HOWTO: Convert VDIs Between Fixed-Sized and Dynamic In VirtualBox
While there is no way to actually switch a VDI between fixed-size and dynamic, you can clone the existing VDI into a new one with different settings with VBoxManage.
VBoxManage clonehd [old-VDI] [new-VDI] --variant Standard
VBoxManage clonehd [old-VDI] [new-VDI] --variant Fixed
If you want to expand the capacity of a VDI, you can do so with
VBoxManage modifyhd [VDI] --resize [megabytes]
Resizing only works for dynamic VDI images. However, you can combine the resize information with the conversion information to expand fixed-size VDIs. (E.g., convert a fixed-size image to dynamic, expand it, and then convert the dynamic image back to a fixed-size image.)
If you want to compact the image as much a possibly, be sure to zero out the free space. This can be done in Linux by using the dd command to write endless zeros to a file and then deleting that file. (With the caveat of the reserved space of EXT and other file systems.)
Anonymous, 
x2es, and 6 others are discussing. 
Jeff Kroll 11:47 am on January 11, 2012 Permalink |
Thanks for the info. One question: does the word following “-variant” essentially tell VBoxManage what is getting changed to what, i.e. putting “Standard” after “-variant” tells it that it’s changing a fixed to a dynamic?
BrainwreckedTech 12:36 pm on January 13, 2012 Permalink |
It only specifies what the new –variant type is going to be. Standard = dynamic.
Jeff Kroll 2:56 pm on January 13, 2012 Permalink |
Got it. Thanks.
Juliano 9:45 pm on January 22, 2012 Permalink |
Please help me with this:
I am entering this on Terminal:
VBoxManage clonehd [ /Users/JulianoCB/VirtualBox\ VMs/Windows\ XP\ SP3\ Clone/Windows\ XP\ SP3\ Clone.vdi][new.vdi] -variant Standard
But then I get this error:
VBoxManage: error: Could not find file for the medium ‘/Users/JulianoCB/[‘ (VERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND)
VBoxManage: error: Details: code VBOX_E_FILE_ERROR (0x80bb0004), component Medium, interface IMedium, callee nsISupports
Context: “OpenMedium(Bstr(pszFilenameOrUuid).raw(), enmDevType, AccessMode_ReadWrite, fForceNewUuidOnOpen, pMedium.asOutParam())” at line 210 of file VBoxManageDisk.cpp
Could not find the file but I droped from finder.
How could I fix this??
I am not very familiar with Terminal…
BrainwreckedTech 11:26 pm on January 27, 2012 Permalink |
First off, leave off the [ and the ] as those are used to indicate variables. They’re used in documentation of command line programs (DOS/Windows/Linux/Unix) as they’re aren’t very many formatting options available on the command line.
Second, with the surrounding white space, the [ is being interpreted as a relative file name. I take it you were in your home directory /Users/JulianoCB when you attempted to execute this command, hence /Users/JulianoCB/[ cannot be found.
Lastly, and pre-emptively, make sure you are using a double dash when using --variant. WordPress tries to be helpful and interprets -- as — unless it occurs in monospace text (pre, tt, code, etc.).
Jeff Kroll 10:47 am on February 20, 2012 Permalink |
One of the reasons I was so glad to find your instructions was due to a problem with a vdi that I was–and still am, sigh–experiencing. I originally created a fixed XP vdi. Later I changed it to a dynamic one and I remember it adjusting it itself, make itself bigger, automatically. But something must have changed and for months it has remained as it is today, never growing bigger.
Via the Virtual Media Manager, I can see that the virtual size of the hd is 48.83 and the actual size is 9.99 gb. Inside Windows, properties of the C drive indicate it is just under 10, but it always stays there. I can’t install any new software & I regularly get alerts about a space problem.
I decided to use the process you detail above to clone a copy back into a fixed size. It worked and in the Virtual Media Manager it is listed as virtual size 48.83 and the actual size is listed as the same. Yet upon opening, the properties of the C drive are listed the same as the non-working dynamic version, i.e., about a 10 gig drive!? Despite changing the clone from dynamic to fixed, apparently the problem got cloned over.
Any guesses on what is wrong or a way for me to fix it (hopefully without having to install a new XP system from scratch, with all its time consuming updates)?
BrainwreckedTech 3:50 pm on February 22, 2012 Permalink |
Did you change the partition table after making the virtual disk bigger? If not, it’s the partition table limiting you to the old 10GB size, not Windows. You say you checked the properties of the C: drive, but this would have been a lot clearer if you used Disk Manager instead.
I wouldn’t use Windows’ Disk Manager to change the partition size, though. Find a good Linux live CD and use parted or fdisk instead. That way you can be sure that the only thing you change is the end boundary of the partition that holds Windows’ C: drive.
Also be sure to run chkdsk /r /f after changing the size of any disk Windows has access to.
