Difference between dynamic and basic disk. Convert to dynamic disk - what does it mean. Basic disk limits

At one time, the creators of the Windows NT 5.0 operating system (which revealed itself to the world on February 17, 2000) brought with it many new interesting features compared to its predecessors.

One of the most notable innovations in Windows 2000 was dynamic disks, the exact opposite of the old primary (or "basic") disks that were standard. disk drives and first appeared in MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System). Any main drive has the corresponding structure:

• System partition(sometimes referred to as "master") is a partition containing the base files of the operating system (for example, Windows files). Usually, system partition marked with the letter "C".
• Additional section- this is a section that stores the user's personal data (for example, photos, songs, videos).
• logical drive- this is part of an additional partition that performs the same functions as the system partition. The only difference between this disk and the system partition is the inability to run an operating system on it.

Dynamic disks, in turn, support the concept of volumes, which are units of storage using unused areas hard drive.

Any dynamic disk volume can have the following structure:

• simple volume- analogue of a regular partition in basic disks. It is located on only one hard drive. Has an average performance.
• Composite volume- many simple volumes combined into one large volume. Unlike simple volume can be placed on several hard drives at the same time. Hence follows important disadvantage spanned volume- high risk of information loss if one of the hard drives turns out to be faulty.
• Mirror volume- this is a set of volumes that ensure the safety of data due to their duplication. All data contained on the first disk is copied to the second. Therefore, if one of the disks fails, the duplicated information will be available on the other disk. A mirrored volume is a good example of reliability, but it makes up for it in poor performance due to copying data to a mirrored disk.
• Striped Volume- an analogue of a spanned volume (must have at least two disks), but differs from it in that the information is distributed evenly across all disks that are part of a striped volume. A hard drive failure can cause permanent data loss beyond recovery. In compensation, the striped volume provides high speed writing data to disk.

Basic to Dynamic

To make the primary disk dynamic, you need:

• Select the "Disk Management" option (it's in Control panels, then go to the "Administration" section, and then - "Computer Management").
• Using the Run tool (Win + R) and entering the command diskmgmt.msc

A small window will appear on the screen with the appropriate title.

1. In the menu on the left, the user must select the "Disk Management" section. Further conversion is carried out by pressing the right mouse button, for example, on the first disk and selecting the command "Convert to dynamic disk ..."
2. In this case, a warning will appear that after this procedure, the user will not be able to install Windows on this disk (the ability to select a converted disk in the menu Windows installation will be missing).

And back

It is worth noting that the user can make a dynamic disk basic, but this process will take a little more time.

In addition, before this copy all information from a dynamic disk to another media.

1. Without leaving the "Computer Management" window, you need to define a dynamic disk (it differs from the base one by a shaded field).
2. Next, in the "Action" menu, select "All Tasks", and then click on "Delete Volume".
3. A window will appear informing you that all data will be lost if this operation is performed. We agree.
4. Now the inscription (under "Disk [number]" in the light gray block on the left) about the current status of the disk will change from "Healthy" to "Unallocated".
5. Then, by pressing the right mouse button on the light gray (pale) block, we call context menu and select the option "Convert to Basic Disk..."
6. The caption under "Disk [number]" will change to "Basic".
7. With the white block of this drive selected, launch the Partition Wizard (“Action”, “All Tasks”, “Create Partition…”)
8. In the wizard window, first select the type of partition, set its size (or accept the value offered by the computer), select the letter that our disk will be designated with (or accept the one suggested by the computer), the cluster size and put a tick next to the "Quick format" item.
9. Click on "Finish".

Suddenly changed to dynamic disk. This did not stop me from showing how sections can be edited and this topic remained undisclosed. But even then, the thought crept into my head that I knew nothing about these dynamic disks. And what better way to advance you in a topic than writing an article? Just writing an article and making your own video). This moment has come and here we will figure out what it is, what they are for and what can be done with dynamic disks. At the end of the article there will be a video in which everything is told and shown.

