The following assumes a dual-boot scenario - that you currently run either Vista or XP and that you wish to install windows 7 on a separate partition (of at least 15GB in size.)
The first thing to note about the installation process is that you should do the bulk of your disc partitioning and resizing before you start. That's partly because you may miss (or perhaps not be offered?) the opportunity to do so during the installation process. How to Perform a Clean Installation of Windows 7 advises that during installation, the screen which asks "Where do you want to install windows?" has a link at bottom right 'Drive Options (advanced)'. Clicking that link will present further screens which enable you to shrink, extend, delete and format partitions but NOT (as far as I can tell) to move partitions.
I have a DELL Inspiron 1525 which has a typical DELL configuration containing a 10MB recovery partition sitting in front of the main partition which houses Vista as well as My Documents. To my mind, that recovery partition is a waste of space, since I'll never need it. I want to put it to better use. However to house Windows 7, in a dual-boot scenario, I need to expand that partition by 5MB. To do that, I first have to shift my main Vista partition (the C: drive) to the right to open up that 5MB. That is the main reason why you should do your disc resizing and moving before you install Windows 7. And this is where GParted comes in.
Using GParted to Resize Your Windows Vista Partition describes the procedure clearly. Here is a summary:
* Make sure that you have a bootable Windows Vista installation DVD, as you will be unable to use your computer otherwise.
* Download the GParted Live CD and burn it to cd.
* Boot off the GParted cd, and you will see your hard drives in the drop-down list.
* Select the Vista partition, shrink it by 5MB then shift it to the right.
* Delete the Recovery partition then click apply.
* Once the processes are done, quit, remove the live cd and then reboot your computer.
* You'll be greeted by an error message saying "Windows Failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause."
* Insert your Windows Vista installation dvd and make sure you boot off it.
* At the welcome screen click the Next button.
* On the next screen, click the Repair your computer link in the lower left hand corner.
* The system recover options dialog will show up, and will ask you if you want to Repair and restart, which we do.
* Your computer will reboot, and you'll see "Windows Vista... (recovered)" in the list.
* When Vista first starts up, it will start running a check of the disk. Don't hit any keys here because we want the system to check the disk.
* Once it's done it will reboot, and you'll have Vista back up and running again!
You should start the installation from within your current operating system. That way, the drive mapping (i.e. the assigning of drive letters such as C and D) in Windows 7, will match your current set-up. And sharing files, particularly those containing file references, such as media playlists, will be far easier as a consequence.
In order to start the installation from within Vista, you'll need to create a partition in the empty 15GB space which you just created. You can do that through Vista's Administrative Tools > Computer Management . Note - there's no need to format the new partition. The Windows 7 installation will take care of that. Now install windows 7 from within Vista. Select the new 15MB partition as the location of the installation. (If you neglected to create the partition in Vista, you'll need to choose the Drive Options (advanced) link at this point, in order to create a partition in that space and to format it.)
Notes:
* All of the above applies equally to the newer DELL Inspiron 15 laptop, and possibly to all DELL home computers.
* An alternative to GParted is the Disk Partition Tool in Ubuntu. You can access that by running Ubuntu temporarily from the installation CD, without installing the OS.
* Be aware also that the resizing and shifting of a partition can take a long time. It's not something you should start late in the evening. It took over four hours in my case on a 200 GB partition. And it doesn't seem to matter how much data is stored on the partition being resized.
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