Expanding the root partition on Windows & Ubuntu

So I run out of space on my Windows XP and Ubuntu root partitions. Turns out that the same procedure works for both... its a two-for-one deal!

Step 1 - Cleanly shutdown the Virtual Machine

Step 2 - Resize the Virtual Disk

In Fusion for the Mac, this is just a question of going to the setting panel and adjusting the slide for the Disk capacity (Virtual Machines > Settings > Hard Disk).

If you are using one of the myriad of other VMWare products, one reliable way is to usevmware-vdiskmanager. This provides a mechanism to resize the virtual disk through the command line.

Step 3 - Re-partition the disk

You will need to download our use your favorite partitioning tool. I have used gparted successfully.

Using the gparted ISO disk image, its a simple task of mounting the image in the CD/DVD drive and then rebooting. Move the partitions around in order to utilize the free space in the virtual disk

Step 4 - Reboot

After you have created the free space for the O/S, reboot and you are away!