How to non destructively convert dynamic disks to basic disks

8/7/2019 How to non destructively convert dynamic disks to basic disks

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How to non-destructively convert dynamic

disks to basic disks

Posted on March 28, 2007by mypkb| 217 Comments

The official method to convert dynamic disks back to basic disks is to back up the data, format

the disks, and finally restore the data from backup. See Microsofts instructions on how to dothat here.

Of course, nobody wants to do that, and sometimes its not even possible to implement this

method. It assumes that you can boot up the computer or at least access the drives and back up

the data in the first place. So what are the other options?

Well, I unfortunately had to look for another solution last week when my computer refused to

recognize any of my 4 dynamic hard drives. Here are the results of my search:

1. Use TestDisk. If you want to know why and how, keep reading or jump to the conclusion

section.

2. If you are lucky enough to be able to boot, follow Microsofts own instructions to avoid thebackup/format/restore method.

Note: Ignore the title of this knowledge base article and go straight to the WORKAROUND

section.

Detailed instructions with screen shots can be found on thelazyadmin.com blog.

3. If your computer wont boot, read on.

After installing the free VMWare server 1.0.2 and loading Vista Ultimate Edition as a virtual

machine on my Windows XP Pro machine, my computer wouldnt boot in any mode. LastKnow Good Configuration didnt change anything, and a repair install was not an option asneither Setup nor the recovery console were able to detect the Windows installation. Running the

map command from the recovery console listed all my drives but they all had question marks

instead of the expected drive letters. bootcfg /scan didnt find anything. ERD Commander

couldnt help either (no Windows installation detected). I wasnt even able to mount the drivesusing a Linux live CD.

My next step was to buy an external enclosure for my SATA drives (Vantec NexStar 3, works

great) to backup the data from a working computer. When dynamic disks are connected to a

computer running XP or Vista, they show up as Foreign in the Disk Management console(diskmgmt.msc). All you have to do is right-click the drive and select Import Foreign Disk.

Except this time it didnt work, and instead I received 2 error messages back to back:

INTERNAL Error The disk group contains no valid configurations copies (C10000B6)
http://mypkb.wordpress.com/2007/03/28/how-to-non-destructively-convert-dynamic-disks-to-basic-disks/http://mypkb.wordpress.com/2007/03/28/how-to-non-destructively-convert-dynamic-disks-to-basic-disks/http://mypkb.wordpress.com/author/mypkb/http://mypkb.wordpress.com/2007/03/28/how-to-non-destructively-convert-dynamic-disks-to-basic-disks/#commentshttp://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/library/354e5163-f388-4354-984c-ea4e4206694c1033.mspx?mfr=truehttp://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDiskhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/913964http://thelazyadmin.com/index.php?/archives/161-Converting-Dynamic-Disks-Back-to-Basic-Disks.htmlhttp://www.vantecusa.com/p_nst260su_bk.htmlhttp://mypkb.wordpress.com/author/mypkb/http://mypkb.wordpress.com/2007/03/28/how-to-non-destructively-convert-dynamic-disks-to-basic-disks/#commentshttp://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/library/354e5163-f388-4354-984c-ea4e4206694c1033.mspx?mfr=truehttp://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDiskhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/913964http://thelazyadmin.com/index.php?/archives/161-Converting-Dynamic-Disks-Back-to-Basic-Disks.htmlhttp://www.vantecusa.com/p_nst260su_bk.htmlhttp://mypkb.wordpress.com/2007/03/28/how-to-non-destructively-convert-dynamic-disks-to-basic-disks/


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followed by

Unspecified error (80004005)

Looking up these error messages didnt lead to anything useful so I decided to give up on the

dynamic disk to basic disk conversion topic and started to search for data recovery software.Thats how I found TestDisk.

I ran TestDisk on a XP Pro laptop, it detected my USB-connected foreign drive, found all my

partitions (dynamic disk volumes), allowed me to backup my data to the laptop, and offered

the option to write a new partition table based on what it had found . I did just that, securelyremoved the USB enclosure, plugged it back and voila! My laptop detected a new basic disk,

with partitions instead of volumes, drive letters, and best of all, all my data intact.

I was then able to reinstall the drive in my computer, repair Windows and from there runTestDisk on the three remaining drives so I can confirm that it works for external (USB) drives,

IDE drives and SATA drives.

Conclusion:

TestDisk 6.6 will allow to backup your data and, if you let it rewrite the partition stucture, it will

convert your dynamic disk to a basic disk without touching the data.

Run TestDisk:

Select Create to log information.
http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDiskhttp://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDiskhttp://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDiskhttp://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk


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The program detects all the drives connected to your computer (internal, external, Flash drives).

Highlight the one you want to work on, select Proceed and press Enter.

Make the appropriate choice for your computer and press Enter.

Select Analyse and press Enter.


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It displays the current structure. Select Backup first, then Proceed. Backing up first is a good

idea if you later want to restore the drives partition structure.

It might take a while to get to that screen if your drive is having problems, but eventually, itll

display all the partitions it found. Select a partition and press P if you want to see the files stored

on that particular partition, then press c to copy the files to the folder TestDisk is running fromany available drive with enough free space. [Thanks to commenter Bob Janes for pointing out to

me that it is indeed possible to backup your data anywhere you wish]

Press Enter to continue.


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This is where you can make the dynamic to basic drive conversion happen. Select Write, then

press Y to confirm that you want to write the new partition structure to disk.Quit the program, reboot the drive you just modified and enjoy your new basic drive.

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How to non destructively convert dynamic disks to basic disks