Dynamic disk is Microsoft's technology for implementing software disk arrays - RAID. First appeared in Windows NT. Information about the dynamic disk structure was contained in the Windows registry. This created some inconvenience. When you reinstall the OS, all information was lost.

In Windows 2000, information about the structure of a dynamic disk was already contained in the disk itself, which solved the problem of operating system dependency. It was easy to transfer a disk from one system to another, while the information was available.

A volume differs from a partition in that it can span multiple physical drives.

Volumes of dynamic disks

• Simple volume. Nothing different from a regular section. Can only be located on one physical disk.
• Composite volume. May be located on several physical disk X. Information is recorded on one disc, everything that does not fit is recorded on another. If one of the hard drives fails, you lose all information on the spanned volume. Accordingly, the risk of information loss for a composite volume located on two drives doubles.
• Striped volume. Similar to RAID 0. At least two physical disks are required to create this volume. Information is written in sectors: even on one disk, odd on another. At the same time, we have an almost twofold increase in performance, since information is written and read from two disks at once. The data access speed will be determined by the slowest drive. The risk of data loss is higher because two disks are used. If one of the drives fails, you lose all information. Data recovery won't help.
• Mirror volume. Similar to RAID 1. Created from partitions of two physical disks. To create a mirrored 1 TB volume, you need to allocate a 1 TB partition on one hard drive and a 1 TB partition on the other hard drive. In this case, you will see and work with a 1 TB partition. The information will simply be duplicated on the second physical disk. Differs in the increased reliability as data is written down at once on two disks. If one of the drives fails, all information will be safe on the other.
• RAID-5 volume. This volume requires a minimum of three physical disks to build. In this case, the effective space for information is calculated by the formula: (n-1)*(HDD size). Checksums for recovery are stored on a separate disk, and on all disks in a mix. For example, you need to write a 2 megabyte file to a RAID-5 volume. This file is divided into two parts A and B of 1 MB each. According to the formula A XOR B, C is calculated - another 1 MB. Then A is written to the first disk, B to the second and C to the third. If one physical drive fails (containing, for example, part of file A), the missing part is calculated using the formula C XOR B = A. The recovery procedure heavily loads the processor and the remaining disks, as a result of which the risk of failure of another drive increases. But you need only one additional drive to recover information.

Converting a dynamic disk to primary

All disk conversions are conveniently performed by the built-in Windows tool - Disk Management. You can get into it by opening the main menu Start, right-clicking Computer and selecting Manage. On the left side of the window, select Disk Management.

Converting a primary disk to dynamic is simple. To do this, right-click on it and select Convert to dynamic disk ...

A warning will pop up asking you to click Yes.

This means that you will not be able to install Windows on a dynamic disk. When installed, it simply will not be visible. You can install Windows only on the main disk and on a USB flash drive.

You do not need to convert a dynamic disk to a primary disk. It will become the main one itself after you delete all partitions on it. That is, when only unallocated space remains on the disk, it will itself become the main one. When deleting partitions, the information will also be lost, so take care of a backup copy.

I haven’t tried to recover information from a dynamic disk and I hope I won’t have to, but they say that it’s an order of magnitude more complicated and you won’t get off with simple recovery programs.

Conclusion

Summing up, we can say that dynamic disks are not only software implementation RAID array, and additional features to manage volumes in Windows. With its help, you can more flexibly configure and edit sections. For example, if there is unallocated space on the disk, then you can expand any of the simple volumes, and not just the partitions adjacent to it.

It should also be noted that dynamic disks are not supported on laptops and netbooks. Desktop support requires advanced versions of Windows (maximum and enterprise or server OS). This also limits the widespread use of dynamic disks among the masses.

This article describes the safest way to convert a dynamic disk to primary. By deleting all partitions on it. You can do the same operation at your own risk using the Acronis Disk Director utility. In any case, it's safer to do backup or back up data to an external hard drive or at least another physical drive.