Jeff Kroll 6:50 pm on February 22, 2012 Permalink |
I have gparted. As far as I can see, there is no separate partition for Windows. The VM is just part of my Mint partition, I think, and that’s got plenty of space, about 142 gigs. In detail sda1 is Ubuntu 10 (that I never use), sda2 says extended, sda6 is Mint, sda7 is a swap and sda5 is a swap. Could send the screenshot showing that, if needed.
BrainwreckedTech 11:16 am on February 25, 2012 Permalink |
It sounds like you’re talking about the partitions on “metal” aka your actual machine. What I meant was to check to your partitions inside your virtual machine. When you clone/expand a virtual disk, all data is kept in tact including partition table data inside the MBR of the virtual disk.
Jeff Kroll 5:16 pm on February 25, 2012 Permalink |
Thanks for the clarification. I’ll check into that!
Jeff Kroll 5:45 pm on March 5, 2012 Permalink |
Ok, I researched how to use the .iso version of gparted-live to boot into my virtual xp & after a few tries I successfully re-sized the xp drive from 10 gigs to its full 50. Upon booting normally into my virtual xp I checked the C: drive and. lo & behold, the full 50 was recognized! Thanks for the guidance & patience.
Aldous 4:08 am on July 11, 2012 Permalink |
I have followed your instructions, but cannot now make VirtualBox recognise the new .vdi file.
When I go to ‘virtual media manager’ it does not show up. Any ideas about how I can use this new .vdi file? I’ve checked in the vbox manual, but found nothing useful.
Thanks
BrainwreckedTech 5:44 pm on July 21, 2012 Permalink |
You have to add the VDI to a VM before it’ll show up in the Virtual Media Manager.
I feel your pain on this one. VirtualBox can’t seem to balance intuition and ease-of-use. It doesn’t help that VB3 used to have an Add option.
Jorge 1:16 pm on August 6, 2012 Permalink |
Please help. I followed the discussions with great interest because I had the first problem here reported. I have a Windows host and an Ubuntu guest. So I followed the “clonehd” and “resize” procedures and got a new bigger vdi. I then changed the HD specs in the VM to set the SATA controller to the new vdi. However when I run the VM I got the following error: VBOX_E_INVALID_OBJECT_STATE (0x80BB0007). Thanks in advance.
BrainwreckedTech 11:17 pm on August 18, 2012 Permalink |
Sorry for the late reply, but stuff happens.
https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31938
Does that solve it?
Gilesaj 12:16 am on November 4, 2012 Permalink |
I have created a clone using your directions and I tried tp resized the disk but got an error to say it could not do that type. I assume that the conversion from fixed to standard did not work ??
C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox>VBoxManage clonehd “C:\Users\giles\VirtualBox
VMs\WEB_SERVER_CENTOS6_Clone\WEB_SERVER_CENTOS6_Clone.vdi” “C:\Users\giles\Vir
tualBox VMs\CENTOS6_WEB_SERVER\CENTOS6_WEB_SERVER.vdi” –variant Standard
0%…10%…20%…30%…40%…50%…60%…70%…80%…90%…100%
Clone hard disk created in format ‘VDI’. UUID: 56835b5d-f6fd-4a6b-99cc-993e976cf
a0e
C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox>VBoxManage modifyhd “C:\Users\giles\VirtualBox VMs\CENTOS6_WEB_SERVER\CENTOS6_WEB_SERVER.vdi” –resize 40
0%…
Progress state: VBOX_E_NOT_SUPPORTED
VBoxManage.exe: error: Resize hard disk operation for this format is not impleme
nted yet!
Gilesaj 8:27 pm on November 4, 2012 Permalink |
I see where I went wrong. It worked just fine I put in 40 for 40 Gig when I should have entered 40960 mb. It is increasing the size of the disk as I type.
Thanks for the article it helped me out of a tight spot.
Manne 5:06 pm on December 22, 2012 Permalink |
nice how-to for changing fixed size discs to dynamically in virtualbox.
thx
helped me a lot, im running vbox on a qnap NAS server. so every thing is a bit difficult due to the f****g QNAP kernel
x2es 10:38 am on February 4, 2013 Permalink |
How to do with snapshots tree created from VDI which should be converted?
Before I found this HOWTO I has compact my fixed VDI with –compact option. Now all works fine – which problems may appears?
BrainwreckedTech 8:45 pm on February 6, 2013 Permalink |
Cloning will not keep the snapshot tree in tact. You can use clonehd on a snapshot, with the result being a VDI with no snapshots itself, but still a clone of the entire hard drive state you selected.
Snapshots are stored as “diffs” with a UUID for the file name. You can use the GUI to find what the UUID is for the snapshot you want to clone from.
Anonymous 3:27 am on April 4, 2013 Permalink |
Really nice! I found out that it is a huge waste with fixed storage when storing the image on an SSD. Better go dynamic then…