Re: Extend Partition

FYI - dell has a utility that will create a bootable iso and load the perc drivers...then will boot from the windows cd itself and no need to do the f6 thing. i tried it on a server last week and worked beautifully in getting to the recovery console to fix an issue

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]" <lanwench@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:OUqYCMk7HHA.5980@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
John <John@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hello all:

Here's the deal.

We got a new server with Windows 2003 x64 Standard. It has only 12GB
for the OS partition w/only 4 left.

OT, but the first thing I do when I get a new server is wipe & reinstall the OS to my own specs. Trust no one. ;-)


We have 200+GB of unallocated space that I would like to extend this
partition onto (at least 8 more GBs).



I know this can be done with diskpart but since this is the system
partition, needs to be done from the command line (i.e. boot into
DOS).

[pssst....there's no such thing as DOS in an NT-based OS ;-) ]

The system partition is a basic disk, right? diskpart won't work for you otherwise.

However, to do so requires a boot disk with the proper RAID drivers
(this is a Dell PowerEdge with a PERC 5/i).

We do not have a floppy and I have tried creating a boot CD with the
drivers slipstreamed, but that failed.

Perhaps you didn't build the slipstream properly. That said, what about a USB floppy? I still spec out all my servers with floppies (yeah, even in 2007)...but if you don't, make sure you have a USB one (and can boot from it).


My next resort was to use the Windows Automated Installation Kit, but
I am unsure if that is the right course of action.

Has anyone else gone through this same issue? Any tips, ideas?

Thanks.

Have you seen:
"How to use Diskpart.exe to extend a data volume in Windows Server 2003, in Windows XP, and in Windows 2000"
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=325590

...which says:

-----------------------------------
* Only the extension of data volumes is supported. System or boot volumes may be blocked from being extended, and you may receive the following error:
Diskpart failed to extend the volume. Please make sure the volume is valid for extending

* You cannot extend the partition if the system page file is located on the partition. Move the page file to a partition that you do not wish to extend.

-----------------------------------

You might also check out http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;841650 (for a hotfix you may need).

That all being said, I confess to never having used diskpart, and would be nervous about doing this on the system volume of a production server.... have you considered third party tools? I personally like Acronis stuff. Some of it ain't cheap, but it's worth it.

http://www.acronis.com/enterprise/products/diskdirector/

If this is a brand new server, and it isn't in production, just flatten and reinstall it, with a 30 or 40GB system partition.



.

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