Dynamic Disks

[aicjofs]

Windows XP, I can't remember if right after the intstall of windows, if previous dynamic disks show up as logical drives, or if they just show up as dynamic and you have to activate it in Disk Management.

I ask this because I have 3 HD's. Normally I have each with a 4GB Partition acting as a Basic disk on each. One is OS drive, One is swap file, and one is a "ghosted" mirror of the OS drive. The rest of each drive is dynamic stripe for stuff I don't mind losing, like working with video, loading a game or 2, or programs I don't mind reinstalling from time to time. When I normally do a clean install I format the OS drive, install windows and then I think I reinitialize the Dynamic disks(see above question) and install apps. So what I would like to accomplish is doing an unattended install that finds the dynamic disk and can install programs to a dynamic disk logical drive. Obviously this would be an WinXp disk very specialized to 1 computer, but hey CDR/DVDR are cheap right? Is this possible, what could I put in a batch file to find and reinit the dynamic disks if I indeed need to do that?

Can't find much info on this topic. Thanks in advance

~aic

[Ropera]

these are my 2 cents:

Dynamic disks are not Logical. Logical are partitions of an Extended drive.

Basic - Extended (the partitions of Extended are called Logical)

Dynamic is more or less like a Basic partition with the disadvantage that you can not make them bootable, and the advantages that you can swap entire HDDs with Dynamic partitions without any problems; or that you can combine, and divide partitions on the fly without loosing any data (good for servers and networks)

Now, regarding to what you want to do you face a problem: you can put a program in the Dynamic, but when you install it, it most surely will write Registry keys, even some libraries, into Windows.

For example:

You partition your HDD in 2 Basic disks (C and D), install Windows in C and then convert D into Dynamic, so you are left with C as Basic and D as Dynamic.

Then you install Program X into D, but you have shortcuts (which is the least problem, but also Registry keys and, probably, dlls and other files installed somewhere in Windows).

You back up D and then, later on, reformat C and reinstall Windows in it. You need the to have a batch file that installs all the Registry keys and additional files that were in Windows.

So you need to identify all thsoe Registry keys and files to make your batch file.

That is Mission Impossible man!

[aicjofs]

Oh I totally agree, you are absolutely right. I always reinstall those programs on the dynamic drive again anyway after a fresh install. The apps that I do put on the dynamic drive are many small programs, it would be nice to have this done "automatically". I'm not stuck on doing this, just wonderng if anyone has even tried it. It has some drawbacks and advantages, so I would expect it to be a somewhat unique system configuration. It has worked for me for a few years, and 4-5 installs just fine, always looking for a way to make things easier. Thanks for the reply