Workstation 7: Decresing Disk File

[zaphod2]

Hello!

I am using an encrypted VM within workstation 7.

Disk Files is growable up to 300GB - currently uses 250GB on the hosts- drive.

The windows 7 partition within the disk file is only 50GB. Rest is free space.

In former times this partition was already grown up to 250GB.

After using shrink- option it takes a very long time to finish- but without result.

Seems that shrinking is not aware of partitions. I expect shrinking "sees" the

200GB free space an reduces the Disk File to at least 50GB (of more, depending of the used

space in the 50GB partition).

How to reduce a growable disk to the amount finally used?

Yours

Holger

[continuum]

is this correct ?
you have 300Gb sparse (growable) vmdk - then you created a 50 Gb partition inside it - leaving 250 Gb blank ?

to effectively shrink that you must partition the blank space so that you can wipe it

[zaphod2]

Yes,

I have 300GB growable disk file within is a 50gb ntfs partition- except: formally the ntfs partition was 300gb and I

was reducing it by windows 7 builtin disk manager to 50gb.

Do I understand? I have to partition the free 250gb space (with or without formatting) to shrink it again?

Yours

Holger

[continuum]

yes - you must create a partition AND format it AND assign a driveletter.
Then you can use the shrink function effectively.

If the empty space at the end of the disk is not accessable to the Windows-guest the shrink function can not wipe the unused space.

Once the shrink function was used once you can remove the driveletter again

[zaphod2]

I will try that.

Before I used the "compact"- function outside the VM by right clicking on the disk under "utilities" during powered off VM.

This had no effect.

Holger

[zaphod2]

... do you know maybe a possibility to reduce the disk size "outside" of the vm?

I am wondering why the file still is so huge (ca. 250GB) in spite the fact that there

is only this 50GB partition inside.

Holger

[samansalehi]

Dear friend

Why do u use VMware vCenter Converter Standalone Client, just turn off the vm, and browse the VM then edit the size of the volume in "Options" page in Convert Wizard. You can choose the size of your VM.

[zaphod2]

Hello,

thanks. I tried this already. In my case the volumes box is empty. Maybe first the VM

has to be decrypted. To arrange this double the space for decryption must be available.

Holger

[continuum · Accepted solution]

"compact" does not reduce size
"shrink" will only reduce the size when you wiped the unpartitioned space before

[zaphod2]

Hello,

thanks a lot.

Shrinking option started from inside the vm was the idea. I neved used that from vm tools inside.

The physical file size was reduced by maintaining the possibility to grow uo to 300gb (can this

be reduced, too?). Not a problem.

I did not use converter, because decrypting is not possible by needing double the space on the host.

Thanks again.

[samansalehi]

so using the converter cannot help u, let's go to the folder of vm on host and check the files dor the BIG FILE, maybe it uses a snapshot that use a lot of storage.

I have this problem and it's about the snapshot, it uses the storage and everytime it becomes bigger and bigger.

if this useful could u please mark it as "helpful" or "correct"?

[zaphod2]

Hello,

actually there were no snapshots. Seems that converter can not handle encrypted VM's.

The volume dialog box is empty.

Thanks

Holger

[samansalehi]

do you use any softwares for changing or reducing the size of the Hard?for example: Partition Magic or Paragon?

[samansalehi]

Thank u, anyway.

I did not realize that the issue was answered, sorry.

I follow this issue for myself, if i have this problem in future i know what to do.

thank u again for answering me and appolgizing again for last posts.

[satishchirala]

please find the docment for increasing or decreasing hdd size and this is a free tools supported for all operating systems , windows 2003,2008,linux