I previously had Windows and Ubuntu installed in a dual-boot setup. Ubuntu was allocated roughly 60 GB, and the computer used to show a boot menu when starting up, but that stopped appearing several months ago. I no longer use Ubuntu. In Windows Disk Management, I now see an EFI System Partition, a 1 GB Recovery partition, a 59.61 GB Primary Partition showing 100% free space, and my 416 GB NTFS Acer (C:) partition. Can I delete the 59.61 GB Primary Partition and add that unallocated space to C:? I want to be sure I will not damage Windows or the computer's boot process.
3 Answers
If the empty partition is on the left side of C:, Disk Management cannot normally extend C: into it because the unallocated space has to be adjacent on the correct side. In that case, a bootable partition tool such as GParted can delete the old Linux partition, move C: toward the left, and then expand it. Moving a Windows partition takes time and carries more risk, so do not interrupt the process and keep a full backup available.
The 60 GB partition is probably the old Linux partition, but make absolutely sure it is the correct one before deleting anything. Back up important files first, since a partitioning mistake can make Windows or your data inaccessible. Also check whether the partition is positioned directly to the right of C: in Disk Management. If it is, delete it and then right-click C: and choose Extend Volume. Windows should be able to add the resulting unallocated space.
Deleting the Linux partition may remove Ubuntu, but it does not necessarily remove an old Linux bootloader from the EFI partition. Since Windows currently starts normally, leave the EFI and Recovery partitions alone. After reclaiming the space, verify that Windows still boots before making any other changes.
It is directly to the right of C:, so I should be able to delete it and extend C: from Disk Management. I’ll make a backup first.