If all of the above sounds like a bit of a chore, there are other programs availabie that enable partitions to be extended in both directions or shuffled around, and there's even a free Linux-based program called GParted, available from.This was covered in the previous issue of Computer active for the benefit of Windows XP users, but it works equally well with Vista.

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An ingenious alternative technique for when a partition cannot be extended is to assign another partition to it, then 'mount' it in a folder. First use Windows Explorer to create an empty folder on the drive you wish to extend (let's say the folder is called MP3files and it's on drive D, then in the Computer Management Console, right-click on an empty, forn1atted partition. Select Change Drive Letter and Paths, then click the Add button. The option 'Mount in the following empty NTFS folder' is pre-selected. Use the Browse button to select the MP3files folder on Drive D: and click OK. From now on, whenever files are placed in D:\MP3files, they're stored on the separate partition that has been attached to it.