Looking for a reliable 64-bit Server partition manager? AOMEI Partition Assistant Server is a nice choice to manage disk partitions in Server 2019/2016/2012/2008/2003.
To manage disk partition in a 64-bit Server computer, you will need a professional Server partition manager. The good news is that Windows Server comes with a built-in tool named Disk Management. It allows you to perform some basic disk partition management. However, you have to bear in mind that Windows Server 2003 (R2) Disk Management does not offer “Extend Volume” and “Shrink Volume” options(as the screenshot is shown). Since Server 2008, these two functions are added into the Disk Management.
With the Server Disk Management, you can extend, shrink, delete, format or create a volume, change the drive letter of one partition, set partition as active. For a hard disk, it supports you converting disk from MBR to GPT, or from GPT to MBR, convert basic disk to dynamic disk, or convert dynamic disk to basic disk, etc.
Although you can finish many basic disk or partition operations with the help of Server Disk Management, sometimes you will find the desired options are greyed out and do not work at all due to its native restrictions. The following are the most typical examples:
1. Extend Volume or Shrink Volume greyed out: when there is not adjacent unallocated space on the right side of the partition you will extend, this option will be unclickable. Or the selected aim partition is formatted with FAT32 file system. Disk Management only allows you to extend NTFS partition followed by a contiguous unallocated space.
At the same time, Server Disk Management only supports shrinking NTFS partition. Besides, if this partition contains too many fragments, virtual memories, paging files, or not enough free space to shrink, this option will also be unavailable.
2. Convert to GPT/MBR Disk Greyed out: Disk Management only enables you to convert an empty disk to from MBR to GPT/GPT to MBR.
3. Convert to Basic Disk greyed out: Same as the MBR and GPT conversion, the Disk Management can only support converting an empty dynamic disk back to basic disk. Luckily, it can convert basic disk to dynamic disk without losing data.
When you find the options are greyed out and cannot continue the operation, what should you do next? Of course, you can take corresponding measures to make your disk partition meet the premise like formatting FAT32 to NTFS, deleting partitions and more. But they will cause data loss. So is there a better 64-bit Server partition manager that allows users to more conveniently manage their disk partitions without data loss risk?
Absolutely, there is such a powerful partition manager for Server users. That is AOMEI Partition Assistant Server. This software is compatible with all editions of Windows Server 2019/2016/2012(R2)/2008(R2)/2003 and Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista (32-bit and 64-bit). Most importantly, it offers perfect solutions to the above awkward problems in Disk Management.
This 32-bit and 64-bit Server partition manager allows you to extend both FAT32 and NTFS partition flexibly no matter there is (adjacent) unallocated space or not. If there is unallocated space but not adjacent to the aim partition, you can try the “Merge Partitions” feature to directly merge it into the targeted partition. If there is not unallocated space, you can switch to the “Allocate Free Space” functions, which enables you to allocate some free space from one partition to another.
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Server. Right click one partition that has enough unused space and select “Allocate Free Space”.
Step 2. In this window, choose the aim partition and input how much space you want to allocate to it. Then click “OK”.
Step 3. Click “Apply” and “Proceed” to submit the pending operation.
Besides, this Server partition manager has the “Move Partitions” option, whose function is to help you move the partition in the way of the aim partition and unallocated space to the right side and then make unallocated space next to the partition you will expand.
PS.: this software is able to shrink not only NTFS, but also FAT32 partition.
MBR and GPT are two different partition styles and sometimes we need to make a conversion between them. In Disk Management, we have to delete all existing partitions before conversion. However, with the AOMEI Partition software, we can directly convert disk (either system disk or non-boot disk) while keeping the inside partitions intact.
Step 1. Right click the target disk (here we select the system disk) and choose “Convert to GPT”.
Step 2. Click OK to confirm the operation.
Step 3. Click “Apply” to commit the pending operation.
If you are converting a GPT disk to MBR, just select the “Convert to MBR Disk” option and follow the prompts.
Notes on converting system disk: 1. Converting system disk from MBR to GPT requires you to change boot mode from Legacy to UEFI after conversion so that you can boot from the GPT disk then. The vice is also true. 2. If your Windows cannot boot now, you can create a bootable media via this software, and boot PC from it, then convert GPT or MBR without loading operating system.
The AOMEI Server partition manager for 64-bit and 32-bit OS provides the “Dynamic Disk Converter”, aiming to help users to convert dynamic disk back to basic without deleting volumes.
Step 1. Click “Convert” in the top toolbar, and choose “Dynamic Disk Converter”.
Step 2. Choose the first method to convert a dynamic disk to basic disk and click “Next”.
Step 3. Select the target dynamic disk and click “Next”.
Step 4. Then wait for the process to be done. It will require a reboot to take effect.
Apart from dynamic disk converter, AOMEI Partition Assistant Server also comes with “dynamic disk manager” to help you effortlessly manage dynamic volumes.
From above, we know the AOMEI Partition Assistant is a powerful Server partition manager for 64-bit and 32-bit Server and Windows OS users. In addition to breaking out the limitations of Server Disk Management, it also develops many other advanced functions. For example, it can help clone partition, clone hard disk, transfer Windows Server to new hard drive, align SSD partitions, securely erase SSD, wipe hard disk or partition, and more. To use such an amazing partition management tool on unlimited computer, you can try AOMEI Partition Assistant Unlimited.