No Need to increase the disk size is it but in the program already

[ewadiee]

I was finally hopeless to increase the Win drive C disk size through the virtual machine extra programs\patched that PAT posted online which I still consider great but I simply could not find the 1MB file that he was reffering to on his PDF manual. So I finally decided to completely remove/delete the virual machine. I am now about to reinstall the Win XP, "to be more specific" I am at the step that determines the size of the virtual hard disk and I see this nice sentence that says the folowing: The virtual hard disk is just a ile on your coputer, which will start small and then grow larger as you add applucations and files to your virtual machine. So my question to the experts in the VM fusion software was it really necessarry to have all of those patches and programs that PAT had posted online as according to the VM fusion sentence there is no need to increase the disk size as the VM file ( I assume the hard disk- Wndows drive C) will just keep growing automativcally even if I started with 10 GB drive C technically it will grow for example to 50GB if I had taht much application although it s not sowing that offically through the windows on the Drive C properties which was always 20 GB in my case but when I was deleting the Vmachine through Home/ Mac documents/Vmachines I checked the Win XP file properties it wa 29GB which just proves my theory PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG I am definetly loosing my patience with the VM fusion soft ware should I just convert to parrallels!!!!!

[admin]

I assume you're talking about the guide linked at . Nowhere in this guide does Pat refer to a "1MB file", so I'm not sure what you're talking about.

Your understanding of a growable disk is incorrect. The setting controls the maximum size of the virtual disk. The disk will start small, but will only grow up to the maximum size. The virtual machine may be larger than the maximum size of the virtual disk because there's more to it than just the disk (just as there's more to your computer than the hard drive). For example, a snapshot will increase the size of the virtual machine.

Using Parallels will not help, you will have the same issues.

[rcardona2k]

If you find a large difference between the current size of the expanded virtual disk and the amount of allocated space inside the virtual machine, there is a process calling Shrinking that will allow you to reclaim the extra space on your Mac's hard disk. For example:

Properties of C:\ shows 10 GB in use, 10 GB free. Size of VMDK on OS X is 20 GB. With the VMware Tools installed you can reduce the expanded file by clicking on VMware Tools > Shrink.

Note: Shrink may be disabled during this part of the beta program, but it is normally available at other times.

[Pat_Lee · Accepted solution]

The disk size set when you create the virtual machine is the MAXIMUM size that the disk will be. Windows will set a disk of this size (say 20 GB), but the file on the Mac will be much smaller than 20 GB until you grow to hit that maximum size.

So, in your case, set the virtual disk size to 100 GB. That way, Windows will see you have a 100 GB disk. However, it will only be a few GB in size when after you install Windows and will grow over time until you reach that maximum size set in this case which is 100 GB.

Does that answer your question?

Pat

[ewadiee]

Thank you Pat: But when windows sees the Drive C. the format is NTFS is that only virtual format and not actual format so If I make the disk Size 100GB I am still able to use the Mac hard disk, ie. I did not waist 100GB out of the Mac physical hard disk.

Which will drive me to ask another question: Before I deleted my previous Vmachine; due to inability to increase the size of the Disk, I created and extra 30 GB Virtual Disk #2 through the VMware or another disk in addition to the C drive Disk the initial 20GB, then I used partion magic to format the the 30GB to be NTFS I was hoping to merge the 2 disks but Partion magig only merges partions not disks. To make the story short and to relate it to the first question I have in the first paragraph, When I formatted this 30GB to NTFS throught the partion magic then after I delete the Virtual machine( the windows XP) were Disk one C and disk 2 teh otehr 30 GB deleted as wel and No NTFS format was there any more basicaly will the MAC still be able to preserve those 30GB in a format recognized by MAC so I did not used hard disk space.

My third question:I had to use partion magic because Win XP was not able to recognize DISK 2 at all ( teh 30 GB) but when I use Pmagic it was recognized although it was not active( or connected) when I browse the Disk 2 through the VM software throughthe setting Bar while the WINxp is running and also while teh VMachine is shut down. Again thank you