Three ways to convert dynamic disk to basic disk

Understanding of dynamic disks and basic disks

Basic Disk uses Partition Table to manage its partition. One Basic Disk contains primary partitions and extended partition, and many logical partitions are contained in extended partition. On Basic Disk, at most can have 4 the primary partition, and usually the best is 3. You can create an extended partition, and also set up unlimited logical partitions in extended partition.
Dynamic Disk is a physical disk that manages its volumes by using LDM database. What is the LDM (Logical Disk Manager) database? It is a hidden database which size is 1MB at the end of the Dynamic Disk. The 1MB space holds some related information on each dynamic disk, such as Drive Letter, Volume Label, the begin sector of Volume, Volume size, the file system of Volume, and the current dynamic disk is which one and so on. On Dynamic Disk, the volumes are divided into Spanned Volume, Simple Volume, Striped Volume, Mirrored Volume and RAID5 Volume, there is no limit to the number of volumes.

How to Safely Convert Dynamic Disk to Basic Within 3~10 Seconds?

How to revert a dynamic disk to basic disk?

In Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista/Server 2008 and Windows 7, it is easy to the conversion of basic disk to dynamic disk, but convert/change a dynamic disk to basic disk very annoying, because in many cases "Revert to Basic Disk" option is greyed out in disk management, and can not revert back to a basic drive. When using DiskPart.exe tool in command line, it's requisite to clean all of volumes on the dynamic disk for the conversion. This topic is the summary about converting/reverting a dynamic disk to basic disk. There are the three ways to complete this work for you.
Links:
1. Convert a dynamic disk to basic disk via deleting all volumes on the dynamic disk.
2. Convert a dynamic disk to basic disk via using Partition Recovery Software or Hex Editor HxD.
3. Convert a dynamic disk to basic disk with NO DATA LOSS by using Dynamic Disk Converter.

The first way: Convert to basic disk via deleting all volumes on the dynamic disk

[Next a way]
Tip:
This way is the simplest and most commonly, and it most can not guarantee data security, so you need to back up all the data on all the volumes on the dynamic disk you want to convert to a basic disc.
Principle:
After backing up data, delete all the volumes on the dynamic disc by using Windows Disk Management, and then revert/convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk.
Steps:

• First, let us to see the following graph:
  
  By the above graph, we have saw "Convert to Basic Disk" that is unavailable state if there are volumes on the dynamic disk, so we cannot revert it to Basic Disk.
• Log on Windows as Administrator Privilege please, click Start Menu -> Run, and type "diskmgmt.msc" to input box, and press Enter key or click OK to open Windows Disk Management as shown:
  
• On Disk Management opened, delete all the volumes on the dynamic disk in turn.
  
  Here, respectively, to delete the volume (I:), volume(F:) and volume (C:) on the dynamic disk.
• After the deleting, right-click the gray area that contains the disk title on the left side of the Details pane. For example, right-click Disk 1 as follows:
  
  After does not any volume on the dynamic disk, the "Convert to Basic Disk" item will be available, now you can change the dynamic disk to basic. And then, copy the previous backup data to the basic disk.

Using DiskPart.exe in command line

• Open Command Prompt as Administrator Privileges.
• Type the command:
  DiskPart.exe
• At the DISKPART prompt, type:
  select diskN
  to select the dynamic disk that you want to convert.
• At the DISKPART prompt, type:
  clean
  to delete all volumes on the disk.
• Then, at the DISKPART prompt, type:
  convert basic
  to begin revert the disk to basic drive.

Important Note:
The way only suit that there are multiple disks on your system, and you have to boot operating system on other disk to complete this conversion (The other disk means is that the disk you do not want to convert). The main reason is that the volume that the operating system lays can not be deleted. Otherwise, it isn't easy to back up dynamic disk, so you’d better employ like "Copy Dynamic Volume" tool to backup.

The second way: Convert to basic disk via using Partition Recovery Software or HxD

[Previous a way] - [Next a way]
Tip:
In this way, more complicated, work base on the first way, and it is still necessary to delete all the volumes on the dynamic disk. Use Partition Recovery software to assist you convert to basic disk. However, this recovery partition is at risk, but the advantage of the way is that the data not need to be backed up, because this partition deleted can be recovered by Partition Recovery Software.
Principle:
Delete all the dynamic volumes on the disk via the first way, and convert the disk to basic, and then recover the previous deleted partition by using Partition Recovery Software.
Steps:

• Boot your operating system from the other disk (The other disk means is that the disk you do not want to convert), and delete all the dynamic volumes on the disk you want to convert to basic. (Detail step see the first way)
• Here, using the partition recovery feature of Acronis Disk Director to revert the previous partition that you have deleted. The graph is as follows:
  

Important Note:
If you have only a disk on your system, it is the conversion method that using Disk Editor Tool modifies the 0th sector of the dynamic disk. Specific method is as follows (here for example to modify the 0th sector by using the free utility HxD or commercial WinHex):
First launch HxD as Administrator Privilege, and open the dynamic disk which you want to convert, and jump to 0th sector as shown:

The 0th sector is end of the "55 AA". The above area highlighted is the partition table of the dynamic disk, and it begins of the offset 0x1BE, ends of 0x1FE, total 64 bytes. In order to convert dynamic disk to basic, we need to modify the part contents in this partition table.
How to modify? Please replace all the to 07 on the above graph, and save the modification to OK. Restart your computer, you will find the disk to be converted to basic, and if you find individual partitions lost, please recover the losing partitions by using Partition Recovery Software. Note that if your operating system exists in extend partition(this is, operating system is a logical partition); please do not modify the partition table. Suppose that the partition table is modified, your operating system will not be booted on the next time.

The best way: Convert to basic disk by using Dynamic Disk Converter

[Previous a way]
Tip:
The above two ways are relatively complex and cumbersome. If you do not want to do these things manually, it is a good choice that using Dynamic Disk Converter fulfills dynamic disk conversion to basic disk. Dynamic Disk Converter directly and safely convert a dynamic disk back to basic disk without loss of data, and also sector by sector clone from spanned, striped, mirrored and RAID 5 volume to a basic partition.

Fortunately, for a dynamic unreadable disk, invalid dynamic disk and missing disk can also be good to revert them to the basic disk and retrieve the data you desired. It's easy and efficient work on Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7 and Server 2000, Server 2003 and Server 2008!
Principle:
Automatically and safely complete the conversion of the dynamic disk to basic disk with NO DATA LOSS via Dynamic Disk Converter.
Steps:

• Launch the Dynamic Disk Converter as Administrator Privilege to enter into Welcome to use, and click Next to skip the welcome screen goto main interface as follows.
  
  Check Method 1 to convert directly one disk to basic, and click on Next.
• And then, select a dynamic disk that you look forward to convert in the below:
  
  On the above graph click Next to continue.
• Here, Dynamic Disk Converter let you confirm the conversion operation as follows:
  
  And then click Proceed to start this conversion process. After completing, you must restart your computer to take effect.