Re-partitioning Server w/Windows 2003 server

  • Thread starter Thread starter benny wa
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benny wa

I have recently inhieriteda server that has been partitioned poorly.
Unfortunately there is data and apps that have to continue running , thus
not allowing me to re-format the entire system. What I have follows:
Disk 0: 125 mb, drive C 12 GB, drive D 136 GB all NFTS
Disk 1: 95 GB FAT32

What I want to do is move some of the unused space from drive D and put it
into Drive C. What suggestions do you all have?
 
I would made a ghost (partitions) to a network share
resize with diskpart (from a bartpe)
then ghost in the other way

You have to be prepared for downtime, if the D is nearly full.
Issuing a defrag before may help.

Did you think about cleaning the uninstall of old hotfixes ?
Or moving the pagefile ?

By the way, fat32 is bad on a server...
--
Cordialement,
Mathieu CHATEAU
http://lordoftheping.blogspot.com


"benny wa" <benny wa@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:3A555D14-F7B1-45BA-972B-5FD1D7235390@microsoft.com...
> I have recently inhieriteda server that has been partitioned poorly.
> Unfortunately there is data and apps that have to continue running , thus
> not allowing me to re-format the entire system. What I have follows:
> Disk 0: 125 mb, drive C 12 GB, drive D 136 GB all NFTS
> Disk 1: 95 GB FAT32
>
> What I want to do is move some of the unused space from drive D and put
> it
> into Drive C. What suggestions do you all have?
 
I am new to the server world,coming from mainframes, so when you speak of
ghosting and bartpe
I am a bit vague on them.
Why is FAT32 bad on a server?

"Mathieu CHATEAU" wrote:

> I would made a ghost (partitions) to a network share
> resize with diskpart (from a bartpe)
> then ghost in the other way
>
> You have to be prepared for downtime, if the D is nearly full.
> Issuing a defrag before may help.
>
> Did you think about cleaning the uninstall of old hotfixes ?
> Or moving the pagefile ?
>
> By the way, fat32 is bad on a server...
> --
> Cordialement,
> Mathieu CHATEAU
> http://lordoftheping.blogspot.com
>
>
> "benny wa" <benny wa@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:3A555D14-F7B1-45BA-972B-5FD1D7235390@microsoft.com...
> > I have recently inhieriteda server that has been partitioned poorly.
> > Unfortunately there is data and apps that have to continue running , thus
> > not allowing me to re-format the entire system. What I have follows:
> > Disk 0: 125 mb, drive C 12 GB, drive D 136 GB all NFTS
> > Disk 1: 95 GB FAT32
> >
> > What I want to do is move some of the unused space from drive D and put
> > it
> > into Drive C. What suggestions do you all have?
>
>
 
FAT32 is limited in size, doesn't offer atomic integrity (journaling changes
with rollback), and doesn't have ACL on files and folders.
You should convert it to ntfs is no reason for FAT32.
Bartpe is a free windows boot environnement:
www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/
(seems down at the moment)

Ghost, from symantec, is a product that can make an image from and to a
partition.
The way it works allow an easy restore on a smaller partition, if there is
still enough room for data.

Maybe you should start by cleaning old uninstall hotfixes and moving the
pagefile (swap) before going deeper

--
Cordialement,
Mathieu CHATEAU
http://lordoftheping.blogspot.com


"benny wa" <bennywa@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:06B235E0-BD2C-468C-82B1-1647D877CDAD@microsoft.com...
>I am new to the server world,coming from mainframes, so when you speak of
> ghosting and bartpe
> I am a bit vague on them.
> Why is FAT32 bad on a server?
>
> "Mathieu CHATEAU" wrote:
>
>> I would made a ghost (partitions) to a network share
>> resize with diskpart (from a bartpe)
>> then ghost in the other way
>>
>> You have to be prepared for downtime, if the D is nearly full.
>> Issuing a defrag before may help.
>>
>> Did you think about cleaning the uninstall of old hotfixes ?
>> Or moving the pagefile ?
>>
>> By the way, fat32 is bad on a server...
>> --
>> Cordialement,
>> Mathieu CHATEAU
>> http://lordoftheping.blogspot.com
>>
>>
>> "benny wa" <benny wa@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:3A555D14-F7B1-45BA-972B-5FD1D7235390@microsoft.com...
>> > I have recently inhieriteda server that has been partitioned poorly.
>> > Unfortunately there is data and apps that have to continue running ,
>> > thus
>> > not allowing me to re-format the entire system. What I have follows:
>> > Disk 0: 125 mb, drive C 12 GB, drive D 136 GB all NFTS
>> > Disk 1: 95 GB FAT32
>> >
>> > What I want to do is move some of the unused space from drive D and
>> > put
>> > it
>> > into Drive C. What suggestions do you all have?
>>
>>
 
Alternatively you can backup d: then delete it. Use the server version of
Acronis to expand c: to whatever size you want. Recreate d: with disk
management and restore from backup.

Note: you can not use workstation partitioning software like Partition
Manager on a server.

If doing cloning I highly suggest you do it to a new drive. This will give
you the old one as backup/failover is something goes wrong.
 
--
Newell White


"benny wa" wrote:

> I have recently inhieriteda server that has been partitioned poorly.
> Unfortunately there is data and apps that have to continue running , thus
> not allowing me to re-format the entire system. What I have follows:
> Disk 0: 125 mb, drive C 12 GB, drive D 136 GB all NFTS
> Disk 1: 95 GB FAT32
>
> What I want to do is move some of the unused space from drive D and put it
> into Drive C. What suggestions do you all have?
 
Previous post screwed up!

IMHO you do not need to do anything as drastic as re-partitioning the disk.

We run our DC (hosting file server and App Server for database serving
entire design, manufacture, and sales functions) with 7.84 Gbyte of C: drive,
currently 1.54Gbyte is free.

I freed up space on the C: drive by following steps:

1) 1.5Gbyte - Move most of C:\pagefile.sys to D:

Create a new file D:\pagefile.sys, min = 1536Mbyte, max = 1536Mbyte
Modify file C:\pagefile.sys, min = 128Mbyte, max = 128Mbyte

Use regedit.exe to set
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Mnager\Memory Management
ClearPageFileAtShutdown DWORD 0 => 1

Takes effect when you re-boot.

2) 1Gbyte - Move all folders C:\windows\$nt*uninst* to D:\exc_windows\

You can't uninstall MS updates to your operating system without moving them
back, but in 2 years in this job I have never wanted to!

3) 0.65Gbyte - move app software
If you have install CD or download, uninstall from C:\Program Files\ and
re-install in D:\moved_programs\

These changes have been in place for at least 12 months with no problems.

I shied away from performing my first-ever repartition on our
mission-critical PDC emulator when I had only been in post 6 months.
Call me chicken, I don't care!
--
Newell White


"benny wa" wrote:

> I have recently inhieriteda server that has been partitioned poorly.
> Unfortunately there is data and apps that have to continue running , thus
> not allowing me to re-format the entire system. What I have follows:
> Disk 0: 125 mb, drive C 12 GB, drive D 136 GB all NFTS
> Disk 1: 95 GB FAT32
>
> What I want to do is move some of the unused space from drive D and put it
> into Drive C. What suggestions do you all have?
 
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