How to Remove Storage Pool Windows 10

Removing a storage pool in Windows 10 involves dismantling the logical structure that combines your physical drives. This typically requires preparing the individual drives for removal first and then deleting the pool itself.

Here's how to do it:

Step 1: Prepare Drives for Removal from the Pool

Before you can delete a storage pool, it's often necessary to remove the physical drives that are part of it. This step helps ensure data integrity by allowing Windows to redistribute data if possible, depending on your pool's resiliency type.

Based on the provided reference, follow these steps to prepare a specific drive for removal:

1. Go to the taskbar.
2. Type Storage Spaces in the search box.
3. Select Storage Spaces from the list of search results.
4. Select Change settings. (You might need administrator permissions).
5. Select Physical drives to see all the drives in your pool.
6. Find the drive you want to remove.
7. Select Prepare for removal.
8. Confirm by selecting Prepare for removal again.

Windows will attempt to move data off the selected drive. This process can take some time, depending on the amount of data and the speed of your drives. Once the drive is prepared, it will typically show as "Ready to remove" or similar status. You can then physically disconnect the drive if you intend to reuse it elsewhere, or proceed to delete the pool.

Step 2: Delete the Storage Pool

Once you've prepared or removed the drives you want to take out of the pool, you can delete the storage pool itself. Be aware that deleting the storage pool will erase all data stored within that pool.

Here are the general steps to delete the pool:

1. Open Storage Spaces (as done in Step 1).
2. Select Change settings (if necessary).
3. Under the "Storage pools" section, find the pool you want to delete.
4. Select Delete.
5. Read the warning carefully, as this action is irreversible and will delete all data on the virtual disks within the pool.
6. Confirm by selecting Delete pool.

Windows will then remove the storage pool configuration. The physical drives that were part of the pool will revert to being unallocated space, which you can then format and use as individual drives or for creating a new pool.

Important Considerations

• Backup Data: Always back up any important data from the storage pool before attempting to remove or delete it. Deleting a pool erases all its data.
• Data Redistribution: The "Prepare for removal" step helps redistribute data, but it relies on the pool having enough free space and sufficient drives remaining to maintain resiliency (if configured). If the pool is too full or you're removing too many drives, this step might not complete successfully.
• Virtual Disks: When you delete the storage pool, all virtual disks (like simple, mirror, or parity spaces) created within that pool are also deleted.
• Physical Disconnection: After preparing a drive for removal, you can safely disconnect it physically from your computer. If you don't, it will simply remain as an unallocated disk recognized by Windows.

By following these steps, you can successfully remove a storage pool in Windows 10 and reclaim the physical drives for other uses.