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On my Windows 8.1 host I have a Ubuntu 14 guest and I've run out of logical disk space.

Hunting on the web I've followed this guide: https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=50661

My virtual disk space is doubled but the fixed size, the logical space is full leaving me with lots of space that I cannot use. Some posts suggest that it will be resized when some applications run that need the space, but I need to get some files from dropbox and repeated attempts abort the download. Plus I cannot get any other work done.

Ubuntu reports in df that the free space is unchanged.

OK, surely I can create a new "Hard disk" in VB and clone the original "drive" into it. Apparently not, here's the result:

C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox>VBoxManage clonehd "C:\Users\sam\VirtualBox V
Ms\Ubuntu 14 desktop\Ubuntu 14 desktop.vdi" "C:\Users\sam\VirtualBox VMs\Ubuntu
14 desktop\NewVirtualDisk1.vdi" --format VDI --variant standard
0%...
Progress state: VBOX_E_FILE_ERROR
VBoxManage.exe: error: Failed to clone hard disk
VBoxManage.exe: error: Could not create the clone medium 'C:\Users\sam\VirtualBo
x VMs\Ubuntu 14 desktop\NewVirtualDisk1.vdi'.
VBoxManage.exe: error: VDI: cannot create image 'C:\Users\sam\VirtualBox VMs\Ubu
ntu 14 desktop\NewVirtualDisk1.vdi' (VERR_ALREADY_EXISTS)
VBoxManage.exe: error: Details: code VBOX_E_FILE_ERROR (0x80bb0004), component M
edium, interface IMedium
VBoxManage.exe: error: Context: "int __cdecl handleCloneHardDisk(struct HandlerA
rg *)" at line 743 of file VBoxManageDisk.cpp

Since it appears VB can only assign one hard drive to a machine how would I clone the contents into this new space?

Or how could I reformat the first clone and then move over the original files into the new space? thx, sam

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  • I often find it easier just to copy the file then change the GUID of that file.
    – Ramhound
    Nov 19, 2014 at 17:40
  • The error makes it sound like the file already exists. If you've already created the destination disk you need to include the --existing flag on the command line See Docs.
    – heavyd
    Nov 19, 2014 at 17:40
  • This should do it but I get "Syntax error: Specified options which cannot be used with --existing" I've googled for that phrase and come up with nothing. I've played with putting the flag in different places but the same result.
    – sam452
    Nov 19, 2014 at 18:00
  • It seems to work when I leave off the other flags (variant, format) but Vbox reports the same dilemma: Virtual size doubled but the actual size unchanged. How to copy the files into the larger formatted space? That's my understanding of what clone is?
    – sam452
    Nov 19, 2014 at 18:27
  • heavyd, if you could post your response as an answer, I'll accept it since it is correct.
    – sam452
    Nov 19, 2014 at 22:40

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