Increase Hard Drive Size Easily as VMware

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unrealex
Posts: 1
Joined: 23. Jun 2017, 05:11

Increase Hard Drive Size Easily as VMware

Post by unrealex »

A way to resize our virtual hard drive quick and easy is needed, just an option button were you can select and increase the size of your virtual hard drive an then just go to disk management on your virtual OS and extend the unallocated size, instead of using the command prompt, thank you. :o
mpack
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Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Increase Hard Drive Size Easily as VMware

Post by mpack »

Hmm. I think "needed" is a little strong. I mean we've managed to struggle along without such a feature for several years, so it clearly isn't needed. I think you mean that you would like this to happen.

Resizing a VMDK format drive is quick and easy: you simply add a new extent. The VDI format is not based on extents. VDI is simpler - usually a good thing - but doesn't specifically lend itself to resizing so easily. Plus an in place resize is a risky business, so there's an argument to be made that this risk demands that the user have to stop and think about the consequences. E.g. what happens if this operation trashes your virtual drive, as it very well might?

And of course, whether resizing a partition inside the guest is a quick and easy affair is entirely down to the guest. VirtualBox can't control that and neither does VMWare.
JohnrC123
Posts: 12
Joined: 16. Jul 2015, 06:59

Re: Increase Hard Drive Size Easily as VMware

Post by JohnrC123 »

mpack wrote:Hmm. I think "needed" is a little strong. I mean we've managed to struggle along without such a feature for several years, so it clearly isn't needed. I think you mean that you would like this to happen.
Hmm... given the process and time currently required I'd suggest that it's a bit more than something-that-would-be-swell-to-have. If it can't be provided, then so be it. Otherwise, I'll +1 the OP.

Off to create a new VM from scratch which just seems easier and safer to do.
mpack
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Posts: 39156
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Primary OS: MS Windows 10
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Re: Increase Hard Drive Size Easily as VMware

Post by mpack »

JohnrC123 wrote: Off to create a new VM from scratch which just seems easier and safer to do.
Well, for someone who hasn't done any research that might be true.
Scapulomancy
Posts: 17
Joined: 21. Aug 2018, 23:29

Re: Increase Hard Drive Size Easily as VMware

Post by Scapulomancy »

+1 for this idea. I don't quite understand why I can so easily adjust amount of RAM, number of CPU cores, etc., but not the virtual hard drive size.
socratis
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Re: Increase Hard Drive Size Easily as VMware

Post by socratis »

Have you gone in the Media Manager » Hard Disks » Attributes? Did you see the slider that allows you to increase the VDI size? Is that what you're talking about?

Mind you, you can only increase the VDI size, never to decrease it. And think twice before trying in on a VDI with snapshots. Or ask...
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