Windows Disk Management can only extend a partition into adjacent unallocated space on the right. The 524 MB Recovery partition is blocking C: from seeing the 196 GB.
Option 1: Move the Recovery Partition (Safest)
Use a partition manager such as:
Steps:
- Move the 524 MB Recovery partition to the far right of the disk.
- Apply changes and reboot if prompted.
- Extend C: into the now-adjacent unallocated space.
Option 2: Delete and Recreate the Recovery Partition
If this is a server or VM and you're comfortable recreating WinRE:
- Open an elevated Command Prompt.
- Check WinRE status:
reagentc /info
- Disable WinRE:
reagentc /disable
- Delete the Recovery partition using DiskPart:
diskpart list disk select disk 0 list partition select partition <recovery partition number> delete partition override exit
- Extend C: in Disk Management.
- Re-enable WinRE:
reagentc /enable
Before Deleting Anything
Run:
reagentc /info