Now the organization of RAID arrays is supported by almost all modern motherboards. This takes the load off the processor. This calls into question the use of dynamic disk technology. And in my opinion, in Windows 8 this technology has already been replaced with a new one - Storage Pool, which you also need to write about.

On a Windows system, connected hard drives are initialized with a basic drive type by default. Basic, they are also the main disks are compatible with all versions of Windows. These are ordinary disks on which primary (primary) and logical partitions are created. The basic disk type is defined for most of the storage media in the user's computing devices.

But, being more common, basic disks offer less functionality than other types of disks - dynamic, floppy and custom disks. What are dynamic disks, what are their capabilities, pros and cons, how are partitions created on such disks using Windows tools - we will consider these issues below.

1. About dynamic disks

Dynamic disks are borrowed under license by Microsoft technology, it comes with Windows since version 2000, and is a software implementation of RAID arrays. The technology is not supported on Windows Home editions.

Dynamic disk technology is an additional option for allocating space on hard disks for the convenience of working with data, ensuring its safety, as well as increasing computer performance by combining the speed of different disks. Dynamic disks offer features not supported by base type disks, such as:

• increasing the size of partitions at the expense of space on the entire disk, and not only if there is an adjacent free space (unallocated space);
• support for partitions created from the volume of several hard drives;
• support for basic RAID configurations.

Among the advantages of this technology is a greater degree of reliability than using cheap RAID controllers. But only if we are talking about cheap RAID controllers with their shortcomings, such as driver errors or the possibility of data loss. The technology included in Windows, of course, is inferior to full-fledged expensive RAID controllers. In terms of removing the load from the processor, in principle, any hardware RAID- the array will be more efficient than the one implemented with software tools. But expensive RAID controllers will perform their tasks using their own resources, and offer wider functionality and provide fault tolerance.

Dynamic disks also have other disadvantages. They cannot be accessed from devices based on early versions systems (starting with Windows XP Home and below). Only one Windows system can be installed on dynamic disks, another Windows cannot exist on another partition.

During the reinstallation of Windows (its modern versions 7, 8.1 and 10), only a single dynamic disk partition will be available for formatting and selecting as a system partition - the partition on which Windows was located before the reinstallation.

The process of reinstalling Windows on a dynamic disk can take a long time. Often because new system sees the dynamic disk as a disk with errors, it starts the Chkdsk service to scan and fix errors. Intrusive Chkdsk activity is also experienced by users who connect to a computer with a dynamic disk removed from another computer. In order to avoid problems with reinstalling Windows on a dynamic disk, it can be converted to a basic disk before this process. And after reinstalling the system, perform the reverse process of converting the disk to dynamic.

Partitions on dynamic disks, as well as on basic ones, are configured by default to be formatted in the NTFS file system. The maximum partition size on dynamic MBR disks is 2 TB, and on dynamic GPT disks it is 18 TB. For dynamic disks, there are no concepts of primary and logical partitions, as there are for basic type disks. Partitions of dynamic disks have their own specifics, and it is not related to restrictions on the number created partitions. As for the number of possible partitions, there are no restrictions for dynamic type disks.

2. Convert basic disks to dynamic

You can convert disks from basic to dynamic using Windows itself, using the diskmgmt.msc utility (disk management). In all Windows versions it is called by pressing the Win + R keys (launching the Run window) and entering:

Any of the computer's disks can be converted from basic to dynamic. This transformation is done in two ways. The first way is manual conversion, when the context menu is called on the disk and the option "Convert to dynamic disk" is enabled.

Having chosen this method, then you need to either leave only the current disk, or check the boxes on all connected disks for batch conversion.

We confirm the decision in the window with a notification that other Windows on other partitions of the disk will no longer be able to start.

Everything, after these actions, the disk will turn into a dynamic one.

