In Windows system, there are two hard disk configuration types – basic disk and dynamic disk. Basic disk dominates the PC world to make the disk management easy. While for advanced users and IT administrators, they would prefer to improve the performance of computers with several hard disks by using dynamic disk.

What Is Basic Disk?

Basic disks are the storage types most often used with Windows. The basic disk manages the data by primary partition, extended partition and logical partition on the disk. In Windows, the basic disk can have four primary partitions or three primary partitions, one extended partition. On basic disk, each partition is an isolated unit. Partitions on basic disks do not allow us to share or spilt data with other partitions.

What Is Dynamic Disk?

Compared with Basic Disk, the main character of Dynamic disk is that dynamic disk is able to split or share data among two or more dynamic hard disks on a computer. A single dynamic disk, for example, may actually be made up of storage space on two separate hard disks. Furthermore, dynamic disk can copy data among two or more hard disks to prevent from the chance of a single disk failed. This function improves reliability but requires more hard disks.

Convert Basic Disk to Dynamic

Dynamic disk provides us more functions in comparison with basic disk. In some versions of Windows, for example, several independent dynamic disks can be joined to form a spanned volume, and data can be split into several hard disks. So, we need to convert basic disk to dynamic to make the applications run more smoothly. How to convert basic disk to dynamic? Firstly, open “disk management” in “Computer”, and then click “Computer Management” and “storage”, click “Disk Management”. Finally, right click on the Basic Disk that is need to convert, choose “convert to dynamic disk”, then follow the instructions and you’ll succeeded in converting Basic Disk to Dynamic.

Convert Dynamic Disk to Basic

It’s not possible to convert dynamic disk to basic disk directly unless you delete the volumes on the disk.

Following steps and you’ll do it:

  1. Right click on “My Computer”, choose “Management”,
  2. Open “Computer Management”, expend “storage”, choose “Disk Management”,
  3. After deleting all the volumes on dynamic disk, then right click on the grey area of the corresponding physical disk, on the shortcut menu, select “Convert to basic disk” command.
  4.  After finished the convert, the disk system would take effect without having to reboot.

But how can we convert dynamic to basic disk without losing data? You may use AOMEI Dynamic Disk Manager, which allows you to finish the complex work in seconds. What’s more, AOMEI Dynamic Disk Manager enjoys a good reputation among users and it is certified disk conversation software.

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