TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

  • This process only works for servers that have not already been internally partitioned.

    • If your server has been partitioned, you must first revert it back to its original provisioning state. Only then can disk changes be applied via Change Plan actions or through the mPanel’s disk modification settings.

  • You will need access to the BinaryLane mPanel and the ability to log into your Windows Server (either through Remote Desktop or the mPanel console).

  • There must be free space available to perform the shrinking operation.

    • If no free space is available, you can add more using the Change Plan page for your server.


Shrink the Existing Disk in mPanel

  1. Log into BinaryLane and navigate to the server you want to modify.

  2. Select the settings icon (⚙️) next to your server's name.

  3. Under the 'Disk' section, select ' - Allocation'.

    Drop-down menu selector positioned on 'Allocation'

  4. Shrink the existing disk to create unallocated space.

    • Example: On a 100GB server, shrink the SYSTEM disk down to 80GB to free 20GB for a new disk.

    • The server will need to reboot to apply this change.

Newly created unallocated disk space


Create a New Disk in mPanel

  1. Once unallocated space is available, clickadd buttonto create a new disk.

  2. Set the size and give the disk a name (e.g., DATA).

  3. After changes apply, you will see two disks assigned to your VPS within mPanel.




Configure the New Disk in Windows

Bring the Disk Online

  1. Log into your Windows Server.

  2. Press the Windows key, type dskmgmt.msc, and open "Create and format hard disk partitions".

  3. You should see two disks listed: Disk 0 (SYSTEM) and Disk 1 (DATA).

    Disk Management before configuration

  4. Right-click the new disk in the left pane and select 'Online'.

    dskmgmt.msc bringing disk online


Initialize the Disk

  1. Right-click the same left pane again and select 'Initialize Disk'.


  2. Choose MBR as the partition style, then click OK.

    The disk is now online but marked as unallocated:



Create a New Volume & Formatting

  1. Right-click the unallocated space (right pane) and select New Simple Volume.


  2. Proceed through the wizard until the Assign Drive Letter or Path stage.

  3. Assign a drive letter (e.g., D:) and click Next.

  4. In the Format Partition step:

    • Leave the defaults for file system and allocation size.

    • Set the Volume label as needed (e.g., DATA).


  5. Complete the wizard. The new disk will now appear as online, connected, and formatted:




Verify the New Drive in File Explorer


Open File Explorer. You should now see the new drive with the assigned letter.


If you require assistance, feel free to submit a support ticket at our helpdesk here: Submit a ticket | BinaryLane