unable to create dynamic disks

Question

In Computer Management -> Storage -> Disk Management, I right click on Disk 2, select "Convert to Dynamic Disk..." from the resultant menu and get the following error:

The operation is not supported by the object.

Any ideas? The disk I'm trying to convert is a 60GB 2.5" HDD connected to the computer via USB2.

Also, how do I create mirrors in Windows Vista? In Windows 7, you right click on the partition and select "Add Mirror..." from the resultant menu. On Windows 7, that option is grayed out (I assume because I don't have any dynamic disks available) - maybe Windows Vista hides these particular menu options instead of graying them out?

Answer 1

Hi terrafrost,

Usually on laptop it has multiple hard drives, one of those drives is in a docking station. This goes back to the whole removable media thing. If you remove your laptop from the docking station then a dynamic disk volume that spanned the laptop’s internal hard drive and the docking station’s hard drive will broke. Hence it doesn’t support Dynamic disks

Dynamic disk cannot work on Firmware, USB or removable disk. It is possible only to convert a Firmware drive in Vista Ultimate. Also Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows Vista Enterprise editions support spanning and striping dynamic disks, but not mirroring.

For more information you may refer the following KB article, even though it is for Windows 2000 Server:

Dynamic Disk Hardware Limitations

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/254105

You may also refer: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/What-are-basic-and-dynamic-disks

Hope this information is helpful.

Praseetha K

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

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Answer 2

Does that mean you can create a dynamic disk with eSATA?

Installing Windows 7 isn't a problem - the reason I want to use an external drive isn't so I can have a hot swappable drive - it's because my computer case doesn't really have enough space for an extra drive.  Of course, it seems to me that if you are doing mirroring that being hot swappable shouldn't pose a problem.  I mean, the point of mirroring is to protect against hard drive failure.  If you unplug one of the hard drives the other should still work just fine it seems to me.  Plugging it back in might cause the hard drives to be out of sync and interfere with future mirroring but the initial unplugging of it shouldn't be too problematic, it seems to me.

Answer 3

Er, BIGBBOY's information is useful.

Introduced detail.

Answer 4

Hey,

I just had the same problem converting a USB-IDE to dynamic and getting the same error message,

What I did was to connect the PATA disk to the motherboard (Using IDE cable instead of USB) and now I'm able to build a Mirror volume.