When I check My Computer in XP my HDD seems to be divided in 2. It’s a 40GB drive. C:ACER is listed at 17.xGB and, of course, is full. D:ACERDATA is listed as the same size and basically empty. I have no idea how I did this.
Any ideas how to fix this?
Thanks for any help.
I wouldn’t attempt to do anything with Windows’ built-in disk management tools: you’ll be able to delete the ACERDATA partition, but I don’t think you’ll be able to resize the ACER partition to use the entire disk without reformatting it.
Third-party software is available to do it, though. My choice would be to download and burn a Linux Live CD (like SystemRescueCD) that includes the software you’ll need.
It’s not easily done without putting your data at risk. What you wish to do is repartition the drive, and that is normally data-destructive unless you use an application such as PartitionMagic (no longer available, btw) to do the work.
The better option would be to move your entire “My Documents” to the D: partition and call it a day. If you search for ‘move my documents’ and your version of Windows (XP, 7, 8, etc.) it’s usually a simple process.
You cam move any data-heavy stuff on to the D drive. If you have loads of movies, I suggest that these should be the first to go.
That’s another issue. There are only maybe 3GB of vids/photos, even after being brutal in removing unneeded programs. I don’t know where all the space is being eaten up. I tried disk cleanup with minimal results. Might be my excuse for a new laptop. Or at least a new drive. 
Thanks for all the input.
Try WinDirStat to see where all your space is being used.
Are you certain the D partition isn’t really being used? Most laptops have a recovery partition that may not be readable from Windows. It’s used to restore the HD to its factory state and contains a compressed copy of everything that comes on the HD in a format used by the recovery portion of the BIOS.
Over half the size of the drive is too big for a recovery partition. It’s possible that there is a single hidden file on that partition that contains the recovery info, but there’s no way the partition itself is a recovery partition.
This would actually be pretty easy to fix in Windows 7, and I had written all the instructions out, but then I noticed you are using XP. With XP, I agree that you will not be able to use the built in tools, and that you will want to be sure and backup all your documents, videos, etc before attempting what I’m about to tell you.
The program I am going to use is taking a while to download, so I’m going to put the instructions in a separate post, after I make sure I got all the steps exactly right.
The following instructions shouldn’t take more than a half hour (minus the download time), but may take up to a few hours, so be prepared for that.
The first part of the instructions stay the same. Check and be sure that the partition is actually empty. Check the empty space in My Computer, and make sure it is very, very close to the size of the entire partition. Also, be sure to have hidden and system files visible in explorer. DirSTAT would not be a bad idea, either. Also check to make sure you don’t have your Virtual Memory file there (using System from Control Panel.)
From here is where everything is different. You are going to need a separate partition manager. Gparted is the one I recommend. Download the ISO and burn to disk (or USB if you must, following the instructions). Make sure you know how to boot to CD or USB from your BIOS.
But before actually using the new partitioning software, we need to get Windows ready. Open up Disk Management by clicking Start > Run and typing “diskmgmt.msc.” Once the list is populated, right click on the D: partition and edit the drive letter, removing it entirely. Restart your computer to make sure that nothing goes amiss. If it does, load Disk Management and put the drive letter back, restart, then abort.
Assuming that everything was okay, it’s time to boot up Gparted. Put the disk in the drive and reboot. You may need to press a key (often F12) while everything is starting to choose the CD. Or, if you have a stupid BIOS, you may have to press the Edit BIOS key (often F2, DEL, or similar) and change the boot order to CD first.
When the CD starts up, make sure you choose all the default options. The CD will take a while to boot, but, eventually, you’ll get to a screen that looks a lot like Windows. After that, you’ll get a screen that looks like this. Your D: drive will be the second NTFS drive, most likely /dev/sda2. Make sure the partition is the same size and that most of the space is empty, like before.
Right click on the right partition and choose Delete. Then right click on your full partition (probably /dev/sda1) and choose Resize/Move. Give it the maximum size (by dragging both ends of the selection to cover the entire drive) and click Resize/Move. Then click the Apply button, confirm in the dialog, and wait. It shouldn’t take all that long.
Close Gparted with the upper right-hand button, and double click the Exit button, choosing to restart. Remove the CD when prompted, and press any key to restart your computer. Windows will run CHKDSK, mostly so it can recognize the new larger partition, but also to make sure that Gparted didn’t make any mistakes. After CHKDSK is finished, your computer will restart again (possibly twice). Once Windows completely loads, go to Disk Management and verify that your C: partition now covers your entire drive.
40GB is tiny for ten years ago. Even if you sort out this current problem, I suggest you upgrade!
