Resizing 2000 Server Partition

[RoadClosed]

Ola,

I ran into an older 2000 Server acting as the main domain controller and DNS that has run out of space and cannot deploy MS security patches. I did all the normal stuff, move the swap file take off unused programs, delete the caches - old files etc... and still need more space. I ran down and bought the trusty old Partition Magic to find that Symantec bought them. After a full backup a tried PM 8.0 and there wasn't enough space to install it. So I disconnected the Server from the network and took off the MS patches make room only to find out that PM 8.0 does not supprt the server OS. LOL and ****.

So here is my question, I want to resize this thing SAFELY and it appears that the server based partitioning programs sold by symantec are now defunct. They want to sell a huge enterprise based imaging system. So I am about to boot PM via a diskette and repartition outside of windows. I've taken all the normal precautions like removing mirrors and reverting back to Basic Disks and understand the risks involved, but has anyone really tried resizing a partition from dos on a server? I thought I would toss that out there for the techies.

//EDIT PS, is it even safe to use the bootable version of Partition Magic 8.0? Safe in terms of ZERO data loss of a normal resizing?

[RoadClosed]

Sorry for the double post but this POS will not even run from the bootable disk. It detects the Server OS and aborts. How many times do we see good windows products fcking ruined for money.

As far as I can tell the product that enables server partition sizing is Volume Manager at $800 bucks. Hell I'll buy a new server for that with hardware raid.

[(V)/\><]

have you tried the linux pm clone, parted. you can get a seperate front-end made with qt, imaginatively called, qtparted. the newer versions of this should be included on knoppix and other live cd distros. http://www.gnu.org/software/parted/parted.html - they do not yet resize NTFS, i just checked their site. so that's out.

have you tried SystemCommander. that's another partition resizing tool that comes to mind. it will co$t mon€y though.

//EDIT PS, is it even safe to use the bootable version of Partition Magic 8.0? Safe in terms of ZERO data loss of a normal resizing?

i've had strange experiences with PM on windows, especially with different NTFS versions and resizing. i don't know if i would consider it safe at all.

don't forget to back-up!

[RoadClosed]

Hell yeah, I backed up before I even thought about changing disk configurations. I was staring at my linux tools earlier but I just don't know them enough and this is a live server. It's behind a firewall on a small network and doesn't deal out public requests, so I backed out of it. I have a packet sniffer on it for the weekend incase anything happens since this is a hot security item with missing patches.

Need to do some more research. I may just build a new box and migrate if I can't find a cheap tool that will do this. I also tried changing the disk to a dynamic volume and using windows to extend the partition but it won't let me do that either since it was created as a basic volume. I am stuck for now. If I bust out linux CDs I may lose data at this point.

I'll look at System Commander.

[(V)/\><]

it's actually Partition Commander that you would want. seems that they are seperate products now.

if you are going to get out the linux tools then check out ntfsprogs. i think you can even get a windows binary of the ntfsresize code.

http://mlf.linux.rulez.org/mlf/ezaz/ntfsresize.html
http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/ntfsprogs.htm

i thought parted might make use of these tools the way mkfs uses the respective mkfs tools. i guess not though.

[XTC46]

Im facing this same problem at work right now and am trying to find a solution. If you do find one let me know and Ill do the same.

[RoadClosed]

Well at this point I have totally blanked myself in the blank. I found a tool that has worked excellent on other boxes, and it's shareware. It's called BootItNG and is about 30 bucks if you buy it. I played around with the Linux stuff and looked at the 800 dollar options. In this case, the disk was converted to dynamic by me on a whim that windows would be able to adjust the volume size.

That is what I get for assuming what could be called a "common sense" item. Now I can't change it back and according to MS archives Windows 2000 does NOT support converting a boot drive from dynamic to basic and almost NO tools on the market support dynamic drive manipulations. BootITNG is friggen cool though. You won't get near the suport as with something like Volume Manager, but at a couple thousand times the cost savings, who cares! On the linux side I just didn't feel confortable with the documentation. BootItNG comes with a tool to build a bootable ISO image and worked like a charm on a test install I did on my laptop.

Microsoft's workaround from dynamic to basic disks..... copy down the partition sizes, reload windows, restore from backup. BootItNG people also have am image tool, I might try that and see if it supports restoring an image on a different size partition. They have a cheap tool that can burn and image to a bootable cd volume. Sweet.

Cheers...


BootITNG Home

//EDIT forgot to mention, you can make a bootable Linix ISO from the same package. For a small fee you get Linux and Windows Support.

[whatthe]

With Ghost you can ghost up an image and bring it back down again on a larger drive or partition, although I can't remember if I've ever done it with a server version. Anyone out there know for sure?

[RoadClosed]

Hmmm I may try ghost... That might be better than my friggin crazy idea of playing in the MBR. I was looking at some old notes I have on the System ID from Windows. Check it:

0x01 FAT12 primary partition or logical drive (fewer than 32,680 sectors in the volume)
0x04 FAT16 partition or logical drive (32,680–65,535 sectors or 16 MB–33 MB)
0x05 Extended partition
0x06 BIGDOS FAT16 partition or logical drive (33 MB–4 GB)
0x07 Installable File System (NTFS partition or logical drive)
0x0B FAT32 partition or logical drive
0x0C FAT32 partition or logical drive using BIOS INT 13h extensions
0x0E BIGDOS FAT16 partition or logical drive using BIOS INT 13h extensions
0x0F Extended partition using BIOS INT 13h extensions
0x12 EISA partition
0x42 Dynamic disk volume
0x86 Legacy FT FAT16 disk *
0x87 Legacy FT NTFS disk *
0x8B Legacy FT volume formatted with FAT32 *
0x8C Legacy FT volume using BIOS INT 13h extensions formatted with FAT32 *

That is taken right out of the horses mouth. Now I looked on a basic disk system and it has 0x07 and my dynamic disk system has 0x42. I have done nothing special with the disks that require Dynamic support so I am thinking, why don't I get in there and switch 42 to 7??? Then boot into BootITNG and resize it? Could work!

[gore]

I have Partition Magic 8, and like a million old versions of it, and I have System Commander (I bought it because I liked ebing able to boot over 100 OSs with it heh) and I've used everything from parted to fdisk to cfdisk.

Out of them all, resizing NTFS is not only a bitch, it's got rabies. I didn't read your whole thread because frankly I only skim to make sure what I say isn't already said, but if you have some cash and some time, send both to me.... I mean, get system Commander AND partition Magic 8.

After this, buy SUSE Linux, and boot from the CD or DVD, and resize your NTFS Partition with this, and you're done

(In other words out of every tool I've used SUSE has been the only hing I've seen resize an NTFS partition properly without screwing it up, because DAMN I hate fixing a MBR in Hex).