Another way to convert a disk to dynamic is to run dynamic disk operations. And those are also provided on the base disk, if only it was with unallocated space. In this case dynamic type the operating disk receives by default.

With the reverse process - - the situation is more complicated. So, dynamic disks with unallocated space are easily converted into basic ones: to do this, you need to open the context menu on the disk and enable the "Convert to basic disk" option.

In addition, when deleting partitions on a dynamic disk, it is automatically converted to basic. But if the dynamic disk already has a partition structure, turn it into a basic one Windows tools will not work. But such an opportunity is available in Acronis Disk Director, a functional program for working with disk space. The program can convert dynamic disks to basic ones without losing files stored on such disks.

3. Creating partitions on dynamic disks using Windows tools

What are the specifics of partitions (volumes) formed on dynamic disks? How are dynamic disk volumes created?

3.1. simple volume

A simple volume on a dynamic disk is a regular partition, just like the one created on a basic disk. It can only be created from free space on one medium. To create it on the free space of a dynamic disk, you need to call the context menu, then select "Create a simple volume" and go through the steps of the wizard.

3.2. Composite volume

A spanned volume is created from the volume of multiple hard drives. Compound volumes are used when it is necessary to form one large partition from several hard drives, for example, from old HDDs with a capacity of 80 GB. The maximum hard disk space that can form a spanned volume is 32. When moving data to a spanned volume, files are written sequentially, first to HDD, then to another, then to a third, and so on. A spanned volume is vulnerable: if one hard drive fails, user files can be lost even though the other drives remain healthy. In a composite volume, everything is interconnected, and without one of the links in the chain - one of the disks - the partition will simply cease to exist.

To create a spanned volume, on the free space of one of the disks, you need to call the context menu and click "Create spanned volume".

All basic partition parameters are set in the disk selection window. In the "Available" column, select the available hard drives and transfer them to the "Selected" column with the "Add" button. At the bottom, for any of the added disks, we can set a specific size allocated for a composite volume if not all disk space is allocated.

And when finished, click "Finish". After that, we will see the created composite volume, located on several disks.

3.3. Striped Volume

A striped volume (RAID 0 configuration) is created from two or more hard drives and is filled with data not sequentially, as provided by the arrangement of a spanned volume, but in parallel. Data is simultaneously written to all disks and is also simultaneously read from all disks, which allows you to increase the speed of operations. True, the speed of data access in any case will be determined by the capabilities of the slower disk. A striped volume, like a spanned volume, cannot boast of fault tolerance. If one of the disks fails, the files on the striped volume cannot be accessed.

A striped volume is created in the context menu on the free disk space, the option to select is, respectively, "Create a striped volume".

In the disk selection window, use the "Add" button to add another disk from among the available ones to the existing disk. The amount of space allocated by the disks must be the same. The size of the striped volume will be automatically determined by the amount of free space available on one of the disks.

The next steps for creating a striped volume are the same as described for a spanned volume.

3.4. Mirror volume

A mirrored volume (RAID 1 configuration) is the ability to create a fault-tolerant array of two disks using Windows tools. This configuration is intended purely for information security, it does not add performance to the computer due to the total speed of reading and writing disks. Data is written to one disk and immediately duplicated to the second disk. And if one of the disks fails, all the accumulated user information will remain safe and sound on the second disk.

To create a mirror volume, call the context menu in the free space, select "Create Mirror Volume".

In the disk selection window, using the "Add" button, we attach another disk to one of the disks. The size of the mirrored volume will be automatically determined by the free space on one of the disks. If necessary, the volume size can be set manually.

3.5. RAID-5 volume

A RAID-5 volume is, as the name implies, a software implementation of a RAID 5 configuration. Creating such a volume is possible in server editions of Windows.

Have a great day!

Basic Disk: A disk is divided into partitions -- parts that function as physically separate storage devices. Win2k03 supports two types of partitions: Primary and Secondary. The maximum number of partitions is always 4, and only one partition can be optional

Win2k03 uses primary partitions to start the computer. One of the primary partitions must be marked as active.

