In my article “Dynamic Disc: Microsoft’s Bastard Child?” I noted how you might upgrade a computer from Windows XP to Vista, only to then find that you cannot access a dynamic disc. This is most likely due to your version of Vista not supporting dynamic disk, which would require upgrading, probably to Ultimate, to be able to read the disc. If you’re not prepared to do that, but still want to be able to use the disk, you can convert it back to a basic disk. The draw back is that you will loose all of your data, since the process is to first delete the volume, then recreate it from scratch. The next tip will include instructions on how to hack your dynamic disc back to a basic disk, which may save your data, but only if your dynamic disk doesn’t span multiple disks.

1. Click on the Start menu and type manage.
   
   You’ll see Computer Management pop up in the list of programs, double-click it, or just press Enter to select it if it’s the top item.
   
2. On the left side of the Computer Management window you’ll see Disk Management, click on it.
   
3. At the top of the window you’ll see a list of volumes, look for the one described as type Dynamic. If there are more than one, you can use the drive letter, or if you scroll to the right the size of the disk too help figure out which one you are looking for. BE CAREFUL, don’t choose the wrong disk as all the data will be destroyed!
   
4. Right-click on the name of your dynamic disk and choose Delete Volume… from the menu.
   
5. Confirm that you really want to delete the volume. Remember, THIS WILL DELETE ALL DATA ON THAT VOLUME!
   
6. If the volume is in use (a program is trying to access a file on that disk, or you have a window open to look at files on the disk) you’ll be given the option to force it closed so you can delete it.
   
7. You’ll see your disk in the list below with unallocated below the size of the disk. If not, then there may be other volumes on that disc that will need to be deleted as well. Again, be sure all your data is backed up first!
   
8. You’re disk is now empty, just like if you’ve purchased a new disk. Time to create the new basic partition. Right-click where it says Unallocated and choose New Simple Volume… from the list.
   
9. The New Simple Volume Wizard opens, click Next.
   
10. If you want to use the entire disk for one volume, simply click Next, otherwise, first choose a size for your volume.
    
11. Choose a drive letter to assign to your volume and click Next.
    
12. Choose a format for the volume, the default, NTFS, is probably your best bet. You can also give a name to your volume that will appear next to the drive letter. I choose ‘Data2′, to differentiate this volume from one I already have called ‘Data1′. You may want to choose Perform a quick format, which will speed up the format substantially. I didn’t on my 230GB drive, and the standard format took about 3 hours.
    
13. You’ll be told that you’re completing your setup, click Finish.
    
14. You’ll see your volume listed as Formatting, and the percentage will give you an idea of how long it will be.
    
15. Once you see the status listed as Healthy you’re ready to go!