How to Fix New Simple Volume Greyed Out in Windows Server
Why Can't I create a New Simple Volume?
The New Simple Volume feature in Disk Management may be greyed out when you need to create a new partition on unallocated space because the disk is not a basic disk, or the disk is a GPT disk. In such cases, you cannot use the New Simple Volume feature to create a new partition. Instead, you may need to use the Diskpart command-line utility to create a new volume on the unallocated space. This can be done by opening a command prompt as an administrator, typing "diskpart", and then using the "create volume" command to create a new volume on the unallocated space.
The "New Simple Volume greyed out" error occurs primarily because the source disk is an MBR disk, which has a maximum hard drive size of 2TB and supports up to 4 partitions or 3 primary partitions + 1 extended partition, leading to the greyed out error in Disk Management when trying to create a new simple volume.
- You've reached the 2TB limit on the existing partition size, which is causing Windows to prevent the creation of a further partition.
- You have reached the maximum number of primary partitions (4) and one logical partition (1) on your hard drive. This means you can't create any more partitions, as the total number of partitions (5) exceeds the limit for primary partitions (4).
To resolve the New Simple Volume greyed-out error, ensure that the disk you're trying to create a simple volume on is not a system disk, and that there are no existing partitions on the disk. Also, check that the disk is not in use by another process or application. If the disk is a USB drive, try unplugging it and then plugging it back in.
How to Fix 'New Simple Volume' Greyed Out in Windows Server (3 Ways)
To fix the New Simple Volume greyed-out option, convert your MBR disk to a GPT disk, which can support larger hard drive sizes and more partitions than MBR.
In Windows Server, the New Simple Volume option may be greyed out, but there are 3 ways to fix it. These solutions involve converting the Master Boot Record (MBR) to a GUID Partition Table (GPT) using specific tools, which can resolve the issue and allow the option to be accessed again.
Qiling Server Partition Manager Software – Partition Master Server Edition.
To convert MBR to GPT, you can use Disk Management and CMD, but this will result in data loss as you'll need to delete all data from the disk before conversion. Alternatively, you can use Partition Master Server Edition software, which allows for a no-data-loss conversion.
Method 1: Convert MBR Disk to GPT Using Qiling Server Partition Manager Software
The Qiling Partition Master Enterprise is a professional software that allows users to convert MBR disks to GPT or vice versa without losing data, and it supports both system and non-system drives, offering additional features.
- Quickly reallocate disk partition space.
- Flexibly adjust partition size by simply dragging the partition to the right or left.
- Swiftly merge Windows partitions to enlarge partitions.
- Effectively clone a whole disk to another.
You can convert MBR to GPT with the Qiling Partition Master Enterprise by downloading and running the software on your Windows Server, then following the simple steps to perform the conversion.
Step 1. Download and launch Qiling Partition Master on your Windows computer.
Step 2. To convert a disk from MBR to GPT, select the disk you want to convert in the Disk Management console, click the "More" button, and then select "MBR -> GPT" from the dropdown menu. This will initiate the conversion process.
That's it! Your MBR disk has been converted to GPT in a snap.
Method 2: Convert MBR Disk to GPT Using Disk management
This method requires deleting all partitions or volumes on the drive before converting MBR to GPT, which means essential data must be backed up beforehand. It only works for data disks, so non-data disks should use a different method.
Engage the steps below to convert MBR to GPT.
Step 1: Launch Disk Management by right-clicking This PC > Manage > Disk Management.
Step 2:Right-click the MBR disk partition, select "Delete Volume" or "Delete Partition", and confirm with "Yes".
To clear all existing partitions on your MBR disk, repeat the process of selecting the disk, clicking "Delete", and confirming the deletion. This will remove all existing partitions, making the disk ready for new partitions to be created.
Step 3:To complete the process, right-click the now cleared MBR disk and select the option to "Convert to GPT disk".
After converting to GPT, you can create multiple partitions, and the "New Simple Volume greyed out" error will no longer appear.
Method 3: Convert MBR to GPT via CMD
Diskpart CMD is a built-To convert MBR to GPT disk, you can use the built-in Windows utility, but this method requires backing up all important data and deleting volumes on the disk before conversion. This method is only available for data disks, so if you have a non-data disk, you should revert to method 1. The CMD process is also involved in this method, making it a bit more complicated. However, it's still a viable option if you're comfortable with the process.
Follow the steps to convert MBR to GPT via CMD.
Step 1:To access the Command Prompt, press the keys "Win + R" on your keyboard to open the Run dialogue box, type in "cmd", and press Enter.
Step 2:To launch the Diskpart utility in Windows, type "diskpart" in the Command Prompt and press Enter. This will launch the Diskpart utility, allowing you to manage and manipulate your computer's disks.
Step 3: Type in the below commands in sequence and press enter after each command
- list disk (to display all the online disk)
- select disk n (n signifies the number of the target MBR disk)
- clean (to clear all partitions on the target disk)
- convert gpt
- exit (to leave the window)
Conclusion
The main difference between using Windows built-in utilities and third-party software like Qiling Partition Master Enterprise lies in the ease of use and the ability to delete disk volumes. Qiling Partition software is the easiest way to fix the 'New Simple Volume greyed out' error by converting an MBR disk to GPT without losing data, and it has other outstanding features for disk management tasks. It's recommended to use the Qiling Partition Master Server Edition for effective disk conversion.
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