One of the most complicated problems to solve when we install Windows 11 appears when we try to install the operating system on a disk that has dynamic volumes, which will appear with a warning like “Windows cannot be installed. The partition contains one or more dynamic volumes that are not supported for installation”.
Dynamic volumes are very common on office computers or workstations, as they often have disks connected in RAID or other special configurations.
If we have fallen into this error when trying to install Windows 11, you have come to the right guide: here we will show you how to install windows 11 on dynamic diskconverting to a dynamic disk using the tools integrated into Windows or partition management programs.
READ ALSO -> Convert disk to GPT to install Windows 11
1) Convert dynamic disk based on Disk Management
The best method to install Windows 11 on a dynamic disk involves converting the disk directly from Disk Management, a tool integrated into all versions of Windows.
To proceed we open the copy of Windows already installed on the PC, open the Start menu and search Disk Managementwe open the tool and identify the disk on which Windows 11 cannot be installed.
Let’s make sure that there are no partitions on the disk (by right-clicking on the partitions and pressing Remove volumes), then press the right button next to the name of the disc (sideways on the left) and select the item Convert to basic disk.
2) Convert dynamic disk according to prompt
Without using any program we can convert a dynamic disk into a basic disk using only the command prompt; these commands are also accessible from installation disk consoleso you can convert a dynamic disk on a PC without any Windows installation.
Once the prompt is open we can start the conversion by running the following commands:
diskpart
list disk
We check the list of visible disks on the computer, then store the disk number. Now we run the command:
select disk "numero-disco"
detail disk
So as to select the right disk and check how many volumes or partitions are present. After these preliminaries we insert the command:
select volume= "volumenumber"
followed by:
delete volume
to delete all the volumes seen on the disk one by one; at the end of the operation we launch the command again:
select disk "numero-disco"
and finally launch the disk conversion command from dynamic to static, that is:
convert basic
For further information we can read our guide on differences between MBR or GPT disk and the partition style to use.
3) Convert dynamic disk to basic with EaseUS Partition Master
If we wanted to use a program for converting the dynamic disk into a basic disk (necessary to install Windows 11) we can rely on EaseUS Partition Masteravailable for free for any version of Windows.
After installing it, start it, press on the side Disk converterwe select the item Convert Dynamic to Basicwe press on Avantiselect the disk to convert and finally press on Converted to convert disk from dynamic to static in just a few clicks.
4) Convert dynamic disk to basic without losing installed data
If the disk on the PC is full of very important programs and files, the procedures seen so far are not suitable, since they require formatting the volumes and partitions.
To solve the problem we can rely on AOMEI Partition Assistantwhose Pro version is available for free trial.
If we decide to use this application for install Windows 11 on dynamic disk without losing data all we have to do is start the program, press on at the top Convertselect the menu Convert dynamic diskto select Method 1click on Avantiindicate the disk to convert and press on Avanti to start the conversion procedure.
Although the program is safe and very precise in performing the operation It is always advisable to make a preventive backup of important filesas seen in our guide on How to save important files safely.
Conclusions
Installing Windows 11 on a dynamic disk is possible as long as convert dynamic disk to basic disk, deleting all the partitions and performing the conversion with dedicated tools or with the EaseUS Partition Master program; if the disk is full of important files and we don’t want to format everything, we can use the AOMEI Partition Assistant trial to perform this delicate operation.
To learn more we can read our guides on how to partition a disk on PC, create or merge partitions come on how to install windows on any disk.
If, however, we have other problems with the installation of Windows 11, we invite you to read our article if your PC is not compatible with Windows 11 how to install it anyway.