Resize a server 2k3 partition

Depends what you're trying to do. If you want to expand an existing partition to take up unused space on a hard disk (or RAID) such as when you've added additional disks to a server raid array & the controller supports dynamic volume expansion you can use a command line tool which is integrated into Windows (even XP) called DISKPART.

To use it you select the volume you want to enlarge and type 'expand' & it dynamically extends the volume to use up the free space. The only gotcha is it doesn't support being used on system/boot volumes (usually the c: drive)

If you want anything more complex then I guess you're looking at 3rd party tools which will have ot be te server-aware versions rather than consumer versions (read: more expensive) :(
 
I have a HP Netserver E800 (2x P3 733MHz) with a HP Netraid card with 3x 18GB SCSI drives in a Raid 5 configuration giving ~34GB.

After setting up the drive in the raid menu I started installing server 2003 and created a 20GB partition for 2k3, then the install formatted it NTFS and copied the install files to the drive but after it reboots and tried to complete the 2nd stage of the install I get a message invalid disk press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to restart.

I then used a bootdisk to try fdisk /mbr but fdisk found no drives.
I then remade the Raid 5 drive and used the bootdisk to make the partition but it could only make an 8GB partition maximum, which I did and managed to fully install Server 2k3 and it runs fine but I cannot resize the partition bigger than 8GB.

Any ideas on why I can't make more that 8GB with a bootdisk?
 
Done some research and it looks like a INT13 problem and the bios can't support a drive over 8.5GB....does this mean the main bios or the raid card bios?

I have updated both to the latest and still no good


---------------------------------------
Looks like I'm gonna have to change the mobo tomorrow but the server has ECC (buffered) memory and I was wondering if that memory will work fine in a normal desktop mobo (both PC100)?
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom