Windows 7 pro guest actual size small than allocated size with 350GB hard disk space available of ssd

[VVantone77]

Hello,
I set the size of disk space for windows 7 pro guest session to 120GB (Host is Windows 10 pro), but Virtualbox assigns it 65GB actual size.
I am running out of disk space creating boot iso's on the 65GB, and it isn't resizing.
I cannot increase the size to the 120GB allocated, even though there is 350GB available on ssd.
I thought I had chosen a fixed 120GB allocation, but fixed or dynamic, it is not re-sizing with ample space available.
What am I doing wrong. I would hate to have to re-install this session, with all the windows 7 updates I have had to manually install to get some automobile diagnostics programs working. Any help appreciated.

[mpack]

It is normal for the actual size of a dynamic VDI to be smaller than the maximum size. In fact that's the whole point. And VirtualBox did not assign 65GB to the drive. You did that by writing to 65GB's worth of sectors.

Run the Disk Manager inside the guest and check whether the system partition fills the drive as it should. Newbies often forget this step after resizing a drive.

I hope you didn't create a fixed size drive as there are few good reasons for that.

[VVantone77]

Thanks for that tip.
Disk management in the guest session shows the remaining disk space as "unallocated".
So I can resize the partition to fit all that space.
Incidentally, after you start virtual media manager (in VB, I couldn't now reduce the size as "apply" is only activated when you increase size) having increased the size to 135GB to get "apply" to highlight. But virtual media manager doesn't close.
Even closing B, and re-starting brings straight back into virtual media manager session.
This program is the least intuitive I have ever encountered.

[mpack]

Incidentally, after you start virtual media manager (in VB, I couldn't now reduce the size

I assume "now" was intended to be "not". That is correct, media manager does not offer a shrink function because of the obvious potential to destroy data.

[scottgus1]

But virtual media manager doesn't close.
Even closing B, and re-starting brings straight back into virtual media manager session.
This program is the least intuitive I have ever encountered.

Virtualbox's Virtual Media Manager is now integrated into the right pane, instead of being a separate popup window.

Click a VM to disappear the Virtual Media Manager, or click the 3-dots-3-lines menu at the end of Tools to see other configuration settings.

[VVantone77]

Just an update, after successive tries to shutdown 'virtual media manager', the partition is now 195GB.
But disk management cannot increase existing partition, see image attached.
I need to increase the 65GB disk to store more ISO images.
How do you do this in virtualbox.

[scottgus1]

see image attached.

Must be an invisible image. Please use the attachments tab to upload images to the forum.

Regarding increasing disk size, see How to Resize a Drive