Solved Dynamic Disk Type?

[Vigorous]

I shrank my C: drive about 40 gigabytes so I could make a backup partition. Once it finished it changed all my partitions except the boot one to dynamic, even the C: drive. Is this fine? Will it ruin anything or will I need to change my C: drive back to basic or primary? On my laptop my C: drive is blue on the bottom Disk 0 line and on the list its listed as basic.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

I shrank my C: drive about 40 gigabytes so I could make a backup partition. Once it finished it changed all my partitions except the boot one to dynamic, even the C: drive. Is this fine? Will it ruin anything or will I need to change my C: drive back to basic or primary? On my laptop my C: drive is blue on the bottom Disk 0 line and on the list its listed as basic.

Welcome V look mate am no expert but what exactly were you trying to do - if it was just backing up why not just use an external drive?

 

[Vigorous]

I just don't want to get a external hard drive.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

I just don't want to get a external hard drive.

No probs - just a suggestion - personally I find it a really safe way of keeping my drive cloned / backed up / imaged and ready to rock should the main throw in the sponge.

 

[Night Hawk]

Dynamic volumes are generally seen in use with server drives as a rule. For the home pc you generally see the Basic instead by default. That's why there's always a few mbs lying around unused on a drive people wonder to allow for changing volume types.

As long as you are not seeing any problems as far as OS or partition table information you should be alright. Some good information on this can be looked over in the MS TechNet library however on the page seen at Working with Basic and Dynamic Disks

 

[gregrocker]

No you do not want a Dynamic Disk which is why it warns that your HD is about to convert when adding a fifth Primary partition. Dynamic is meant to span partition(s) across multiple HD's.

The only way to convert it back non-destructively is to use free Partition Wizard bootable CD version 4.2 which is the last version Conversion was included as a free feature. Download from here and burn to CD using Windows Image Burner or ImgBurn freeware: pw422.zip ISO - Windows Live

Before converting boot PW CD to delete the R partition since you can only have 4 Primary, or 3 Primary and unlimited Logical partitions.

Then follow this video tutorial: How to convert dynamic disk to basic disk with Partition Wizard?

Afterwards you can Modify>Convert to Logical C then Resize to add as many Logical sub-partitions as you want.

 

[Vigorous]

Do you know what speed I should burn it at? I must boot from the disc?

 

[gregrocker]

WIndows Image Burner will get it right at default speed. ImgBurn never fails at 4x speed.

 

[Vigorous]

WIndows Image Burner will get it right at default speed. ImgBurn never fails at 4x speed.

Do I boot from the disc?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Partition Wizard?? Yes.

 

[Vigorous]

So I boot Partition Wizard from the disc and follow that tutorial video?

 

[gregrocker]

Yes, but first you'll have to delete the fifth Primary partition you added which caused it to convert. Just delete it, no need to resize.

I wrote about how you can deal with adding partitions after converting your disk.

 

[Vigorous]

Yes, but first you'll have to delete the fifth Primary partition you added which caused it to convert.

I wrote about how you can deal with adding partitions after converting your disk.

What do I delete it with? Partition Wizard?

 

[gregrocker]

What do I delete it with? Partition Wizard?

Yes:

Before converting boot PW CD to delete the R partition

 

[Vigorous]

All I get is Disk 1 and its just that showing everything. It isn't showing my partitions though.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Post a picture of what you do see in Partition Wizard if you can't figure it out.

 

[gregrocker]

I've never seen PW not show a drive map. What does it show for Disk 1: size, content, listings?

If it matches your HD, then click on the Disk # and see if Disk Tab allows you to choose Convert to Basic. If so, then select it and Apply step.

If not, reboot into Disk Management to delete R Partition, then reboot into PW CD to see if you can click on Disk # to Convert to Basic from Disk tab.

 

[Vigorous]

This is what I get.

 

[Vigorous]

The only thing that I see that I can do is convert but I haven't gotten to delete that partition yet.

 

[gregrocker]

Reboot into Disk Mgmt to Delete R. Partition or Volume - Delete

THen boot back into PW CD to click on HD #, from DIsk tab select Convert to Basic, Apply step, reboot.