Safe, affordable partition resizing utility?

P

Paul

Can anyone recommend a partition resizing utility which:

a) works with Small Business Server 2000 (on a Windows 2000 Server
platform)?
b) is robust, reliable and safe?
c) does not require you to speak techno-babble to understand how to use
it?
d) does not cost the price of a new server?

I let SBS 2000 set up my server with the default values which created a 4GB
boot partition on a 18GB disk. I am down to 400 MB and I need to expand the
partition. I have loads of free space on the disk.

Of the various alternatives, I went for Hard Disk Manager from Paragon (a
German company I think). The leading product, Partition Magic, doesn't run
on W2K server (or so I am told) and the server-compatible equivalent product
(can't remember it's name) is ludicrously expensive for a small organisation
with limited computing resources.

Trouble is that HDM looks OK but wants to reboot the machine into a DOS-like
interface whenever working on the boot partition. This is unreliable and
cranky and, in my experience, doesn't work as advertised. Worse still, the
help and manual are badly written so I find it hard to know what I am
supposed to do or what risks I am taking. The manual is inconsistent and
does not appear to have been updated for Windows 2000 (!).

I have already had one near-disaster with this programme when it fell over
without completing a partition copying exercise. On rebooting, I discovered
that it had changed the active partition. I then had to scrabble around
tracking down a boot floppy from which I could run fdisk to change it back
again. This cost me a lot of hours and probably some years off my life!

One very bad experience and several instances of the product not working as
described have put me off. I can't afford the risk this represents - but are
there any sensible alternatives.

Suggestions gratefully received.

Paul - Coventry UK
 
S

S.Heenan

Paul said:
Can anyone recommend a partition resizing utility which:

a) works with Small Business Server 2000 (on a Windows 2000 Server
platform)?
b) is robust, reliable and safe?
c) does not require you to speak techno-babble to understand how
to use it?
d) does not cost the price of a new server?

I let SBS 2000 set up my server with the default values which created
a 4GB boot partition on a 18GB disk. I am down to 400 MB and I need
to expand the partition. I have loads of free space on the disk.

Of the various alternatives, I went for Hard Disk Manager from
Paragon (a German company I think). The leading product, Partition
Magic, doesn't run on W2K server (or so I am told) and the
server-compatible equivalent product (can't remember it's name) is
ludicrously expensive for a small organisation with limited computing
resources.

Trouble is that HDM looks OK but wants to reboot the machine into a
DOS-like interface whenever working on the boot partition. This is
unreliable and cranky and, in my experience, doesn't work as
advertised. Worse still, the help and manual are badly written so I
find it hard to know what I am supposed to do or what risks I am
taking. The manual is inconsistent and does not appear to have been
updated for Windows 2000 (!).

I have already had one near-disaster with this programme when it fell
over without completing a partition copying exercise. On rebooting, I
discovered that it had changed the active partition. I then had to
scrabble around tracking down a boot floppy from which I could run
fdisk to change it back again. This cost me a lot of hours and
probably some years off my life!

One very bad experience and several instances of the product not
working as described have put me off. I can't afford the risk this
represents - but are there any sensible alternatives.


BootIT NG may be worth a look.
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html
 
T

Thomas

Paul said:
Can anyone recommend a partition resizing utility which:

a) works with Small Business Server 2000 (on a Windows 2000 Server
platform)?
b) is robust, reliable and safe?
c) does not require you to speak techno-babble to understand how to use
it?
d) does not cost the price of a new server?

I let SBS 2000 set up my server with the default values which created a 4GB
boot partition on a 18GB disk. I am down to 400 MB and I need to expand the
partition. I have loads of free space on the disk.

Of the various alternatives, I went for Hard Disk Manager from Paragon (a
German company I think). The leading product, Partition Magic, doesn't run
on W2K server (or so I am told) and the server-compatible equivalent product
(can't remember it's name) is ludicrously expensive for a small organisation
with limited computing resources.

Trouble is that HDM looks OK but wants to reboot the machine into a DOS-like
interface whenever working on the boot partition. This is unreliable and
cranky and, in my experience, doesn't work as advertised. Worse still, the
help and manual are badly written so I find it hard to know what I am
supposed to do or what risks I am taking. The manual is inconsistent and
does not appear to have been updated for Windows 2000 (!).

I have already had one near-disaster with this programme when it fell over
without completing a partition copying exercise. On rebooting, I discovered
that it had changed the active partition. I then had to scrabble around
tracking down a boot floppy from which I could run fdisk to change it back
again. This cost me a lot of hours and probably some years off my life!

One very bad experience and several instances of the product not working as
described have put me off. I can't afford the risk this represents - but are
there any sensible alternatives.

Suggestions gratefully received.

Paul - Coventry UK


It worked fine with diskpart.exe (ressource kit).
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=325590
 
A

Arno Wagner

Previously Paul said:
Can anyone recommend a partition resizing utility which:
a) works with Small Business Server 2000 (on a Windows 2000 Server
platform)?
b) is robust, reliable and safe?
c) does not require you to speak techno-babble to understand how to use
it?
d) does not cost the price of a new server?

Does not exist. If you resize partitions you need a backup and you
need to know what you are doing. Otherwise you risk loosing
everything. It is a bit like brain-surgery: There is no do-it-yourself
kit and likely never will be.

Alternatively you need to hire an expert, which probably violates
condition d).

Arno
 
H

Higgins

Check Ebay, particularly for an older version of Partition Magic or
similar. I see a copy of PM 6.0 sold for $7.50 recently.
 

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