Server administrators need a reliable disk partition tool to manage storage throughout its lifecycle. When deploying a brand-new disk, you must initialize, create, and format partitions before saving data. After the server runs for a period of time, you may need to perform advanced operations, such as shrinking a volume to create new ones, extending the C drive when it runs out of space, or cloning the disk to upgrade to a larger drive. This article introduces the native Disk Management utility and the best disk partition software for Windows Server 2019/2022 to help you accomplish all these tasks safely.
1. Free Disk Management Tool in Server 2019/2022
As with previous versions, Windows Server 2019/2022 has two native tools to help manage disk partitions: Disk Management and diskpart. Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) has a graphical interface and is able to create, delete, format partitions, set a partition as Active, and change drive letters and paths. Diskpart is a command prompt tool that can perform the same tasks via command lines.
- How to shrink partition with diskpart in Windows Server 2019
- How to extend volume with diskpart in Windows Server 2019
What Does Disk Management Do in Server 2019/2022
For an initialized disk, the options include:
- New Spanned Volume
- New Striped Volume
- New Mirrored Volume
- New RAID-5 Volume
- Convert to Dynamic Disk
- Convert to GPT disk
- Offline
- Properties
For an allocated partition, the options include:
- Open root directory in File Explorer
- Mark partition as Active
- Change drive letter and path
- Format
- Extend Volume
- Shrink Volume
- Add Mirror
- Delete partition
- Properties
Disk Management Advanced Features
Change partition size:
As with previous versions, Server 2019 Disk Management has Shrink Volume and Extend Volume functions to help resize allocated partitions without losing data (in most cases).
But because of some limitations, Disk Management cannot extend a partition by shrinking another one. In addition, only NTFS partitions can be resized.
Disk conversion:
Disk Management has the option to convert a disk between MBR and GPT, and convert a disk between basic and dynamic.
However, it can only convert a basic disk to dynamic without losing data. To convert a dynamic disk to basic or convert between MBR and GPT, you must delete all partitions beforehand on the disk.
Manage dynamic volumes:
Server 2019 Disk Management is able to create and manage Simple, Mirrored, Striped, Spanned and RAID 5 dynamic volumes.
However, dynamic disks consume more server resources and complicate disk management. Since hardware RAID controllers are standard and much cheaper now, it is highly recommended to use hardware RAID arrays instead of Windows dynamic volumes.
2. The Safest Disk Partition Tool for Windows Server 2019/2022
Resizing partitions requires updating the partition table and file system. Any software error or hardware issue (like a power outage) during this process can cause system boot failure or data loss. Therefore, always back up your server first and use safe partition software.
Better than other disk partition tools, NIUBI Partition Editor has advanced technologies to protect your system and data:
- Advanced file-moving algorithm – 30% to 300% faster when shrinking, moving, or cloning partitions.
- Cancel-at-will – You can cancel ongoing operations safely at any progress without losing data or damaging partitions.
- Virtual Mode – All operations are listed as pending for preview. Real disk partitions won't be modified until you click "Apply" to confirm.
- 1-Second Rollback – If any error is detected while modifying partitions, it automatically reverts the server to its original status instantly.
- Hot Clone – Clone the system disk or data partition without interrupting the server. You can boot from the cloned disk immediately if the primary disk fails.
Download this tool, and you will see the main window with your disk partition structure. Available operations for the selected disk or partition are listed on the left and by right-clicking. Unavailable operations are hidden automatically to keep the interface clean.
Available operations for a disk:
- Initialize brand new disk
- Change status to offline or online
- Set read-only attribute
- Wipe disk (cannot be recovered)
- Surface test
- View properties
- Clone disk to migrate data and OS
- Convert MBR disk to GPT
- Delete all partitions
- Cleanup disk
Available operations for a partition:
- Resize volume (shrink and extend)
- Move partition location
- Merge two adjacent volumes by 1 step
- Optimize file system
- Copy volume to Unallocated space
- Convert partition between Logical and Primary
- Convert NTFS to FAT32
- Change drive letter (such as D:)
- Change label (add or modify name of partition)
- Set as Active
- Check file system integrity
- Defrag to improve performance
- Hide from File Explorer
- Delete (files can be recovered)
- Format volume to use as new
- Wipe (erase data permanently)
- Surface test (scan bad sectors)
- Explore (view files/folders within directory)
- View properties
3. The Fastest Disk Partition Software for Server 2019/2022
When selecting a disk partition tool for Windows Server 2019/2022, speed is another crucial factor. When moving a partition or shrinking it towards the right, the start position of the partition changes, requiring all files within it to be physically moved to new locations. The more files there are, the longer this process takes.
Thanks to its advanced file-moving algorithm, NIUBI Partition Editor is 30% to 300% faster than other tools. This strictly saves your time, especially when there is a large amount of files and the operations require a server reboot to execute.
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