The active partition stores boot files and is used to start the OS. Only one primary partition on one hard drive can be active at a time.

The Win2k03 system partition (or system volume) is the active partition that contains the files to boot the OS.

The Win2k03 boot partition is the primary partition or logical drive on which the OS files are installed. The boot and system partitions can occupy the same partition. However, the system partition must be on the active partition (usually the C: drive), while boot partition may reside on another primary or secondary partition.

An extended partition can be created from the remaining free space. There can be only one additional partition on a hard disk, so it is optimal to use all the remaining free space to create an additional partition. Unlike the primary partition, the secondary partition can be left unformatted and not labeled with a letter of the alphabet. The extended partition is divided into segments -- logical drives. You must name the logical drive and format it using one of the file systems. The number of logical disks is limited by the letters of the Latin alphabet.

Volume types for dynamic disks: You can upgrade a basic disk to a dynamic disk and then create Win2k03 volumes. Fault tolerance (fault tolerance) is the ability of a computer or OS to do without data loss in the event of a failure.

Volume types:

A simple volume is storage space on a single hard drive. A simple volume can span multiple areas (up to 32) on a single disk. It does not provide fault tolerance. The data in it is even more vulnerable, because the larger the size of a simple volume, the higher the likelihood of information loss due to the failure of any of its partitions.

A spanned volume includes the space of multiple disks (up to 32). When writing data to a spanned volume, Win2k03 completely fills first the first disk, then the second, and does the same with all the disks in the volume. A spanned volume is not fault tolerant. If one of the disks fails, the data of the entire volume will be lost.

A mirrored volume (RAID1) consists of two identical copies of a simple volume, each on a separate hard drive. Mirrored volumes increase fault tolerance in the event of a hard drive failure.

A striped volume, or RAID-0, combines free space areas of multiple disks (up to 32) into one logical volume. When working with a striped volume, Win2k03 optimizes performance by writing data to the disks evenly. If one of the disks in a striped volume fails, the entire volume's data is lost. Therefore, like simple and spanned volumes, a RAID-0 volume does not provide fault tolerance.

RAID5 volume. Failsafe. Win2k03 adds blocks of checksums to each disk of the volume; These blocks allow you to restore volume data in the event of a hard drive failure. Creating a RAID-5 volume requires a minimum of 3 hard drives

RAID10 Volume: A mirrored array that writes sequentially across multiple disks like RAID 0.

File systems: A file system (FS) is a part of any operating system that is responsible for organizing the storage and access to information on any media. In a broad sense, the file system includes: the totality of all files on the disk, sets of service data structures used to manage files, such as, for example, file directories, file descriptors, distribution tables of free and used disk space, a set of system software tools that implement management files, in particular operations to create, destroy, read, write, name files, set attributes and access levels, search, etc.

FAT File System: The FAT (File Allocation Table) file system was developed by Bill Gates and Mark McDonald in 1977.

There are currently three types file system FAT:

FAT12 - supports very small disk sizes, so now it is only used on floppy disks.

FAT16 - used on hard drives and supports drives up to 2 GB, so now this file system is practically not used.

FAT32 - theoretically supported drives up to 2 TB. Supported starting from Windows 95 OSR2 operating system. This file system is now quite popular, although in recent years many Windows users XP prefer to use NTFS (New Technology File System).

Structure

boot sector

The boot sector is located at the beginning of a FAT disk partition. It is necessary for bootstrap computer. It also contains information about the parameters of this section.

File Allocation Table

The entire data area of ​​the disk is divided into clusters - blocks, the size of which is set when formatting the disk. On a floppy disk, for example, the cluster size is 512 bytes. And on modern hard drives with a disk capacity of more than 32 GB, the cluster size is 32 KB. Each file and directory occupies one or more clusters. Thus, chains of clusters are formed.

