My computer has two drives. The C: drive is on a basic MBR disk, and I successfully converted that disk to GPT with `mbr2gpt /convert /disk:1 /allowFullOS`. My E: drive contains my libraries, but it is on a dynamic MBR disk and `mbr2gpt` fails validation when I try to convert it. What is the safest way to convert this data drive to GPT, and does it need to be dynamic to store libraries?
2 Answers
`mbr2gpt` is mainly intended for converting Windows system disks, and dynamic disks generally aren’t supported for a direct conversion. A data drive does not need to be dynamic to store libraries; a basic disk works fine. Back up everything first, then either move the data elsewhere, recreate the disk as GPT/basic, and copy the files back, or use a reputable partition tool that explicitly supports converting dynamic MBR disks without data loss. Don’t assume the latter is risk-free.
If validation is failing for a reason other than the dynamic-disk limitation, check the volume for file-system problems first. From an elevated Command Prompt, after closing anything that uses E:, you can run `chkdsk E: /f /r /x`. The `/r` scan can take many hours on a large physical drive, and you should make sure you have a current backup before repairing a drive with possible hardware problems.
Disk Management does identify it as dynamic. I wasn’t sure whether that was necessary for storing the libraries, so I’ll look into converting it back to basic after making a backup.