Tested Ways to Repair Invalid Dynamic Disk without Data Loss Using CMD

User scenario

My original operating system was Windows 7 Professional or Enterprise. Now I have a new Windows 10 Enterprise desktop. I put these hard drives from my original PC to my Windows 10 and want to retrieve data. The original system hard drive was fine, and the other shows dynamic disk invalid. The only option provided in Windows 10 was Convert to Basic Disk, but the option will lose all the data. What should I do to save my data?

Real cause to invalid dynamic disk in Disk Management

When your Windows operating system stating the dynamic disk as invalid, you would be in panic and want to know why it happened. There are so many reasons for invalid dynamic disk error, like bad sectors, hard drive issues, bad SATA cable, virus attack, or malware. And the most important reason could be the Windows incompatibility issue.

How to repair invalid dynamic disk without data loss?

The below text will show you several ways to repair invalid dynamic disk. According to the real cause of invalid dynamic disk, we list 4 effective ways to fix.

▌ Method 1. Upgrade your Windows OS version

As we all known, dynamic disks are not supported in all versions of Windows operating system, If the dynamic disk shows as invalid, you could upgrade to another Windows OS that supports dynamic disks. Then the problem should be fixed.

▌Method 2. Reactivate the invalid dynamic disk with DiskPart

To repair an invalid dynamic disk without data loss using CMD in Windows 7/8/10/11, you can follow the commands and press"Enter" after each.

After you open CMD by typing cmd in the search box and choosing Run as Administrator, you can follow the next steps: 

diskpart
list disk (Missing disks are numbered M0, M1, M2, and so on; and offline disks are numbered 0, 1, 2, and so on.)
select disk (The disk number is the number of the invalid dynamic disks you want to bring online.)
online disk

If this solution is not working for you, try the next one.

▌Method 3. Convert dynamic to basic disk via Disk Management

Step 1. Type diskmgmt.msc in the search box on the desktop to enter Disk Management.

Step 2. Right-click the invalid dynamic disk and choose Convert to Basic Disk.

If the option Convert to Basic Disk is grayed out, you have to delete all partitions and data on it (you will lose all of the data) and then select the option to convert to basic disk to repair the invalid dynamic disk issue.

▌Method 4. Convert dynamic to basic disk without data loss

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is a powerful dynamic or basic disks and volumes management software for Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 and if you are using Windows Server 2012/2016/2019/2022 you can use Server Edition.

It allows you to convert disk between basic and dynamic without losing data. And allows you to manage dynamic disks and volumes, like extend, shrink, create, delete dynamic volumes, create volume wizard, move volume slice wizard, and add drive to RAID, etc.

Before converting, backup all the data on dynamic disk in case you have to recover data.

Here are the detailed steps to convert.

Step 1. Install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Right-click the target disk, and choose “Dynamic Disk Manager”.

Step 2. Then right click the invalid dynamic disk & choose Convert to Basic Disk. A prompt window will show up, and hit OK.

Step 3. View the changes of the invalid dynamic disk, and press Commit.

Step 4. At the Pending Operations window, press Proceed button to repair invalid dynamic disk without losing data in Windows 7/8/10/11. The operation requires a reboot to take effect the conversion.

Summary

Now, you should know how to repair invalid dynamic disk without data loss. As you can see, AOMEI Partition Assistant has many useful functions to help you manage your PC, try more features to improve the performance of your machine now!

FAQs about repair invalid dynamic disk

1. What does it mean when a dynamic disk is marked as "invalid"?

When a dynamic disk is marked as "invalid," it means that the system cannot recognize the disk configuration. This can be due to various reasons such as corrupted data, disk errors, or issues with the disk's metadata.

2. What causes a dynamic disk to become invalid?

Several factors can cause a dynamic disk to become invalid, including:

• Corruption of the disk's partition table.
• Disk errors or bad sectors.
• Issues caused by dual-booting different operating systems.
• Incorrect disk conversion processes.
• Faulty hardware components.

3. Will repairing an invalid dynamic disk result in data loss?

In most cases, reactivating or repairing an invalid dynamic disk should not result in data loss. However, it's always best to have a backup of your important data before attempting any repair operations.

4. Is it possible to prevent dynamic disks from becoming invalid?

While it's not always possible to prevent disk errors, you can reduce the risk by:

• Regularly backing up important data.
• Running disk maintenance tools such as chkdsk.
• Avoiding abrupt system shutdowns.
• Using reliable hardware and ensuring proper cooling for your disks.