vmexplorer

Never assume Windows 2008 is Aligned out of the box

Posted on January 24, 2012 Updated on September 19, 2016

I hear this topic come up from MANY and I mean MANY VMware folk. When I say VMware folk, I mean just about every person who interfaces with the product – Yes it’s that many

I believe it is a common misconception that Windows 2008 is aligned out of the box.

*The crowd goes silent as a distance ‘Ahh..’ and ‘No’ silently streams through the audience*

I also believe that Windows 2008 has a better chance of being aligned out of the box then most – But Don’t Trust it.

Still don’t believe me? Then read this from the horse’s mouth…

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd758814(v=sql.100).aspx  << Look for the topic “Partition Alignment in Windows Operating Systems”

From the above Microsoft link about alignment –

Partition Alignment in Windows Operating Systems

The way partition alignment works depends on the version of Windows being used and the version in which the partition alignment was created. The following sections describe how partition alignment works in Windows Server 2008, the Windows Vista® operating system, and Windows Server 2003 and earlier.

Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista: New Partitions

In Windows Vista as well as Windows Server 2008, partition alignment is usually performed by default. The default for disks larger than 4 GB is 1 MB; the setting is configurable and is found in the registry at the following location:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\VDS\Alignment

However, if OEM setups are delivered (for example, with recovery partitions), even fresh installations of Windows Server 2008 having partitions with undesirable partition starting offsets have been observed.

Whatever the operating system, confirm that new partitions are properly aligned.

I’m guessing at this point you still have doubt… But wait here’s more proof… I’ve seen misalignment in production environments… *No Way – Yes Way*

https://vmexplorer.com/2011/03/11/vm-check-alignment-tool/

Do you believe now?

If so maybe the best approach to this topic is to start stating “Windows 2008 is a better aligned OS but it needs to be checked just like ever Windows OS out there.”