How to endtend a primary drive on a Windows VMware Machine

Example: Extend Drive on Windows Machine XP01
Note: Process Requires the use of a separate second XP machine, e.g. XP02, as its only possible to extend a data partition.

Utilities needed

VMware: vmkfstools -X
Windows: diskpart
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/300415

STEPS

1. Shutdown VMware Machine (XP01)
2. Shutdown VMware Machine (XP02)
3. Expand the size of Primary VMware Disk on XP01 using vmkfstools.
Navigate to Virtual Machine folder (XP01) and run vmfstools on vmdk file. Below example expands to 20GB.

vmkfstools -X 20G XP01.vmdk

Note: I had to remove disk and add disk back in on ESxi Manegement console for change to be able to seen on ESXi management interface.

4. Using a DIFFERENT Windows XP/Windows machine (e.g. XP02), add the XP01 primary disk as a additional disk.
5. Boot up XP02
6. Extend disk, using Diskpart utility

diskpart
list volume
select volume <volume>
extend

7. Shutdown XP02
8. Remove now extended disk from XP02.
9. Startup XP01 and primary disk is now expanded.

  • vendors/vmware/expand-disk.txt
  • Last modified: 2018/05/17 19:56
  • by gerardorourke