Basic disk VS dynamic disk

[Crosshairs]

Are there any benifits to using Dynamic disk's as opposed to basic disks?
I have done some research and cant find any definitive answers.
I have a game server that i converted last night, I used that machine because I dont really care if it gets fubared.
I just dont know what benifit if any, I would see.
I know there is no turnng back once converted, so Im not really sure its worth it in a regular environment.
Any comments..answers?

 

[Crosshairs]

DAMN!!! nobody has any answers

 

[liquidtrance123]

dynamic disks can be software raided and such on some of the higher end OS's. Other than that i don't know a whole lot about them.

basically if you have 2 dynamic disks instead of buying a raid controller you can have windows do it for you (slower)
such as mirroring and striping.

Boot drives should always be basic disks. However if you have secondary HD"s you'd like to add i usually convert mine to dynamic disks just for fun. or (software mirroring)

 

[potroast]

dynamic disks are if you don't have enough problems on your computer, and you feel left out. You can always convert a basic disk to dynamic if you feel that reliability is too high.

MS graciously included dynamic disks for people that bought good hardware and are feeling lonely now that their data is secure.

if you feel you're missing out, feel free to enable dynamic disks and create a bunch of problems in your life.

 

[Crosshairs]

dynamic disks are if you don't have enough problems on your computer, and you feel left out. You can always convert a basic disk to dynamic if you feel that reliability is too high.

MS graciously included dynamic disks for people that bought good hardware and are feeling lonely now that their data is secure.

if you feel you're missing out, feel free to enable dynamic disks and create a bunch of problems in your life.

LOL .. But the thing I want to know is why do you feel this way. Im looking for insight as to how it works, or as you say, doesnt work

Like I said, I have already converted my game server , and as much as I poke around and run benchmarks, I dont see any diffrence.
Its just purring along, so I dont see any problms from this.
Im running XP Pro if it matters. I also saw that XP home does not support dynamic disks. I guess what im looking for is an explanation of what it actualy does ( or doesent do )

 

[potroast]

the idea of a "dynamic" disk is so that you can do software RAID via Windows. Obviously this adds a layer of complication.

furthermore, since you have the overhead of software RAID, a dynamic disk will NEVER be faster than a basic disk.

I have never attempted to run dynamic disks because I either run a single drive (fastest as a basic disk) or a hardware RAID solution. However, I have seen a few customers that have royally borked their data thanks to dynamic disks and their inability to properly work a computer.

Overall, I find no reason to use a dynamic disk... They provide software RAID, which can be benefitial, but it will NEVER be as fast as a basic disk, or hardware setup.

The way I read your post, it seems you're asking not because you want to use software RAID, but are wondering if converting to dynamic disks will increase either performance or reliability...

the short answer is that a dynamic disk will be less reliable and not perform as well as a "basic" disk.

 

[Crosshairs]

Thanks, that info was helpful.

I was doing some reading as was confused as to the benifits or drawbacks of dynamic disks.

I use this maching mostly for gaming. I have a 120 GIG SATA boot drive, a 74 GIG Raptor for my games and a 60 GIG IDE for apps and stuff.

I had a RAID 0 setup with 2 36 GIG Raptors for a while, but sold those and bought the 74.

The whole RAID 0 thing didnt do it for me

Based on your reply, I think Im gonna leave this machine alone

 

[Ice Czar]

dynamic disks are if you don't have enough problems on your computer, and you feel left out. You can always convert a basic disk to dynamic if you feel that reliability is too high.

MS graciously included dynamic disks for people that bought good hardware and are feeling lonely now that their data is secure.

if you feel you're missing out, feel free to enable dynamic disks and create a bunch of problems in your life.

ROTFLMAO

Dynamic Disks are like a really incomprehensible dialect of a language you speak
with all sorts of special cases and rules,
unless your willing to learn them its best to stay away,
performances advantages are few, but the potential for misadventure is great

they can offer some advantages in enterprise storage management situations
from software RAID to resizing simple volumes (in conjunction with disk qoutas, mounted NTFS volumes as folders ect ect)
but for the desktop Id recommend just getting Partition Magic and hardware RAID

a few more information sources (also in the Advanced HDD Issues thread in the Data Storage FAQ )


Dynamic Disks
Description of Disk Groups in Windows Disk Management
Dynamic vs. Basic Storage in Windows 2000
Basic and Dynamic Disks @ Windows & .net Magazine
HOW TO: Recover an Accidentally Deleted NTFS or FAT32 Dynamic Volume
Dynamic Disk Hardware Limitations (No firewire, USB, removable or laptop)
HOW TO: Set Up Fault-Tolerant Sets on Dynamic Disks in Windows 2000
Dynamic Disk Numbering and the DmDiag.exe Tool
HOW TO: Regenerate a Dynamic Mirrored Volume in Windows 2000
Restrictions on Extending or Spanning Simple Volumes on Dynamic Disks

Limits of Dynamic Disks in Windows 2000
LDMDump (Freeware utility) @ sysinternals
LDM Database @ Linux-NTFS project
LDM FAQ @ Linux-NTFS project