Ubuntu 8.0 update generates disk full message

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DaveLevy
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Ubuntu 8.0 update generates disk full message

Post by DaveLevy »

I am running Ubuntu 8 as a guest under windows XP.

I get a disk full message when it tries to run the OS update. The VM pauses so I can't use the Linux utilities to find out what is happening. I looked at the disk and it claims to be 4Gb of 8GB large. I thought these things i.e. the disk image was dynamic.
stefan.becker
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Post by stefan.becker »

What is the Host Filesystem?

If FAT32, choose NTFS instead.
DaveLevy
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FAT32 is the problem

Post by DaveLevy »

You're right! Too used to dealing with *nix systems.

For the record, anyone know the FAT32 file system size limit.
stefan.becker
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Post by stefan.becker »

4 GB :)
TerryE
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Post by TerryE »

Dave, I'd tell you what I think of FAT32 as a file system, but I would fall foul of our Forum Posting Guidelines. If has severe functional constraints to access control, file limits, fragmentation is even worse than NTFS, so metadata journalling so you can easily trash a partition,...

Convert to NTFS, eh?
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DaveLevy
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Conclusion: Don't use FAT[32] file systems as Vbox storage

Post by DaveLevy »

Terry,

I believe I am receiving similar advice, in similar terms off forum.

I shall convert to NTFS.
TerryE
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Post by TerryE »

You can use the MS convert utility but it is a Q of holding your breath for the 10 mins or so the convert is running because if it dies during this process then your file system is toast, so back any essential stuff up first.

Also you must defrag your concerted volume and this take ages the first time. Good luck :-)
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TerryE
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Post by TerryE »

PM: You advise defrag while converting FAT to NTFS. Before or after the convert?
Sorting out a highly defragmented drive using the MS std defrag tool is a pain because it isn't very intelligent. There is little point defragging before you convert. What convert does is basically two things. It first just maps the 64Kb FAT32 clusters into 16x4Kb NTFS clusters. It then relocate a load of files to make space for the MFT and add adds the extra metadata structures that NTFS uses. Lastly it goes through all of the files. The smallest just get moved into the MFT and take no clusters at all. The larger will end up with 0-15 cluster at the end of each allocation sequence being returned to the free space pool.

So step (i) is to make sure that your FAT32 system is no more than 75% full by moving off files to another "drive". You might want to move the most critical just in case you have problems. (ii) Run convert; (iii) do first defrag; and look at the defrag report; (iii) the files with 100s+ of fragments will be blocking the defrag. Either move them off the drive temporarily or used the Sysinternals utility contig on them, as this is far smarter in its strategy (defrag will only move a file if it can find a whole big enough for the full file; contig does a best fit so understands that a file with 3 big fragments is a lot better than one with 1,500); (iv) then defrag again. (v) repeat until the drive is acceptable and then move the stuff you need back.

Alternative go out and spend £20 / $30 + on one of the more sophisticated defrag tools or £50 on an extra 500Gb HDD !
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