Topic: Success story: Windows 2003 server NTFS system disk partition resize
I would like to share our successful GParted experience
Objective: Enlarge the system boot disk partition on Windows 2003 Server (400Mb free on the boot disk is not enough...:))
The server: Dell PowerEdge 800, 1Gb RAM
The HDD: Hardware SCSI Raid PERC 4 controller connected to 2x68Gb HDD in RAID 1
Initial partitioning: 3 partition
C: --> Boot disk, 10Gb size, 1Gb swap file, 400Mb free
E: --> Data disk, 10Gb size, 2Gb swap file, 3Gb free
F: --> Data Disk, 38Gb size, no swap file, 23Gb free
Target partitioning: 1 single big partition
C: --> Boot + Data disk, 68Gb size
The Tool: GParted LiveCD 0.6.2-2
The backup tool:
DDS4 tape
NAS (2x2Tb HDD in RAID 1) on a 100Mb LAN
USB external HDD 1Tb
Story:
0) DO THE BACKUP! :-)
we had the following backup:
*) complete, 1 day old, server backup done with NTBackup
*) stored on a DDS 4 tape
*) stored on the NAS as a single .bkf file
*) stored on the USB HD as a single .bkf file
*) near-complete, 1 minute old, files backup done with SyncBack Freeware (not complete only because you cant do a "complete" backup of a running system with a file copy operation)
*) stored on the NAS
*) stored on the USB HD
1) Preliminary server preparation
*) Uninstalled some software that was installed on disk E: and F:
*) Removed swap file from disk E: (I leaved only the 1Gb swap file on disk C:)
*) Run "simple" chkdsk on all partition, C: / E: /F:
*) Run "complete" chkdsk on all partition, C: / E: /F: (rescheduled for next system boot)
*) uninstall antivirus
*) Stop and disable various service (IIS, web, SMTP, SQL Server....)
*) Disable all scheduled task
2) Reboot server
*) chkdsk run various time
*) chkdsk C:
*) chkdsk D:
*) chkdsk E:
*) Autoreboot
*) chkdsk D: (run again, I dont know why)
*) chkdsk E: (run again, I dont know why)
*) Autoreboot
3) Re-Run SyncBack for last-time update the files-backup on NAS and on external USB HD
4) Disconnect USB HD
5) GParted Testing
*) insert GParted CD
*) reboot server
*) try boot GParted with standard parameters --> garbled screen
*) reboot server
*) try boot GParted with SAFE parameters --> garbled screen
*) reboot server in windows
*) check graphics card --> it's an intel E7221
*) look for info about intel E7221 / linux-debian / gparted... --> found nothing
*) reboot server
*) try boot GParted with the following boot parameters modification (press TAB to modify boot parameters)
remove i915.* parameter
remove radeon.* parameter
remove xforcevesa parameter
modify vga parameter in "vga=normal"
---> EUREKA, IT WORKS!
Check the disk --> Ok, GParted see only one 68Gb disk with 3 partition.
Write down on a piece of paper the partiotion size/start/end (as seen from GParted)
6) Shut down GParted, remove CD, and reboot in windows
7) Start the scary job
*) Start the windows disk manager
*) delete partition F:
*) delete partition E:
*) Reboot the server in windows
8) Write down on a piece of paper the partition size/start/end (as seen from windows)
9) Do a "complete" chkdsk of disk C: (scheduled for next reboot)
10) Reboot the server
*) Chkdsk disk C:
*) autoreboot
*) windows restart
11) Shut down windows
12) insert GParted CD
13) boot in GParted with modified parameters (remove i915 parameter, remove radeon parameter, remove xforcevesa parameter, modify vga parameter in "vga=normal")
14) In GParted
*) Enlarge the C: partition to fill the disk
*) check that the starting position of the partition doesn't change
*) apply the modification
*) close GParted
*) reboot the server
*) remove the CD
15) Rebooting
*) chkdsk Disk C:
*) autoreboot
*) windows restart
*) windows finish detecting new device (new disk/partition configuration)
*) reboot windows
16) You are mostly done:
*) check disk size in disk properties
*) check disk size in disk manager
17) Start copying back all data from external USB HD
18) re-enable services and scheduled task
19) check and update needed things (backup task, scheduled scripts, service configuration...)
20) check service functionality (SQL Server, Mail server, folder share, etc...)
These operation took about 2,5 hours, frm 18:00 to 20:30.
The actual disk C: resize took less than a minute :-)
The copying back of file from external HD finished at about 21:30.
The external backup and the preliminary server operation (see point 0 and 1) took about 6 hours.
Checking and reconfiguring all server's service (SQL Server, Mail, backup script and schedule, ecc... ) took about 6 hours.
Thanks to all GParted developer and supporter
Adaway