In the file allocation table, each cluster is marked in a special way. The size of the label in bits for each cluster is indicated in the file system name. Those. for the FAT16 file system, the label size will be 16 bytes, for FAT32 it will be 32 bytes, and so on.

There are three types of labels for clusters:

Free cluster - a cluster to which new files and directories will be written.

Busy cluster - the label indicates the next cluster in the chain. If the chain of clusters ends, then the cluster is marked with a special label.

BAD block - a cluster with access errors. Marked when formatting a disk to prevent future access to it.

Damage to the file allocation table completely destroys the structure of the file system, so two copies of the table are always stored on disk.

Root directory

The region of the disk that contains information about the root directory. Its size is limited, so the root directory of the disk can contain no more than 512 files and subdirectories.

Data area

The remainder of the partition that contains the contents of files and directories.

Disadvantages of the FAT system:

The FAT file system always fills free disk space sequentially from beginning to end->fragmentation

Performance is highly dependent on the number of files stored in one directory (has a linear unordered structure, and the names of the files in the directories are in the order they were created)

The advantages of other file systems become noticeable only when they are used on media larger than 100 MB.

Comparison of file systems:

NTFS file system: developed by Microsoft in the early 1990s. as the main file system for server versions of operating systems Windows systems. NTFS was introduced in 1993 with the Windows NT 3.1 operating system.

NTFS is currently considered the file system of choice for both server and client versions of Windows.

NTFS uses 64-bit cluster identifiers, so theoretically an NTFS volume can contain 264 clusters (16 EB3). However, current implementations in Windows only support 32-bit cluster addressing, which, with a maximum cluster size of 64 KB (216 bytes), allows an NTFS volume to reach up to 256 TB in size:

232 * 216 bytes = 248 bytes = 28 * 240 bytes = 256TB.

For volumes larger than 4 GB, Windows suggests a default cluster size of 4 KB when formatting.

Some features of NTFS:

recoverability - the ability of a file system to return to a healthy state after a failure occurs. This possibility is realized, firstly, due to the support of atomic transactions, and secondly, due to the redundancy of information storage. An atomic transaction is an operation with a file system that leads to a change to it, which is either completely successful or not performed at all (i.e., in case of failure during an atomic transaction, all changes are rolled back). Redundancy is used when storing the most important file system data that is critical for its correct operation;

security (security) - protection of files from unauthorized access. Implemented using the Windows security model discussed in Lecture 9 "Security in Windows";

encryption (encryption) - converting a file into an encrypted code that cannot be read without a key. Conventional security mechanisms, such as assigning user access rights to files, do not provide complete protection of information, for example, if the disk is moved to another computer. The operating system administrator can always access other users' files, even on an NTFS volume. Therefore, NTFS includes support for the Encrypting File System (EFS), which makes it easy to encrypt and decrypt files;

support for RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive (Independent) Disks - an array of inexpensive (independent) disks with redundancy) - the ability to use multiple disks to store information; data from one disk is automatically copied to others, thereby providing increased reliability;

disk quotas for users (Per-User Volume Quotas) - the ability to allocate a certain disk space for each user (quotas); NTFS does not allow the user to write data to the disk beyond the allocated quota.

NTFS volume structure:

At the beginning of the volume is boot record volume (Volume Boot Record), which contains the code Windows boot, volume information (in particular, file system type), addresses system files($Mft and $MftMirr - see below). The boot record usually takes 8 KB (16 first sectors).

In a certain area of ​​​​the volume (the address of the beginning of this area is indicated in the boot record) is the main system structure of NTFS - the main file table (Master File Table, MFT). The entries in this table contain all information about the location of files on the volume, and small files are stored directly in the MFT entries.

An important feature of NTFS is that all information, both user and system, is stored as files. System file names begin with the "$" sign. For example, a volume's boot entry is in the $Boot file, and the master file table is in the $Mft file. This organization of information allows you to work uniformly with both user and system data on the volume.

