How to Solve "Unable to Convert Dynamic Disk to Basic Disk" [2024 Updated Guide]

By

Sherly 

Written by

Cici 

Last updated on April 22, 2024

There are many issues when converting a dynamic disk to basic disk with Disk Management, which may stop you from converting dynamic disk to basic. This article will help you analyze the reasons and offer different solutions.

Why can't I convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk?

If you cannot convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk, the problem might be caused by one of the following:

1. The "Convert to Dynamic Disk" option is grayed out and unavailable.

This happens when you convert a disk larger than 2 TB to a dynamic disk. This is because Disk Management does not support disks larger than 2 TB in storage space. Otherwise, it shows as unallocated space.

2. Invalid package name

This is a known issue. If your computer name contains one or more double-byte characters, you might receive an “Invalid package name” message. This will prevent you from converting dynamic disks to basic disks.

3. Object does not support this operation

You may receive the "This operation is not supported by the object" message, because Dynamic Disk does not support USB or removable disk.

Insufficient available space on the disk.

If you can't convert dynamic disk to basic disk, you may receive the message "There is not enough space available on the disk to complete this operation." That's because at least 1 MB of unallocated space is required at the end of an MBR disk to create a dynamic disk.

5. Security features enabled

You might receive this message: "The disk cannot be converted to a dynamic disk because one or more partitions have the Secure Boot setting enabled." This is because you can't use dynamic disks on a system partition.

Above are the reasons that contribute to the inability to convert dynamic disk to basic disk. Now, let's move on to the solutions to these issues.

How to fix "Unable to Convert Dynamic Disk to Basic Disk"?

Now you know the reasons why you can't convert dynamic disk to basic disk, and for these reasons, I've provided 5 different methods.

Method 1: Convert from MBR to GPT

Method 2: Rename the Computer

Method 3: Update the MB driver

Method 4: Extend a Low Memory Partition

Method 5. Create a pool

Here's a step-by-step guide to fix the “Cannot convert dynamic disk to basic disk” error.

Method 1: Convert MBR to GPT

If your disk is initialized as MBR and larger than 2TB, you will find Dynamic Disk grayed out. tools Partition Master is a great tool because it can help you convert MBR to GPT without data loss. And it's very easy to use. Let's take a look at the steps.

Step 1. Download and run Partition Master on your computer.

Step 2. Enter the Disk Converter and choose “Convert MBR to GPT”, then click “Next” to proceed.

Step 3. Select the MBR disk that you want to convert to GPT, and click "Convert" to start the conversion.

AOMEI Partition Assistant is a reliable tool for this. Alternatively, in Windows, you can use Disk Management or convert MBR to GPT via Diskpart to resolve the "Convert to Dynamic Disk" grayed out issue. You can check the detailed steps via the links below.

Method 2: Rename Your Computer

If the issue is caused by an invalid name, try changing the name of your computer.

Step 1: Open the Run window on Windows and type "sysdm.cpl."

Step 2: Click Change and enter the new name. Make sure the name doesn't contain double-byte characters.

Step 3: Click “OK” to finish renaming your computer.

Method 3: Update the MB drivers

You could try to upgrade your MB driver to the Windows 64-bit driver, and then see if you can convert it to Dynamic Disk successfully.

Step 1: Find Device Manager in Windows.

Step 2. Choose a category to view your devices, then click on the driver you want to update.

Step 3: Then, select “Search automatically for updated driver software” to update the driver.

Method 4: Expand a Low Memory Partition

If you run out of disk space, you can try to clean up junk files to free up space, but the fastest and most effective method is to use a partition management tool. AOMEI Partition Assistant provides "Resize/Move Partition" and "Clean Up & Optimize" features to help you solve the space issue.

Step 1: Enter the "Disk Partition Management" interface, hover the mouse on the disk you need to adjust, and then click "Resize in One Click".

When there is not enough space and the partition shows as read-only, Partition Master will give a low disk space warning and provide an option to "Resize with one click."

Click OK to automatically resize the partition.

With Partition Assistant, you can intelligently extend the partition to solve low disk space problem, and all you need is to click “OK” to continue.

If the Intelligent Resize option doesn't suit your needs, you can click Manual Resize to expand the partition manually, and then click OK to proceed.

Step 3: Perform the operations to extend the low disk space partition.

Click the “Run Task” button in the top right, and save all changes by clicking “Apply.”

If you want to know more ways to fix the “not enough disk space” problem, click the button below.

Method 5: Create a Storage Pool

If you can't convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk due to security settings, you might try using Storage Spaces and create a mirror. Here are the steps to create a storage pool to save your space:

Step 1: Press "Windows+I" to open "Settings." Find "System" and click on "Storage."

Step 2: Choose Manage storage.

Step 3: Click Create new pool and storage space.

Step 4: Select the drives to use, then click Create Pool.

Step 5: Name your volume, choose a file system, and specify the size, then click Create Volume.

Create a storage space

Above are 5 methods to fix “can't convert dynamic disk to basic disk” issue. After fixing the disk issues, you can go back to Windows Disk Management to convert dynamic disk to basic disk again.

Of course, you can also use Partition Master to convert dynamic disk to basic disk without losing data and keeping all volumes intact. If you want to know more about this method, please click the link to view the detailed steps.

How to Safely Convert Dynamic Disk to Basic Disk

To safely and efficiently convert dynamic disk to basic disk, you can fully rely on the partition manager software shown in Method 1 below. It will protect your data and keep it intact during the process.

Conclusions

This article sums up 5 solutions to “Unable to convert dynamic disk to basic disk”. You don't need to worry when you encounter this issue. You can try the above solutions as per your situation. Using the Partition Master tool will help you easily convert MBR to GPT and help you manage more partitions. It's a tool worth trying!

Common issues about unable to convert dynamic disk to basic disk

Here are some common questions. Feel free to keep reading if you're interested.

< strong > 1. Can I convert dynamic disk to basic disk?

Of course, you can select the volumes on the dynamic disk in Disk Management and delete them. Then, click Convert to Basic Disk again.

2. How to fix dynamic disk errors?

You can fix the error by reconnecting the failed disk, upgrading your Windows OS, or using the Diskpart CMD. There're several methods to repair Invalid Dynamic Disk issue without data loss.

Are dynamic disks better than basic disks?

Dynamic disks are more flexible than basic disks because they do not use a partition table to keep track of all the partitions.