Windows XP Pro disk management - basic vs. dynamic hard drive

[nikko]

I just installed a 400 GB Seagate as a slave drive. When I intialized and formatted, etc, I noticed that under the "Type" column in Disk Management, the new drive is listed as "Dynamic", whereas my other drives are listed as "Basic". What's the difference? Does it matter? If so, how do I change it? I'm just planning on using this drive to store data and as a scratch drive for Photoshop, FWIW.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

 

[Nothinman]

It's a the new GUID partitioning scheme, it's more versatile than the old DOS partitioning scheme. Generally it shouldn't cause any problems, but if you reinstall your system or put that drive into another Windows system you'll have to 'import' the drive before you can assign any letters to it's volumes.

 

[spyordie007]

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q314343

Unless you have a reason to use dynamic disks (i.e. you want to use the extra features) it's not something you'd generally want to do "just because"

 

[Nothinman]

NOTE: Dynamic disks are not supported on portable computers or on Windows XP Home Edition-based computers.

Gotta love those artificial limits imposed by MS for no reason.

 

[RebateMonger]

I'm not sure how users end up with Dynamic disks when they don't specifically desire them. Maybe some issue with 3rd-party formatting utilities?

Anyway, I'd recommend AGAINST using Dynamic disks unless you've read up on them and understand how they differ from Basic disks. Besides the disk importation issue mentioned above, you can't use many common disk recovery tools on Dynamic disks.

Microsoft does not support changing from Dynamic to Basic partitioning. You'll either have to re-partition the drive, or find the work-around that's been published on the Internet. I recommend re-partitioning and re-formatting if you want to change it to Basic.

 

[NogginBoink]

Originally posted by: spyordie007
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q314343

Unless you have a reason to use dynamic disks (i.e. you want to use the extra features) it's not something you'd generally want to do "just because"

QFT.

Dynamic Disks were supposed to be more reliable and robust than basic disks and offer all sorts of advantages that never really panned out.

MSFT bought the technology and there were political issues around the technology as well.

Don't use dynamic disks if you don't need to is my personal recommendation.

 

[TGS]

In addition if you use Dynamic Disks, you cannot dual boot into an alternative OS partitions(IE non FAT/NTFS). As the entire disk will be flagged as a DD, and you will not be allowed to repartition the non-utilized space for anything else without formatting the disk again.


edit:

Edit2: alternatively

In addition if you use Dynamic Disks, you cannot dual boot into an alternative OSes (IE those that use non-FAT/NTFS partitions).

(which is actually what I meant to write the first time)

 

[Nothinman]

you cannot dual boot into an alternative OS(IE non FAT/NTFS).

To be pedantic, FAT and NTFS are not OSes.

 

[spyordie007]

It's a hassle to dual-boot Windows OSes with dynamic disks; as soon as you import the disk in one OS you cannot see it in the others until it is re-imported.

 

[Wik]

Dynamic Disk option is actually pretty usefull in some applications. When I add a hard drive to my HTPC, I can span the volume into the new drive. This way, all my recordings still go to one folder which I share across the network. Partion the first hdd for enough space to hold the OS and programs, then the rest is my DVD and Recording storage. Each drive added after that can be added to the volume.

 

[doan]

Originally posted by: Wik
Dynamic Disk option is actually pretty usefull in some applications. When I add a hard drive to my HTPC, I can span the volume into the new drive. This way, all my recordings still go to one folder which I share across the network. Partion the first hdd for enough space to hold the OS and programs, then the rest is my DVD and Recording storage. Each drive added after that can be added to the volume.

I'm currently struggling with allocating space across 4 drives in my HTPC. Spanning volumes sounds good, but what happens if one drive fails? Do you lose everything?

 

[spyordie007]

Spanning volumes sounds good, but what happens if one drive fails? Do you lose everything?

Yes

EDIT: I suppose I should mention that some data recovery software can still pull files off the drives if they are spanned (as opposed to striped); but the couple of times I've tried it it's been hit or miss.

 

[doan]

That's what I thought, My HTPC server has 5 Drives ( One 300GB and four 250GB), everything on it is backed up, but the time required to restore even one drive from a stack of DVD's is enormous. I'd hate to lose them all at one time.

 

[stash]

Gotta love those artificial limits imposed by MS for no reason.

It isn't for no reason at all. It's called market segmentation, something that is done every single day in pretty much every kind of market. You want the additional goodies, you pay for them.

For a notebook, what possible use would dynamic disks be? Most laptops come configured with a single drive, usually there is no option to add additional drives.

 

[Wik]

Originally posted by: doan

Originally posted by: Wik
Dynamic Disk option is actually pretty usefull in some applications. When I add a hard drive to my HTPC, I can span the volume into the new drive. This way, all my recordings still go to one folder which I share across the network. Partion the first hdd for enough space to hold the OS and programs, then the rest is my DVD and Recording storage. Each drive added after that can be added to the volume.

I'm currently struggling with allocating space across 4 drives in my HTPC. Spanning volumes sounds good, but what happens if one drive fails? Do you lose everything?

I am not really worried about loosing a drive. I never had a hdd fail, and if one does, I loose recorded shows, and DVDs images I can just create again. Nothing really that important.

 

[Nothinman]

It isn't for no reason at all. It's called market segmentation, something that is done every single day in pretty much every kind of market. You want the additional goodies, you pay for them.

I wouldn't exactly being able to use the hardware you paid for a goodie, but I do understand what MS is doing. And I'm a Linux user, as you know, so the 'additional goodies' are just as free as the basic goodies.

For a notebook, what possible use would dynamic disks be? Most laptops come configured with a single drive, usually there is no option to add additional drives.

I'm not saying using it would be a good idea, I'm just saying it's bad to not even have the choice.