How To Convert A Dynamic Disk Storage Back To Basic Without Losing Any Data in Windows 7

 

Basic storage uses normal partition tables supported by all Windows versions right from MS-Dos, while a Dynamic disk storage has the feature that basic disks do not have, such as support for volumes spanning multiple disks, RAID 1 or RAID 5 disk arrays. It was introduced to give those who want disk redundant but couldn’t afford the hardware cost. Since the hardware array components are getting cheaper and cheaper, the use of dynamic storage has become less and less. But Windows 7 still supports it and you can benefit from it greatly.

The downside of use Dynamic storage is that once the disk converted to Dynamic and being partitioned and used it can not be converted back to Basic without losing data, as the Convert to Basic Disk option will be greyed out once it’s been used. You will need a 3rd party tool to break it, for example, EASEUS Partition Master.

The Home Edition of EASEUS Partition Manager, which is FREE for home use, provides a feature that can easily convert a being used Dynamic disk back to Basic disk without losing any data that are stored on the disk.

To convert, simply download the software and install it on your computer. The downloading and installation process are very easy and straightforward. Just follow the wizard and you will be fine.

Then, launch the program, which scans and lists all partitions that are available, whether it’s dynamic or basic.

Right-click on the Dynamic Disk you would like to convert, and choose Convert to basic disk.

Click on Apply button at the bottom right side of the window.

Click on Yes button in the popup message box.

Click on Yes button in the next window to agree to reboot the computer to perform the operation. You should save and close all other applications you still have open in case of losing any data.

The computer then will be rebooted and the EASEUS Partition Master will launch itself automatically and perform all the changes.

Depending on how big the partition you are converting, it may take a long time to get the job done. Once it’s finished, it will reboot again to your Windows 7 desktop.

Finally, congratulation, you have successfully converted your long-used dynamic disk back to basic disk.

It looks fairly easy, doesn’t it?

QuickSync – Drag & Drop Folder Synchronisation For Quick Backup

If you’re looking for a smart synchronization utility having miniscule interface with not too many configurations to set up, an application having file drag & drop support with a blend of synchronization scheduling facility to automate the process, you need to have a look at open source QuickSync. It uses smart name detection technique to sync files when some of them are missing or moved from original location. Contrasting to other sync apps, it allows you to decide how you want to deal with file synchronization related conflict  – whether to overwrite existing files or not. File synchronization is easy. You just have to select the time interval or date & time to set up scheduled synchronization and data backup. So what makes it special? The following options: Ask before overwrite, Interval Sync, Date Sync, Binary Match and Backup.

By default, the application sits in system tray. For the first time, you need to bring up the main interface and drop source folder, followed by destination folder and backup folder, to specify all the required paths. Once paths are added, click Synchronisations to set scheduling options and to change paths if required.

You can select Overwrite action from the list and enable file matching based on binary data comparison. From Interval and Data tab, you can configure time interval or date & time settings to perform sync. Once done, click Save to save the configurations and hit Synchronise Now to perform sync for the first time.

Now close down the window to let it sync files automatically at defined intervals. If you haven’t set up sync scheduling, you wont need to open main interface to perform sync – just right-click system tray icon and select Synchronise Now to perform quick sync. It is worth noting here that it’s in beta testing stage, thus all the  the provided features are not fully functional at the moment. It works on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

Download QuickSync