Windows 10 offers many new features and improvements compared to previous Microsoft systems, some of them rather hidden and not so simple to understand at first glance. One of these, which had already been introduced with Windows 8.1, is to create new storage spaces that is to group different types of hard drives, hard drives or SSDs or external USB drives, in a single storage pool . Storage spaces are virtual drives that appear in Windows Explorer as if they were real disks.
For example, if you have three 100 GB drives, you can use two to create a " storage pool " and then, once you have created a new pool, create a 200 GB virtual drive that represents the total amount of space available. It is also possible to create a 1000 GB virtual drive and as it starts to fill up, when it is occupied for the 200 GB available, expand the real space.
The real purpose of these storage spaces, however, is to create a backup copy of the data so that, in case of disk errors, it is still possible to recover and use the files that are replicated in the pool. You can therefore have a storage space with a simple copy of the data on the same disk (but in this way if the disk breaks the data is still lost) or configure a two-way mirror (write two copies of the data on the drives) and also a three-way mirror, with three copies of data on three different drives.
Furthermore, it is also possible to have a storage space similar to RAID 5 and the Parity function.
Of these things I had already spoken in the past in the guide to combine multiple discs into a single volume .
Once opened, in the first screen you can select the units that you want to insert in the storage pool. All data currently on the drives will be erased during the process, so you must use disks and USB drives that you are willing to erase. The drive must be at least 5 GB in size to be used in Storage Spaces and must not contain data in use on the PC. The user must have computer administrator rights in order to use this function.
When creating, you must give a name to the storage space (virtual drive), choose the drive letter and the type of file system. For most people, NTFS will be fine, but if you really want an innovative choice, you can opt for REFS ( Resilient File System ), a type of file system that maximizes data availability.
Then select the size you want to allocate (you can choose any size, it doesn't matter if you don't have real space available since you will be notified when it's time to add more space) and complete the process.
At any time, you can always add multiple drives to the pool to expand a storage space, or create other pools. You can also change the space assigned to a pool, to increase or decrease it.
How to delete a storage space
If you no longer want to have this storage pool created, you can easily delete it from the configuration and management window. Deleting a storage space permanently erases the data it contains. Before deleting a pool, you must still properly remove and disconnect any storage spaces that may have been created. Again, the units involved in the deleted pool will have to be reformatted to be able to reuse them and to see them in Windows Explorer.
READ ALSO: Create a partition (volume) on Windows by dividing a hard disk into several parts
For example, if you have three 100 GB drives, you can use two to create a " storage pool " and then, once you have created a new pool, create a 200 GB virtual drive that represents the total amount of space available. It is also possible to create a 1000 GB virtual drive and as it starts to fill up, when it is occupied for the 200 GB available, expand the real space.
What are the storage spaces for
Storage spaces can be used to create a single large network drive instead of sharing multiple drives on the network. If you have multiple USB drives attached to your computer, you can combine them into one logical drive, which allows you to organize all your data from a single point.The real purpose of these storage spaces, however, is to create a backup copy of the data so that, in case of disk errors, it is still possible to recover and use the files that are replicated in the pool. You can therefore have a storage space with a simple copy of the data on the same disk (but in this way if the disk breaks the data is still lost) or configure a two-way mirror (write two copies of the data on the drives) and also a three-way mirror, with three copies of data on three different drives.
Furthermore, it is also possible to have a storage space similar to RAID 5 and the Parity function.
Of these things I had already spoken in the past in the guide to combine multiple discs into a single volume .
Create storage space or storage pool
To configure storage spaces in Windows 10 you must open the Control Panel and find it in the list view of all the elements. Alternatively, you can search for Storage Spaces in the Start menu.Once opened, in the first screen you can select the units that you want to insert in the storage pool. All data currently on the drives will be erased during the process, so you must use disks and USB drives that you are willing to erase. The drive must be at least 5 GB in size to be used in Storage Spaces and must not contain data in use on the PC. The user must have computer administrator rights in order to use this function.
When creating, you must give a name to the storage space (virtual drive), choose the drive letter and the type of file system. For most people, NTFS will be fine, but if you really want an innovative choice, you can opt for REFS ( Resilient File System ), a type of file system that maximizes data availability.
Then select the size you want to allocate (you can choose any size, it doesn't matter if you don't have real space available since you will be notified when it's time to add more space) and complete the process.
Storage space management
Once you have created a storage space, going to " Manage storage spaces " you can see some useful information, such as the use of physical memory and the disk or USB drives involved.At any time, you can always add multiple drives to the pool to expand a storage space, or create other pools. You can also change the space assigned to a pool, to increase or decrease it.
How to optimize disk usage
When adding new drives to an existing pool, you can use the feature to optimize the use of space by transferring some data to the added disks. Optimization occurs by default when adding a new drive to an existing pool, when you select the option that optimizes the use of the drive to distribute existing data on all disks in the pool.How to properly remove a drive in use
From a storage space it is not possible to simply disconnect a drive, as all the data inside it may be lost. Windows 10, in the storage management window, includes a mechanism to correctly remove a drive from a pool by moving the data on the other disks. After removing the drive, it will not be accessible through File Explorer and you will need to proceed to reformat it using the Disk Management tool.How to delete a storage space
If you no longer want to have this storage pool created, you can easily delete it from the configuration and management window. Deleting a storage space permanently erases the data it contains. Before deleting a pool, you must still properly remove and disconnect any storage spaces that may have been created. Again, the units involved in the deleted pool will have to be reformatted to be able to reuse them and to see them in Windows Explorer.
READ ALSO: Create a partition (volume) on Windows by dividing a hard disk into several parts
