Extend Primary Partition on Server 2008 (R2) without Data Loss

 

2 ways to extend primary partition on Windows Server 2008 (R2)

Two effective ways of increase primary partition space will be listed below and you can choose the one you like.

Way 1.  Extend Volume via Windows Server 2008 (R2) Disk Management [Data Loss]

Disk Management is a tool built-in Windows Server 2008 (R2) and it allows you to shrink and extend partition. It is available to quickly access Disk Management by pressing "Windows" +"R" and typing diskmgmt.msc and hitting “Enter”. You can enlarge primary partition when there is contiguous unallocated space behind it; otherwise, you’ll find the option of Extend Volume greyed out when right-clicking C drive to extend it. Then, how can you extend C drive in Windows Server 2008 (R2)?

It is recommended to apply third-party partition software for Windows Server 2008 (R2) to extend primary partition. But if you are insisting to employ Disk Management, you can refer to the following instruction.

1. To get adjacent unallocated space behind the C drive, you need to delete the partition adjacently behind the C drive (back up important data before deleting).

2. Then, it is able to increase C: drive size with Disk Management. Click C: drive and choose extend volume.

✎ Tips:
◆ Both free space and unallocated space and unallocated space refer to storage space that doesn’t hold data in different ways. Free space can’t be used to extend the primary partition and unallocated space can’t be applied to extend logical partition.
◆ If you are familiar with the Windows command prompt, you can extend partition with Diskpart. But this also demands an unallocated space contagious to the partition you need to extend.
◆ If the partition right behind C: drive is an extended partition, you have to delete all the logical drives on the extended partition. Then delete the extended partition to get an unallocated space for extending C drive.

Way 2. Extend primary partition via third party software [Without Data Loss]

Obviously, it is bothering and time-wasting to extend C: drive via Disk Management or Diskpart on Windows Server 2008 (R2) if there is no contiguous unallocated space right behind the primary partition that you want to extend.

Fortunately, AOMEI Partition Assistant Server can allow you to add non-contiguous unallocated space into a partition; and it enables you to extend a partition easily and conveniently through allocating free space to it directly when there is no unallocated space. Then, refer to the following part which shows how to extend Windows Server 2008 (R2) primary partition C with AOMEI Partition Assistant Server. You can download the demo version of AOMEI Partition Assistant Server to have a try at first.

Step 1. Install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant Server. Right-click partition C on Server 2008 (R2) and choose Merge Partitions.

Step 2. Tick the box before “Unallocated” to extend C: drive and click OK.

Step 3. Check the pending operations; click Apply and Proceed to implement this task.

✍ Notices:
✔ A reboot is necessary as this operation involves system partition.
✔ "Free space” and “unallocated space” shall be marked as the same type – “unallocated”. That is to say, AOEMI Partition Assistant enables you to add free space on extended partition to primary partition.
✔ AOMEI Partition Assistant can merge unallocated space with C: drive no matter whether the unallocated space is right behind the primary partition or not.
✔ If there is no unallocated space or free space on the disk hard drive, you can shrink partition to get it. Or you can allocate free space from one partition with adequate space to C drive to extend C drive.