or both of them, you would first need to install either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner on either (or both) of them. For SuperDuper!, you would need to get the correct version for the OS you are cloning. This site lists them for you:

SuperDuper!

For Carbon Copy Cloner, this page shows them:

Download Carbon Copy Cloner | Carbon Copy Cloner | Bombich Software

One thing, though, that could be critical/important: Carbon Copy Cloner also can copy the (hidden) Recovery HD partition, whereas SuperDuper! does not. This link explains the functionality of the Recovery HD Partition:

The OS X Recovery Partition: What It Is, Why It's There and How to Remove It

Also, note that Snow Leopard does not have a Recovery HD Partition.

 

[chscag]

Assuming I can't get this work the way I hoped to, how does cloning a disk work? I have a spare hard disk where I could temporarily park everything, reformat the laptop's drive and copy everything back. I suppose dragging a volume over to my other hard disk isn't the same as cloning?

Cloning your drive is easy with the proper software. Both Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper have a free version that you can use to make the clone. Carbon Copy Cloner allows you to use it for 30 days, fully functional. I recommend using it to clone your hard drive to the spare drive and start over new.

 

[honestone33]

SuperDuper! also has a free trial version. No matter which one you use, make sure to get the correct version for the OS you want to clone. That was one reason why I provided those links above, so that you could download the applicable version.

 

[pm-r]

iPartition was a great find, but it didn't help.

As I mentioned in Post #3, You need and additional hard drive to make the process a lot easier,

But you could still use Disk Utility on your existing Drive, based on the image that you posted:

• partition the drive into three partitions
• on the new bottom most partition, resize it to maybe 20-40GB larger than your old 10.6.8 volume.
• you should then be able to resize the old 10.6.8 volume partition.
• clone the old 10.6.8 volume partition to the new 10.6.8 volume partition. Name it appropriately.
• resize the old OSX 10.6.8 volume partition to maybe 20-40GB larger than your old OSX 10.9 volume partition size or whatever size you want.
• clone the old OSX 10.9 volume partition to the new OSX 10.9 volume partition. Name it appropriately.
• your old OSX 10.9 volume partition can be resized and its contents cloned.

If 10.6.8 is going to be your main boot Drive, size the top most volume partition accordingly and clone your 10.6.8 partition to that partition.

I'm sorry if I've lost you and I'm even getting confused here but I think you'll get the jist of the method and why I mentioned using a second hard drive to make the job easier creating and using as many partitions as you need.

The other benefit is you'll end up with a backup when using a second external hard drive!!!


- Patrick
======

 

[stefangs]

As I mentioned in Post #3, You need and additional hard drive to make the process a lot easier,

But you could still use Disk Utility on your existing Drive, based on the image that you posted:

- Patrick
======

Thanks Patrick, I'm coming back to this project again and will try your suggestions.
Hey, I used to live just a few clicks from Brentwood Bay, but now I'm in Germany - hi across the ocean

Stefan