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When trying to create additional partitions (to allow multiboot with Ubuntu), I accidantially changed my hard drive from basic to dynamic.

Every description I found on the internet recommends to use either a paid software, or to delete every volume on the disk to allow changing it back.

But unfortunately, I can't delete every volume on the disk, because windows is installed on it. And I want to avoid having to pay 40$ or more for a software I'll (hopefully) never have to use again.

I do not care about any data on the disk - how can I reset the whole disk and do a clean install of windows? Or is there any other solution?

If it's any help: I'm running Windows 10 Education.

Edit: I also found this solution, but Windows 10 refuses to install the programm dskprob.exe as it was created for Windows XP

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Christopher
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1 Answers1

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Well, have you try "image" solutions?

WARNING! Since what we do here is messing with Windows partition. Use This Solution at Your Own Risk

What you need is:

List item

  1. A Flash Drive with PE Utility on it. You can use Gandalf Win8.1 PE. http://www.software182.com/2015/01/gandalfs-windows-pe.html#axzz3y5lMwvkF

  2. External Drive. HDD Recommended.

  3. Ghost32 Software from Symantec.

Steps 1 - Set Up Your Tools

a. Install Your PE Utility to your Flash Drive

b. Copy your Ghost32 software to your External Drive.

Step 2 - Imaging Your Old Drive

a. Boot Your Flash Drive

b. Connect Your External Drive

c. Open Your Ghost32.

What we will do here is to create Image File for ALL Partition if you want to save all your data.

d. Select Local>Disk>To Image. You'll see List of hard drive that connected to your computer. Your default drive should be number one unless you have installed windows on second drive or etc. Anyway, select your drive.

e. Select your External Drive/HDD as destination drive. Select the folder and Names the file win10img or whatever you like.

f. This is Important! Select All Partition if you want to save all the data or Select Only The System Partition and Windows Partition if you doesn't need your data.

g. Make Sure you choose all the rights partition and clicks continue. Wait the process and Viola! The Images is Done. Don't Shutdown/exit.

Note: If you receive any error on this step, simply just do not continue. If you do, you'll have a bad image file and obviously wont works when you recovers from it.

Step 3 - Convert Your Drive

Here, you can use any tools you want. But, if you use Win8.1PE or any Windows PE, you can see the steps here: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc776315(v=ws.10).aspx

Deletes all the partition and Convert the Disk. Don't create partition yet. Leave the Drive RAW.

Step 4 - Recover Your Partition To the drive.

a. Open Ghost32 again. Select Local>Disk>From Image.

b. Select Your Image Files that you've been created on step 2.

c. Select The Partition that you'll recover. You can ignore it since its automatically selected.

d. Select the destination drive. It should be your RAW drive.

e. Continue and wait till the process done.

f. Exit ghost and Shutdown Your PC.

g. Boot your drive.

Now it's should be running without problem.

Notes: I'm kind of forgot about the order for step c & d, but if you reads the windows title, you wont have any problem.

Cheers

Kuro GAW
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