How to Convert Dynamic to Basic Windows 2000 without Data Loss?

Dynamic disk vs basic disk

There are 2 types of disk storage type on Windows 2000: basic disk and dynamic disk.

A disk initialized for dynamic storage is called a dynamic disk. In a dynamic disk, dynamic volumes are contained such as simple volumes, spanned volumes, striped volume, mirrored volumes, and RAID 5 volumes. With dynamic storage, you’re able to manage disk and volume without rebooting the Windows. 

A basic disk is a type of hard drive configuration, available with the Windows OS. Generally speaking, a basic disk makes use of primary partitions and optionally, an extended partition. For basic disk in MBR, it can contain up to 4 primary partitions or 3 primary partitions plus one extended; for basic disk in GPT, it can contain up to 128 primary partitions.

Although I have explained the definitions of both dynamic and basic disks, you may be still puzzled at what the differences are between these 2 types of disk. So, below, I made a comparison, and hopefully, you can get a further understanding.

Why convert dynamic to basic Windows 2000?

Although dynamic disks contain many distinctions and advantages, sometimes, people may still wish to convert dynamic disks to basic disks for different purposes. For example, they may be looking for a more compatible disk type for the Windows operating system or easier management on the disk. Meanwhile, a long-standing issue with the dynamic disk is the inevitability it gets faulty which causes drive failures and the need to revert back to basic disk.

How to finish the dynamic to basic conversion in Server 2000?

When it comes to the conversion between dynamic and basic disks, you can resort to third-party software, Disk Management, or Command Prompt. Each of them has its own features and advantages. So, let me introduce them one by one.

Method 1. Use third-party software

There is too much disk management software on market and which one should you choose to convert a dynamic disk to a basic on Windows 2000? Here I recommend AOMEI Partition Assistant Server. By using it, you can make conversion between a dynamic disk and a basic one within several steps without needing to delete any partitions.

Also, more than the dynamic-basic conversion, this software enables you to safely convert MBR to GPT if you want to create more than 4 partitions on your disk or convert NTFS to FAT32 if the partition is not compatible with devices like PS4 and Xbox One.

Download the demo of the most powerful disk manager to convert dynamic disks to basic ones with ease.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Server. Then, all disks will be displayed on the main interface. Click “Convert” in the top toolbar, and choose “Dynamic Disk Converter”.

Step 2. Click on “Next” in the welcome window.

Step 3. Choose “Method 1” and hit “Next”.

Step 4. Select the dynamic disk that you want to convert to a basic one and hit “Next”.

Step 5. When completed, you’ll be prompted that you will reboot the PC. Click on “OK”.

Method 2. Resort to Disk Management

Disk Management is a Windows inbuilt utility with which you can perform operations including conversion between dynamic disk and basic disk, volume deletion, volume extension, volume shrinking, etc. You can directly convert a disk from basic to dynamic easily with this utility. However, if you hope to convert a dynamic disk back to basic, you have to first manually delete all partitions on the disk. So, in this way, there can be inevitable data loss. But after all, this tool is totally free.

1. Right-click on “This Computer”.

2. Click on “Disk Management” on the left to open the management window.

3. Right-click on each partition on the dynamic disk and select “Delete Volume” to make volume deletion.

4. Repeat the step above to delete all partitions.

5. Right-click on the disk and select “Convert to Basic Disk” to start the conversion.

The conversion will be finished in a flash.

Method 3. Try Command Prompt

This tool is also a Windows inbuilt utility but more complicated. So, it’s more suitable for professional users.

1. In the search box on the lower left of your PC, type “command prompt” and hit “ENTER”.

2. Type “diskpart” and hit “ENTER”.

3. At the DiskPart prompt, type “list disk” and hit “ENTER”. Keep the number of the disk you want to convert in mind. 

4. Type "list volume". Find the volume that is on the dynamic disk and remember its number.

Here, I take disk 1 and volume 3 for example.

5. Type "select volume 3" and hit "ENTER".

6. Type "delete volume" and hit "ENTER".

If there is more than 1 volume on the disk, you should repeat commands 5 and 6 until you delete all the volumes.

7. Type "select disk 1" and hit "ENTER".

8. Type "convert basic" and hit "ENTER".

The disk will be converted from dynamic to basic in a flash.

Conclusion

If you’re still searching for a way for Windows 2000 dynamic to basic conversion, this tutorial should be the right place to go. 3 useful ways are provided to help you convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk on Windows 2000 correctly and each of them has its own distinctions. Choose the desired one according to your own requirements. As for AOMEI Partition Assistant Server, if you want to use it on an unlimited number of PCs and Servers, please try the Unlimited edition.