I really am such a duncer sometimes! So, qtparted uses ntfsresize unter the hoods - so - why no FTFM dave huh? Turned out I needed to do a chkdsk (the laptop's only a day old!) :o) Hit resize, picked 30gig, and in 5 seconds it was done! Managed to get back in to XP without any problems what-so-ever! Cheers for all the help... And on a Sunday too! Its really appreciated. Right, with my spangly new partition, Im off to install Fedora 3 on my laptop... This e-mail and any attachment is for authorised use by the intended recipient(s) only. It may contain proprietary material, confidential information and/or be subject to legal privilege. It should not be copied, disclosed to, retained or used by, any other party. If you are not an intended recipient then please promptly delete this e-mail and any attachment and all copies and inform the sender. Thank you.