Increasing disk size not working

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Mac OS X hosts.
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jamesedwards
Posts: 21
Joined: 22. May 2011, 17:28
Primary OS: Mac OS X Leopard
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Windows XP

Increasing disk size not working

Post by jamesedwards »

Im running Windows XP on a Mac host. I tried to install a new program on XP & it said I dont have enough free space. So, I shut windows down, right clicked on the virtual machine > Settings > System > Mother board > and moved the slider up from 3 to 7GB. I restarted Windows and it is still telling me that there is not enough free space to install new software. Am I doing something wrong?

How do I check if I have Snapshots switch on?
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Increasing disk size not working

Post by mpack »

Howto: Resize a Virtual Drive.

Note the bits about partitioning and snapshots.

A look at the Snapshots pane in the VM settings will tell you instantly if you created any snapshots. If it only shows "current state" then that means there are no other states, i.e. no snapshots.

IMPORTANT: The user setting you mention (base memory) increases RAM, not disk space.
jamesedwards
Posts: 21
Joined: 22. May 2011, 17:28
Primary OS: Mac OS X Leopard
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Windows XP

Re: Increasing disk size not working

Post by jamesedwards »

Hi. These instructions say that Resizing doesn’t work if Snapshots is switched on only prior to version 4.3, but I am using 5.1.4 . Does that mean I don’t have to worry about whether I have screenshots switched on or not?

It also mentioned Resizing doesn’t work on “fixed drives”. How can I tell if my drive is fixed or not?
Last edited by socratis on 21. Nov 2017, 17:55, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Removed unnecessary verbatim quote of the whole previous message.
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Increasing disk size not working

Post by mpack »

Prior to 4.3, enlarging a drive which used snapshots was straight up impossible due to a bug. After 4.3 it goes from impossible to ill advised. The FAQ gives the details, so I won't rehash them here.

To tell if a drive is fixed size, look at the description of it in "File|Virtual Media Manager". If the drive is described as "Normal" then it isn't Fixed size.
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