Since the MFT is the most important system structure, which is most often accessed during volume operations, it is beneficial to store the $Mft file in a contiguous area of ​​​​a logical disk in order to avoid its fragmentation (placement in different areas of the disk), and, therefore, increase the speed of working with it . For this purpose, when formatting a volume, a continuous area is allocated, called the MFT zone (MFT Zone). As the master file table grows, the $Mft file grows to take up the reserved space in the zone.

The rest of the space on the NTFS volume is reserved for files - system and user.

The main advantages of the NTFS file system are its security against unauthorized access. This file system has no limits on the size of files and directories. Also, its feature is logging - recording of all operations before their execution in a special journal. If during the execution of operations with the file system a failure occurs (hanging the operating system, power outage, etc.), then it will be able to return itself to its previous state based on the entries in the log. However, in the event of a serious failure, recovering information will be very difficult, sometimes impossible. The reason for this is the lack of official file system documentation from Microsoft. Also, the disadvantage of NTFS is incompatibility with older versions of operating systems (Windows 95, 98).

Friends, hello. Do you know that in Windows environment Is there native support for software RAID? Its implementation, as well as many other things (good, not all), created by Microsoft, leaves much to be desired. But in the absence of an opportunity to organize a hardware RAID, the company's achievements will also fit. Windows software RAID is a native dynamic disk technology. This old technology, it appeared on board Windows 2000. It comes in server editions of the system, as well as in user editions from Pro and higher. What kind of technology is this, where and how to apply it, what features, pros/cons does it have?

When we connect hard disks to the computer and initialize them in the Windows environment, they all automatically receive the base type. And only if necessary, we can change this initial type to dynamic. The latter provides advantages that the base type lacks:

Formation of partitions based on multiple media;

Enabling software RAID for file storage;

Mirroring Windows itself.

Dynamic disks:

Used on disks with both MBR and GPT partitioning styles;

Provide for the creation of partitions with NTFS and exFAT file systems;

MBR disks do not divide partitions into primary and logical ones; they have their own types of partitions depending on their functionality;

Provide for the launch of no more than one Windows, its installation on other partitions is impossible.

The technology can be used in the standard Disk Management console. To run it in any version of the system, press Win + R, enter:

diskmgmt.msc

2. How to convert a basic disk to dynamic

You can convert a disk from basic to dynamic, regardless of the presence of markup and stored information on it. On the hard call the context menu, click the transformation function.

If several media are connected (and it should be, otherwise there is no point in using the technology), we can select all of them to convert at a time.

And that's it - the disk is converted to a dynamic type. Further, we can use the context menu of the console to allocate disk space as we please. And the following may please us.

3. What can be done with dynamic disks

And now, friends, to the point. What opportunities do dynamic disks open up for us?

simple volume

The basic operation is to create a normal user partition.

The "Create Simple Volume" function called in the context menu on unallocated space is the creation of a typical non-system partition. Exactly the same as we form on basic disks. A simple volume does not carry any specific functionality, it is usually used to create partitions from the remnants of disk space that was not included in the RAID array.

To create a simple volume, you need to follow the steps of the wizard and set the necessary partition parameters:

Choose size;

Select a letter, file system, be sure to check the box quick format(otherwise the story will drag on for a long time);

And click "Finish".

A simple volume in the console is displayed in a dirty green color.

Composite volume

A spanned volume is the ability to combine multiple hard drives into a single partition. For example, you have two SSDs - one for 60 GB, the other, say, for 64 GB. They are not used under Windows, and you want to store your media library or some projects on them. You can combine them into one partition and get a whole 124 GB of space. In the context menu of any of the SSDs, select "Create spanned volume".

Click in the column "Available" the second SSD-shnik. If necessary, you can allocate not all the space of the second medium for the composite volume, but only a part, indicating the volume to be allocated in the last column below. Then press the "Add" button.

