Increase Virtual Hard Disk size in VMWARE ESXI

1. You will need to expand the disk size of the VM (see pic below).
2. You will need to expand the partition within the disk file. This is easily done if you boot your VM with the GParted livecd.

Lars

vic-disk-enter-new-size.png

If it's not mission critical, you can take a slighter longer process, yet safer method.

You can shutdown your VM and use the VMware vCenter Converter and use the VM to VM conversion, and you'lll get an option to increase the VM Disk size. Process could take from 25mins to 40mins on a 10gb VM DISK.

Thanks
S00007359

You can also use the command line to expand your VMDK

The syntax is vmkfstools -X <intended size>

Check this URL for more info - http://www.esxguide.com/esx/component/option,com_alphacontent/section,1/cat,11/task,view/id,18/Itemid,80/

If this is a windows VM, you will need to add the space to the partition you want increased after adding the space by doing what larstr or arunraju suggested.  The easiest way of doing this is to convert the disk to a dynamic disk and extend the partition through windows disk management mmc or through the command line http://support.microsoft.com/kb/325590.

In my experience the easiest way to do this is to create another guest, call it test.  Remove the C drive from the original guest you want to increase the drive space on and add it as the D drive on the new test machine.  Now you can increase the size of the virtual disk.  Run diskpart to expand the partition to it's new size.  Remove the D from the test machine and add it back as the C on the original guest and you now have an increased C drive.  You can also run a vmware convert and increase the size that way.  I've done them both ways and I find that simply moving the drive to a test machine is much faster.