Question Convert Storage Space Disks to normal disks, while keeping data (Windows)

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superbubbles

Commendable
Feb 16, 2021
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Hi, I have a storage pool on Windows 10 Pro
  • 2 healthy disks of 16TB each
  • Two-way mirror
  • I use this storage pool to store various data (music, photos, work projects, ..)
  • The OS isn't there. It's on a different drive.
I would like to get rid of this Storage pool, so that I have 2 regular separate hard drives instead, each with a different drive letter. I would like to keep the data on both, or at least on one. I know I can backup everything on a third drive, and then remove the pool. But it's such a pain in my case I want to avoid it.

Can this be done?

I'm considering the following method:
  • Turning off computer A with the storage pool
  • Removing physically one of the drives (Drive 1), plug it onto computer B, format it, set it up as a new regular hard drive
  • Then removing physically the other drive (Drive 2) from computer A, plug it onto computer B
  • Copy Drive 2's data onto the new empty Drive 1
  • Format Drive 2 and set up as new regular hard drive
  • I now have 2 regular hard drives, with one copy of my data
Is this nuts? Am I going to lose everything and kill myself?

Best,


HsgyJ99.jpg
 
Last edited:
Yes, but theorically can my method work ?

If I unplug one of the disks and put it on another computer: will it work like a regular hard drive? Or does it mandatorily need to be wiped/formated in order to be usable?
 
fzabkar said:
There should be a simple solution with DMDE.

https://dmde.com/

Can you show us the Partitions tab in DMDE after transferring one drive from computer A to computer B?

Don't format the drive or write to it.
Click to expand...

I haven't tried to plug one of the drives on computer B for now, as I'm scared of it exploding
Computer B has an operating system installed and running on a C: drive for info. It boots on it (Win 10 Pro)

I can plug one of the drives on B without risking anything? (In order to run DMDE)
 
superbubbles said:
Is this nuts? Am I going to lose everything and kill myself?
Click to expand...
Lets say this is theoretically possible
(I do not know if it is or is not, I don't mess with StorageSpaces)

Lets further say you have a set of known tested instructions.

Lets further say you try it.

What would you do if something goes wrong in the process?
And don't say "aw, that won't happen'. Capt Murphy is always hanging around.

Currently, you have but one and only one copy of this data.
Tears would result.

If I had a known good backup of ALL the data, I might try it like you listed above.

I did with upgrading a RAID 5 from 4x 3TB to 4x 4TB, one drive at a time.
But I did it just to see how the QNAP NAS handled the changing RAID size.

And I had a known good backup of all the data, just in case.
 
Thank you for your replies. Well after reading a few things, and your sensible comments, I've indeed decided to backup everything first.

Although, what I'm trying to do still applies.

I'm transfering everything on drives for backup.
But afterwards, instead of re-transfering back everything from those backup disks, I could simply unplug one disc from computer A, plug it on computer B, and make it work without erasing it. That's what I'd like to do.

Thank you @USAFRet for your input and approving the method I mentionned. I'm less scared of the whole thing exploding now.


fzabkar said:
You could use a USB enclosure if you prefer.
Click to expand...
Sorry if that wasn't clear, I wasn't speaking about the SATA or USB aspect of it.
OK so I should consider that just plugging it is ok.
I'll do that then and get back with a screenshot from DMDE
 
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superbubbles said:
Thank you @USAFRet for your input and approving the method I mentionned. I'm less scared of the whole thing exploding now.
Click to expand...
Oh, I didn't approve of your methodology.
I specifically said "Lets say this is theoretically possible (I do not know if it is or is not, I don't mess with StorageSpaces)"

It "might" work.

It may well be.
But I really wouldn't try it without a known good backup.
And if I had that, I just undo the SS, probably format the drives, and copy the data over.


But, It might be worth a try, just to see what happens.
 
fzabkar said:
There should be a simple solution with DMDE.

https://dmde.com/

Can you show us the Partitions tab in DMDE after transferring one drive from computer A to computer B?

Don't format the drive or write to it.
Click to expand...
Hi again @fzabkar

I've unplugged one of the drives from Computer A
Plugged it to Computer B (Internal SATA)

It appears as a regular drive (E:/) on "This Pc" and I can browse files in Windows Explorer

I'm attaching screenshots from DMDE

HsmJegp.png


Hsm30g4.png


Hsmqkn1.png


HsmBxAQ.png



I found a post from you mentioning two "42" close to each other, I'm attaching this also

HsmoL5G.png
 
Last edited:
Firstly, 42h is the ASCII value of the letter "B", not the partition ID of a dynamic volume. So that's a red herring which can be ignored,

Secondly, even though your SATA-connected drives are 512E models, it appears that Storage Spaces has treated them as 4KN drives. I wasn't expecting this, but it appears to be normal. Moreover, your computer B seems to understand that this is a Storage Spaces volume and is respecting the 4KN configuration. I confess that I don't understand what is happening.

Sorry, but I can't see a simple way to reliably convert the file system from a 4KN Storage Spaces HDD to a 512E basic volume. I normally only expect to see 4KN file systems in USB enclosures or behind some RAID controllers (eg AMD RAIDXpert). I have no experience with your setup.
 
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fzabkar said:
Firstly, 42h is the ASCII value of the letter "B", not the partition ID of a dynamic volume. So that's a red herring which can be ignored,

Secondly, even though your SATA-connected drives are 512E models, it appears that Storage Spaces has treated them as 4KN drives. I wasn't expecting this, but it appears to be normal. Moreover, your computer B seems to understand that this is a Storage Spaces volume and is respecting the 4KN configuration. I confess that I don't understand what is happening.

Sorry, but I can't see a simple way to reliably convert the file system from a 4KN Storage Spaces HDD to a 512E basic volume. I normally only expect to see 4KN file systems in USB enclosures or behind some RAID controllers (eg AMD RAIDXpert). I have no experience with your setup.
Click to expand...
Hi, sorry for the delayed response
Thank you for your reply, it's greatly appreciated :)

After your message, I've abandonned trying to convert anything..

To sum up, for eventual future readers trying to do something similar, I did the following:
  • Backed up all data
  • Removed one disk from Computer A
  • Plugged it on Computer B
  • Deleted the Storage Space that was detected by Computer B after plugging
  • Formatted the disk
  • Copied all the backed up data onto the formated disk

    Then did the same with the second disk:

  • Remove the other disk from Computer A
  • Plugged it on Computer B
  • Deleted the Storage space that was detected by Computer B after plugging
  • Formatted the disk
  • Copied all the backed up data onto the formated disk
Now I have my two independent disks with the data, plus my backup disks

If I had known, I would never had done a RAID 1 configuration. I thought it was much more flexible.
I'll do AOMEI Backupper or manual backups to keep data up-to-date on both disks.

Thank you all for your messages :)
 
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