Resize partition in Windows Server 2019 without data loss

Partition resizing means change allocated size of existing disk partitions. It can’t be better if you can re-size disk drive directly, otherwise, you have to waste a long time to back up and start over. Windows Server 2019 Disk Management has built-in Shrink Volume and Extend Volume functionalities to change partition size, but it works in very restricted condition. You cannot extend a volume by shrinking others, so it is useless in most cases.

Why disk drive can be resized

Hard disk drive is just a device to preserve files, but to read and write files systematically, it should be managed by both Operating System and File System. Each partition is an unit and has its own file system.

Take MBR disk as exmaple, there is MBR in front of this hard disk. In MBR, there is system and partition related parameters. From partition related parameters, Operating System knows the amount of partitions, as well as partition size, start and end position of each partition. In front of each partition, there is DBR and a list of all files in this partition. From this list, Operating System can locate all single files.

When resizing disk partitions:

• If the start location remains unchanged, this partition can be resized by simply modifying the partition related parameters, including size and end location.
• If start location should be changed, besides partition size and location related parameters, all files in this drive should be moved to new locations and all files related parameters should be updated. So it costs much longer time if there are many files.

Data loss risk while resizing partition

The strategy to resize partition seems not difficult, but it’s not in real action. There are many factors that could increase the difficulty while resizing volume in both Server and PC, such as:

• There are tons of files with different type and extension, some types of files are peculiar.
• Hard disks are much bigger now, some servers use disk large to several terabytes.
• In some servers, the CPU or RAM usage rate are very high.

If partition software cannot handle all these factors, part of the parameters could not be changed. In that case, damage occur with no doubt.

• If system related parameters failed to be updated, server cannot boot with error messages, such as something missing or damaged.
• If partition related parameters failed to updated, some drives are corrupted or missing from File Explorer.
• If files related parameters failed to modified, these files are damaged or lost.

Disk partition software is called as data killer by the people who have experienced such kinds of disaster. So it is very important to select a reliable tool to resize partition on Windows Server 2019. All servers are equipped with backup software, but it costs several hours to a whole day to restore if damage happens.

To eradicate these risks, NIUBI Partition Editor brings innovative 1 Second Rollback technology to ensure system and data intact. If any software error or hardware issue occur while resizing disk drives, it recover to original status automatically and rapidly, so the server could back online without change in a short time.

How to resize disk partition

It is very easy to resize partition on Windows Server 2019 and other servers, you just need to drag and drop on the disk map of NIUBI. Furthermore, there are other advantages with this partition tool, for example:

1. To avoid mistake, all disk drive modifications won’t be done immediately, instead, they’ll be listed as pending on bottom left, so you can preview and cancel unwanted operations. Disk partitions won’t be changed until you click Apply to confirm.
2. Hot Resize technology helps you shrink and extend partition (without moving start location) in Windows without server interruption.
3. Cancel-at-will technology helps you cancel unwanted ongoing operations without losing data. In addition, cancellation will be done immediately without waiting a long time to recover.
4. Unique file-moving algorithm helps resize partition 30% – 300% faster than other tools.

Steps to resize partition in Windows Server 2019 with NIUBI:

Step 1: Download NIUBI Partition Editor, right click drive D and select Resize/Move Volume.

In the pop-up window, drag left border rightwards.

20GB Unallocated space is generated on the left side of D drive. (If you drag right border towards the left, Unallocated space is generated on the right side.)

Step 2: Right click drive C and select Resize/Move Volume again, drag the right border rightwards in the pop-up window.

Unallocated space is combined to C drive.

If there is not plenty of free space in the adjacent drive D, simply get free space from any other drives in the same disk.

Video guide to resize Server 2019 partitions

In Summary

To resize volume in Windows Server 2019, native Disk Management is useless in most cases. Because of potential data loss risk, you’d better select reliable partitioning software. NIUBI Partition Editor is such safe partition tool that helps you resize disk partition fast and easily. Simply drag either border towards the other side in the pop-up window, if partition moving is needed, simply drag the middle position in the pop-up window.

Download to try