If I require more HDD space and therefore resizing virtualbox: to encrypt install or keep unencrypted?

[stx8]

Hi all,

I tried to search but I think the problem is that I am not familiar enough to search more specific. If there is something wrong with my post, do advise and I can delete.

Onto the issue:

I had created a 10GB "VDI" on VirtualBox and installed Linux Mint 19. I chose encryption, and I BELIEVE LVM options. My host system is Windows.

I ran out of space on the 10GB. I followed an online guide that suggested the following:
-Backup the VDI (in case things go wrong )
-Create new larger VDI -Boot with LiveCD
-Copy using DD the old "HD" to the new "HD"
-Resize the unallocated space

This was all great.

However, upon booting up the "new" VDI, I noticed I still had the space issue. GPart on the VM shows the new drive space (30GB), but it is encrypted. I imagine I could not do the copy with DD because of the encryption option.

What should I do now? Since I don't have a ton installed, is it easier to just spin up a new machine and manually mount + copy over data files?
And not set up OS level encryption this time?

Thanks, Drew

[smokinmoe]

Perhaps you could try to resize the VDI using the Virtual Media Manager..
Form the main Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager choose File/Virtual Media Manager.
Locate the virtual disk you want to change and click on it.
There should be a slider at the bottom of the Virtual Media Manager window that allows you to resize the virtual disk:

Screenshot from 2018-07-18 12-33-39.png

[AndyMH]

Perhaps you could try to resize the VDI using the Virtual Media Manager..

I think this depends on whether you created your VM as either static or dynamically allocated, with one you can resize with the other you can't, but can't remember which. What you can do is clone the existing VM (right click on it in the VB window) and resize the clone, in a terminal:

Code: Select all

VBoxManage modifyhd Windows71.vdi --resize 30000

This resizes my win7 VM from whatever it was to 30GB.

10GB is a little small for a mint installation. My root is 22GB (admittedly I've got a lot of stuff installed) and that's not making any allowance for /home.

Alternatively, since you don't have a lot to lose, I'd start again and re-install mint in a VM of around 20GB.

In my view you've got it the wrong way round, mint should be your main OS with win in a VM

[WharfRat]

Since you have a logical volume you can just add another newly created virtual disk, mark it as an LVM member and extend it that way.