Will Ubuntu Live CD move MFT to resize NTFS volumes?

Question

I have a feeling some will consider this a duplicate, but please hear me out. I've been reading tons of questions and threads around this but have never really found an answer for this specifically.

I want to shrink my NTFS partition to make room for a Ubuntu install, so I can dual boot them. However when shrinking the NTFS volume in Windows disk management, it will only go so far as the MFT is sitting near the end of the volume. I've read plenty of posts about why it does this, and how difficult/dangerous it is to move the MFT etc. I've also read that Perfect Disk can apparently do it under it's trial period, but I remain cautious to try this method. I was wondering however if the disk partitioning utility included in the Ubuntu install wizard handles the moving of the MFT when dragging the partition boundaries. It all seems too simple that you simply tell it the new size you want it to be. Would it tell me if it couldn't resize by the amount you requested if the MFT was an issue, or move it for you if it were able. I'm concerned it might corrupt the MFT and the volume, even though I doubt the install wizard would be so daft.

So what exactly is the deal with the partition resizing tool in the Ubuntu install wizard? Will it safely resize my NTFS volume despite the location of my MFT?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

First of all BACKUP your data. Ubuntu installation does not cover all possible operations with partition moving/resizing, it is mostly for delete/create/add partiotion, but gparted does. The official documentation says also "Parted Partition Editor

If you decide to use GParted, you have to remember to uncheck the 'round to cylinders' checkbox , otherwise GParted will dutifully move the entire partition to align it with cylinder boundaries. Unfortunately this takes a long time, and when it's finished, usually results in booting problems. This is because the Windows boot loader depends on block addressing to find parts of itself, so when the partition is moved a little, it gets all mixed up and disjointed. Sometimes it can fix itself automatically but other times it requires repairs from the Windows Installation Disc. If you just remove the check mark you will find that GParted will be able to complete the NTFS resize in a fraction of the time it would have taken otherwise and afterwards Windows will boot just fine. "

read more here

So you might need to run Gparted from Ubuntu Live CD before you run Installation. You can also move/resize your NTFS partition form Windows. I used Partition Wizard many times on NTFS and never had problems. Gparted worked fine as well.