Is there anyway to change the partition size of Ubuntu while using Ubuntu? I currently have 2 partitions and would like to shrink the one I have Ubuntu installed on to make a storage partition so I can easily format and reinstall without constantly backing up personal files.
The smart answer is to boot from the Ubuntu Live CD or USB, which has gparted on it, from which you can easily resize the partitions on your hard drive without any of them needing to be mounted. It has a nice GUI and it makes it easy. No brainer. If you don't want a broken system, do that. (And make sure your data's backed up always!)
If you really want to know if it's possible to resize a partition while actually running Ubuntu from that partition, then the answer is that it may be, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it unless you love taking risks.
The ext3 file system allows for live resizing - enlarging a partition while it's active and mounted. This would not allow you to shift the partition left or right, nor to shrink it, but to enlarge a partition.
If you use LVM (an alternative to partitioning, sort of) then you can move, resize, etc partitions while live without any problems. This is complex.
From the root recovery prompt, you may be able to resize or move those partitions other than the root partition. This is very advanced.
