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Windows XP Pro and Dynamic Hard Drives

B

Blayze

Diamond Member
I installed my new Maxtor 20 gig drive into my machine.

Windows XP had no problems setting it up and I used Computer Management to format it into a NTFS drive.

My question is the main drive is listed as a Basic drive and the new drive is a Dynamic drive.

Whats the difference between the two and should I leave it dynamic or change it to basic?
 


<< I installed my new Maxtor 20 gig drive into my machine.

Windows XP had no problems setting it up and I used Computer Management to format it into a NTFS drive.

My question is the main drive is listed as a Basic drive and the new drive is a Dynamic drive.

Whats the difference between the two and should I leave it dynamic or change it to basic? >>



never heard of this, where is it listed as that? Device manager?
 
Thanks for the link RAND

since Im not running any raid or anything like that would I be better changing it to a basic disk? or should I just leave it as a dynamic?
 
Thanks for the linkage Rand. I have a question that isn't answered in it though. Can you still use third-party utilities such as Ghost or DriveImage to create images of dynamic disks?
 


<<

<< I installed my new Maxtor 20 gig drive into my machine.

Windows XP had no problems setting it up and I used Computer Management to format it into a NTFS drive.

My question is the main drive is listed as a Basic drive and the new drive is a Dynamic drive.

Whats the difference between the two and should I leave it dynamic or change it to basic? >>



never heard of this, where is it listed as that? Device manager? >>



It's specific to 2000/XP.
Seldom used in home computers. Though MS would like it to become the standard it hasnt obtained much acceptance outside of corporate network and those that are utilizing Win2k/XP software RAID.

The biggest negative to the for home users is that Dynamic Disks can directly be read by remote computers (unless setup under a network shared folder) and their not recognized by any OS's besides XP and Win2k.
In systems with multiple disks the removal of all forms of partitioning and such terms can be a distinct advantage, as are it's versatility and flexibility in volume management, along with potential fault tolerance via Windows built in software RAID capabilities.
 


<< Thanks for the link RAND

since Im not running any raid or anything like that would I be better changing it to a basic disk? or should I just leave it as a dynamic? >>




If the limited number of partitions in a Basic Disk does not affect you, and you don't need Windows Software RAID features then you definitely should not use a Dynamic disk.
 


<< Thanks for the linkage Rand. I have a question that isn't answered in it though. Can you still use third-party utilities such as Ghost or DriveImage to create images of dynamic disks? >>



Unless the software has specific support for Dynamic Disks, no. Most programs like Ghost, DriveImage, ParttitionMagic and the like depend upon recognizing individual partitions and being able to differentiate between logical partitions, primary partitions etc.
As Dynamic Disks have no such partitions the majority of consumer backup programs like that will not operate properly.
 
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