I would like to merge my D and C drives. I've seen similar questions, but this is different because of the drives being on different disks. please tell me how to merge them.

Question

Please help me internet warriors.

Answer 1

Hello,
Merging two drives that are on different physical disks is not a straightforward process like merging partitions on the same disk, as you cannot simply resize or combine them within the same disk management utility. However, you can achieve a similar effect by using one of the drives to expand the storage of the other through a process that involves creating a spanned volume.

A spanned volume allows you to combine spaces from multiple disks into a single logical drive. However, this does not improve performance and carries a higher risk of data loss if one of the disks fails. Here's how to create a spanned volume in Windows:

Back Up Your Data: This step is crucial. Make sure to back up all important data from both the C and D drives to an external source.

Open Disk Management: Press Win + X and select 'Disk Management' or type 'diskmgmt.msc' in the Run dialog (Win + R).

Initialize Disks: If the second disk (D drive) is not initialized, right-click on the unallocated space and choose 'Initialize Disk'. Select the appropriate partition style (MBR or GPT).

Create Spanned Volume: Right-click on the C drive, and if there's no 'Extend Volume' option (which is expected since they're on different disks), click on 'New Spanned Volume'.

Follow the Wizard: The New Spanned Volume Wizard will guide you through selecting the disks and the amount of space to use. Choose the C drive and the unallocated space on the D drive's disk.

Finish and Format: Complete the wizard, and it should create a new spanned volume. You might need to format the new volume, which will erase all data on both selected partitions, so ensure your data is backed up.

Please follow the steps carefully, and keep in mind that this operation may risk data loss if not done correctly, so it's crucial to back up all important data before proceeding.

Best Regards,

Hania Lian

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Answer 2

Unfortunately, merging partitions from separate physical disks directly isn't possible with built-in Windows tools or recommended. You cannot combine two separate physical drives into a single logical drive.

You can mount Drive as a Folder on C: Drive.