And, again, follow the steps of the volume creation wizard as shown in the previous subparagraph of the article. As a result, in the console we will find two dynamic purple disks with one letter for two and the total volume.

For a spanned volume, the generally accepted rule for writing data applies: first, they are written to the beginning of the partition, i.e. to the first disk, and as it fills up, they move on to another disk. A composite volume can be formed from no more than 32 media.

Striped Volume

A striped volume is a software RAID 0, a two hard disk array designed to double the read and write performance. The latter are broken up and written on different disks. And then they are also read from both of them. On any of the hard ones, we call the context menu, select "Create a striped volume".

In the "Available" column, specify the second disk, click "Add". And we go through the standard procedure for creating a partition using the step-by-step console wizard.

The interleaved volume is turquoise. If the array is created from storage media of different sizes, the rest of the disk space of one of them can be determined in a simple volume. Or, by creating a spanned volume, attach it to a partition on a third medium.

Mirror volume

A mirrored volume is a software RAID 1, an array of two hard disks created to avoid data loss if one of the disks fails. All data is simultaneously recorded in full on two media. In the context menu of the main hard drive, click "Create Mirror Volume".

In the "Available" column, click the second disk, click "Add". And we go through the steps of the partition creation wizard.

The mirror section in the console is displayed in cherry color. The remaining disk space of a larger media, as in the previous case, can be used to create simple or spanned volumes.

If one of the hard ones fails, we don't run on service centers We do not pay crazy money to restore priceless photos, important documents or projects. We simply unplug the failed media and throw it away. In this case, all our data will be safe and sound on another medium. Without a mirror pair, it will turn into a simple volume. But by connecting new media to the computer, we can again create a mirrored volume. To do this, in the context menu on the remaining device, click "Add mirror" and go through the same steps as when initially creating a mirror volume.

By the same principle, we can add mirrors for existing file storages - without losing markup and data.

RAID-5 is, respectively, software RAID 5, an array created from at least three media for the purpose of both fault tolerance and performance increase. It can only be used on server Windows.

4. Mirror Windows

Mirroring can be used not only to create fault-tolerant partitions for storing user data, but also for Windows itself. In a critical situation, when the hard drive fails, we will get our files safe and sound. But, plus to this, we will also save a working configured system. Converting a basic disk from installed Windows to dynamic.

We go through all the stages of this operation.

The disk has been converted, now we call the context menu on the system partition. Click "Add Mirror".

We choose a hard one that will play the role of a mirror. Next, click "Add Mirrored Volume".

And we see that the system partition is now indicated by the cherry color of the mirror volume. Now you just need to wait for the synchronization of the media - in fact, cloning the structure and data to the mirror.

But the disk is completely converted to a dynamic type, if only we are dealing with the MBR markup style. Only in this case, the mirror will become an exact clone of the original carrier. On GPT disks, technical partitions - recovery and boot EFI - will not be cloned to the mirror. Only partition C is cloned.

As soon as the mirror is synchronized, Windows will start with the bootloader menu, in which we can access both the main system and the mirror one. To enter the latter, you need to specify the system listed as a secondary plex in the boot menu.

If the main disk of the EFI system completely fails, it will naturally take the boot EFI partition with it into oblivion. In this case, you can try to start mirror Windows using. And before reinstalling, extract the necessary data from the system - files, settings, paid software activation keys, etc. Well, or in general, using the same Sagittarius Live disk, make attempts to resuscitate Windows - convert the disk to a basic one without losing data, create an EFI partition and recreate the bootloader according to the principle, .

5. How to convert a dynamic disk to basic

Windows can convert drives from a basic type to a dynamic drive while preserving their layout and content. But with the reverse direction we will have a headache: it works only if the hard one is completely unallocated. In order not to lose data, you will have to resort to help third-party software– such as AOMEI Dynamic Disk Manager, AOMEI Dynamic Disk Converter or . ReFS file system And only after that we will be able to see the contents of the media and operate on the data.