Dynamic volume vs basic windows 7

Before we figure out the difference between dynamic disk and basic disk, let's see what is a basic disk. It is the most common disk type used in Windows OS. When you initialize a hard disk on your computer, it would initially set up as a basic disk. A basic disk store data on different basic partitions, or drives. You are allowed to manage storage space by resizing, deleting, extending, formatting partitions within one basic disk. Meanwhile, a dynamic disk also supports you to resize its volumes.

Besides, you can share data among various dynamic disk to prevent data damage or loss. Differ with basic disks, dynamic disks create volumes that span among up to 32 physical disks. It gives fine disk performance and flexbility by creating 5 types different volumes, including simple volume, spanned volume, striped volume, RAID-5 volume.

You can change the size of a simple volume on the dynamic disk. And if there are only one dynamic disk on your PC, simple volumes are only allowed to be created. Its data are distributed in multiple disks. The next table makes a brief summary of the differences between dynamic disk and basic disk. Any more feedback? The more you tell us the more we can help.

Can you help us improve? Resolved my issue. Clear instructions. Easy to follow. No jargon. Pictures helped. Didn't match my screen. Incorrect instructions. That is to say, all Windows OS except the current running one will be unbootable. Therefore, users who are dual or multi booting Windows on one disk had better not convert the basic disk to dynamic disk if they want to run all Windows well.

This will appear if there is not enough free space that is not partitioned at the end of the disk to create the database for the dynamic disk. To fix the error, we need to shrink the last partition to create such a space via the feature "Shrink Volume". However, once a disk has been converted to dynamic disk, we will be unable to convert it to basic disk in both Disk Management and Diskpart unless we delete all existing dynamic volumes. Needless to say, this operation will lead to data loss.

But fortunately, there is an excellent partitioning tool which makes it possible to restore a dynamic disk to basic without deleting any information. Step 1. Here are the steps to make this conversion. Essentially, this message will tell you that except the current operating system, others will be unbootable.

This is a system warning to users who have dual or multi-booting Windows on the same disk, as this conversion will not allow you to boot other operating systems anymore. Converting a dynamic disk to a basic disk is a little tricky. You can manually convert your dynamic disk to a basic one by cleaning all the volumes on your dynamic disk.

Once the partition is reverted back to basic, you can copy your data to the partitioned disk. While this is doable, it is time-consuming and can be frustrating as well, especially if you have large volumes of data. The steps to use this tool are as follows. Though this process is easier than manual conversion, there will still be data loss. You have to back up your data before running this tool. The most convenient option is to use third-party tools that will convert your dynamic disk to a basic one.

As you can see, although there are a few similarities between basic and dynamic disks, dynamic disks offer a lot more flexibility to store your data in the way you want. It supports more partitions and even allows you to store volumes across multiple disks.

The best part about these disks is you can convert from one to the other. Converting from basic to dynamic is simple and straightforward, while the other way is a little tricky. Have you done this conversion? Do you know any other easy way? Please let us know in the comments section. Home » Data Center » Storage » Basic disk vs. Lavanya Rathnam is a professional writer of tech and financial blogs. Creative thinker, out of the boxer, content builder and tenacious researcher who specializes in explaining complex ideas to different audiences.

I'm using one right now that is 2. I know absolutely nothing about computers except how to reinstall windows. But after reading this, I am starting to see her explanation of how to convert a basic disk into a dynamic one by combining several basic disks to create a volume that can be assigned as a dynamic disk. Isn't it what your RAID-5 array does?