Change a dynamic disk back to a basic disk

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To change a dynamic disk back to a basic disk

Back up all volumes on the disk you want to convert from dynamic to basic.

For more information about backing up volumes, see Related Topics.
Open Computer Management (Local).
In the console tree, click Computer Management (Local), click Storage, and then click Disk Management.
Right-click each volume on the dynamic disk you want to convert to a basic disk, and then click Delete Volume for each volume on the disk.
When all volumes on the disk have been deleted, right-click the disk, and then click Convert To Basic Disk.

Notes

To perform this procedure on a local computer, you must be a member of the Backup Operators group or Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. To perform this procedure remotely, you must be a member of the Backup Operators group or Administrators group on the remote computer. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.
To open Computer Management, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.
The disk must not have any volumes nor contain any data before you can change it back to a basic disk. If you want to keep your data, back it up or move it to another volume before you convert the disk to a basic disk.
Once you change a dynamic disk back to a basic disk, you can create only partitions and logical drives on that disk.

Back up all volumes on the disk you want to convert from dynamic to basic.

For more information about backing up volumes, see Related Topics.
Open Command Prompt.
Type:

diskpart
At the DISKPART prompt, type:

list disk

Make note of the dynamic disk you want to convert to a basic disk.
At the DISKPART prompt, type:

select diskn
At the DISKPART prompt, type:

detail diskn
For each volume on the disk, at the DISKPART prompt, type:

**select volume=**n

and then type:

delete volume
At the DISKPART prompt, type:

select diskn

Specify the disk number of the disk that you want to convert to a basic disk.
At the DISKPART prompt, type:

convert basic

Value	Description
list disk	Displays a list of disks and information about them, such as their size, amount of available free space, whether the disk is a basic or dynamic disk, and whether the disk uses the master boot record (MBR) or GUID partition table (GPT) partition style. The disk marked with an asterisk (*) has focus.
select disk	Selects the specified disk, where n is the disk number, and gives it focus.
detail disk	Displays the properties of the selected disk and the volumes on that disk.
select volume	Selects the specified volume, where n is the volume number, and gives it focus. If no volume is specified, the select command lists the current volume with focus. You can specify the volume by number, drive letter, or mount point path. On a basic disk, selecting a volume also gives the corresponding partition focus.
delete volume	Deletes the selected volume. You cannot delete the system volume, boot volume, or any volume that contains the active paging file or crash dump (memory dump).
convert basic	Converts an empty dynamic disk into a basic disk.

Notes

To perform this procedure on a local computer, you must be a member of the Backup Operators group, Administrators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.
To open a command prompt, click Start, point to All programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command prompt.
The disk must not have any volumes nor contain any data before you can change it back to a basic disk. If you want to keep your data, back it up or move it to another volume before you convert the disk to a basic disk.
Once you change a dynamic disk back to a basic disk, you can create only partitions and logical drives on that disk.
For more information about DiskPart, see Related Topics.

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