Our Windows 2003 server has a three-drive hardware RAID 5. Windows Disk
Management MMC sees one 150 GB Disk 0 with three volumes: 31 MB unused, 4.01
GB NTFS basic disk C:\, and 144.94 GB basic disk E:\. Windows is installed
on the C:\ volume. I followed a recommendation to install Windows 2003
Server on a 3-4 GB partition, but Windows 2003 Server is already telling me
that disk space is low on the 4.01 GB C:\ drive (192 MB free). Can I safely
convert the basic disk (that the OS is installed on) to a dynamic disk, so I
can then make it larger? If both C: & E: are converted to dynamic disks, I
can resize them, right?
Thanks in advance,
David

David,

Converting a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk is a disk-wide change; you will
not be able to make this change on a volume-by-volume basis. You're entire
Disk 0 would be converted to a Dynamic Disk.

Also, you can only extend Dynamic Disk volumes into unused space. If you
have data on your E: volume, you would lose that data (could restore later)
because you would have to delete the partition and then extend C: into it.

If you want to keep the data intact on your E: drive while you change sizes,
you could try using VolumeManager from Symantec (previously PowerQuest).
This is the server version of PartitionMagic. The downside is that it is
expensive: $724.50. It also may not support Windows Server 2003. For your
reference, below is the link to this product:

http://enterprisesecurity.symantec.c...ctID=345&EID=0

I hope this helps.

Cordially yours,
Jerry G. Young II

"David" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:FPAec.65312$z%(E-Mail Removed)...
> Our Windows 2003 server has a three-drive hardware RAID 5. Windows Disk
> Management MMC sees one 150 GB Disk 0 with three volumes: 31 MB unused,
4.01
> GB NTFS basic disk C:\, and 144.94 GB basic disk E:\. Windows is installed
> on the C:\ volume. I followed a recommendation to install Windows 2003
> Server on a 3-4 GB partition, but Windows 2003 Server is already telling
me
> that disk space is low on the 4.01 GB C:\ drive (192 MB free). Can I
safely
> convert the basic disk (that the OS is installed on) to a dynamic disk, so
I
> can then make it larger? If both C: & E: are converted to dynamic disks, I
> can resize them, right?
> Thanks in advance,
> David
>
>

Thank you very much for the input!
D

"Jerry G. Young II" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> David,
>
> Converting a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk is a disk-wide change; you will
> not be able to make this change on a volume-by-volume basis. You're
entire
> Disk 0 would be converted to a Dynamic Disk.
>
> Also, you can only extend Dynamic Disk volumes into unused space. If you
> have data on your E: volume, you would lose that data (could restore
later)
> because you would have to delete the partition and then extend C: into it.
>
> If you want to keep the data intact on your E: drive while you change
sizes,
> you could try using VolumeManager from Symantec (previously PowerQuest).
> This is the server version of PartitionMagic. The downside is that it is
> expensive: $724.50. It also may not support Windows Server 2003. For
your
> reference, below is the link to this product:
>
>
http://enterprisesecurity.symantec.c...ctID=345&EID=0
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Cordially yours,
> Jerry G. Young II
>
> "David" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:FPAec.65312$z%(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Our Windows 2003 server has a three-drive hardware RAID 5. Windows Disk
> > Management MMC sees one 150 GB Disk 0 with three volumes: 31 MB unused,
> 4.01
> > GB NTFS basic disk C:\, and 144.94 GB basic disk E:\. Windows is
installed
> > on the C:\ volume. I followed a recommendation to install Windows 2003
> > Server on a 3-4 GB partition, but Windows 2003 Server is already telling
> me
> > that disk space is low on the 4.01 GB C:\ drive (192 MB free). Can I
> safely
> > convert the basic disk (that the OS is installed on) to a dynamic disk,
so
> I
> > can then make it larger? If both C: & E: are converted to dynamic disks,
I
> > can resize them, right?
> > Thanks in advance,
> > David
> >
> >
>
>

"David" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:FPAec.65312$z%(E-Mail Removed):

> Our Windows 2003 server has a three-drive hardware RAID 5. Windows
> Disk Management MMC sees one 150 GB Disk 0 with three volumes: 31 MB
> unused, 4.01 GB NTFS basic disk C:\, and 144.94 GB basic disk E:\.
> Windows is installed on the C:\ volume. I followed a recommendation to
> install Windows 2003 Server on a 3-4 GB partition, but Windows 2003
> Server is already telling me that disk space is low on the 4.01 GB C:\
> drive (192 MB free). Can I safely convert the basic disk (that the OS
> is installed on) to a dynamic disk, so I can then make it larger? If
> both C: & E: are converted to dynamic disks, I can resize them, right?
> Thanks in advance,
> David
>
>

You can never extend a Dynamic Volume that was converted from Basic. It
has to be created Dynamic first. That means you can never extend your OS
partition. Recommended OS partition size 2000 or 2003 is 10 gig. It was
4 gig for Windows NT 4.

Leonard Severt

Windows 2000 Server Setup Team

--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

The recommendation came from the Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Administrators Companion: "Although a single partition is the simplest
option for servers, you gain flexibility (and security) by creating a 3- to
4-GB partition for the operating system, and another partition with the
remaining space." I really should have used my own rule: when in doubt,
double it! BTW, where is the 10 GB recommended OS partition size published?
I never saw that figure before.
Thanks,
David

"Leonard Severt [MSFT]" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:Xns94CA6033C5895leonsonlinemicrosoft@24.25.9.41...
> "David" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
> news:FPAec.65312$z%(E-Mail Removed):
>
> > Our Windows 2003 server has a three-drive hardware RAID 5. Windows
> > Disk Management MMC sees one 150 GB Disk 0 with three volumes: 31 MB
> > unused, 4.01 GB NTFS basic disk C:\, and 144.94 GB basic disk E:\.
> > Windows is installed on the C:\ volume. I followed a recommendation to
> > install Windows 2003 Server on a 3-4 GB partition, but Windows 2003
> > Server is already telling me that disk space is low on the 4.01 GB C:\
> > drive (192 MB free). Can I safely convert the basic disk (that the OS
> > is installed on) to a dynamic disk, so I can then make it larger? If
> > both C: & E: are converted to dynamic disks, I can resize them, right?
> > Thanks in advance,
> > David
> >
> >
>
> You can never extend a Dynamic Volume that was converted from Basic. It
> has to be created Dynamic first. That means you can never extend your OS
> partition. Recommended OS partition size 2000 or 2003 is 10 gig. It was
> 4 gig for Windows NT 4.
>
> Leonard Severt
>
> Windows 2000 Server Setup Team
>
> --
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
> rights.