5TB drive seen as only 560GB - usual fixes don't work

EdB · 21 Nov 2015

Solved. And the issue wasn't GPT/MBR or anything relating to the drive itself; it was the XPS 8300's Intel Chipset.

Somewhere I learned that Intel RST drivers must be > 10.1

I checked mine via Device Manager and saw mine was only 10.0.x. This, despite Windows 7's Device Manager AND Dell's own driver check software AND IObit's driver update software all telling me the chipset drivers on my system are current.

It took a bit of searching through Intel's byzantine website, but I finally found the right path to the drivers and voila! I have a 5TB drive.

Thanks again for the help, everyone. Much appreciated.
Ed B

Layback Bear · 21 Nov 2015

This is not a good omen.

From post #11

IObit's driver update software

I recommend to never install and or use anything from IObits.
Many people that use IObit's programs have to do another install of Windows 7 to get things working proper again.

Just my friendly opinion.

jumanji · 21 Nov 2015

And so in the final run, unrealRage was right ( It is a known fact.)

Where we failed was in not giving the link so that you could have compared the versions. https://downloadcenter.intel.com/pro...logy-Intel-RST-
(unrealRage may please note :))

I have put it here now so that it may help others who run into similar problem. ( Yep, the threads with solved tick mark are of high value in google search and looked into by thousands of searchers.)

EdB · 21 Nov 2015

And so in the final run, unrealRage was right ( It is a known fact.)

Yes, and I didn't give kudos for the solve, so unrealRage, thanks!

Where we failed was in not giving the link so that you could have compared the versions. https://downloadcenter.intel.com/pro...logy-Intel-RST-
(unrealRage may please note )

I don't think you had the fail; it was mine for not double-checking all the info that insisted the drivers were up to date despite them being 4 years old.

I have put it here now so that it may help others who run into similar problem. ( Yep, the threads with solved tick mark are of high value in google search and looked into by thousands of searchers.)

I totally get that. I searched dozens of posts in solving this problem alone. Thanks again.

EdB

unrealRage · 22 Nov 2015

You're welcome but since I was hasty and didn't post any link that would lead you to the right drivers ;this could've been solved way earlier.
Noted!

I am glad that I could help!

noman007 · 30 Nov 2015

Wow. I have the EXACT same problem; "The drive is seen as a GPT drive. I've checked time and again with Disk Management, CMD, partition software, and all say it is a GPT drive of 561.40 GB in size."

I've tried DavidE's suggestion and it shows size: 561.52GB.
It should be showing 4.55TB = 5,000,000...bytes for a 5TB drive.

Read Convert MBR Disk to GPT Disk on this forum but nothing of that seems to apply. Doesn't seem to work.

Disk property under Computer Management>Disk Management>Property>Volume does show partition style as GUID Partition Table (GPT) so it should be ok for a greater than 2TB drive. It only show unallocated 561.40GB with no extend or anything. I know it is a 5TB drive.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

FYI, I don't think it's my drivers since I have one 5tb that is showing.

jumanji · 01 Dec 2015

1. Is your nondescript 5TB HDD (no name,no manufacturer,no model number - we are not clairvoyant :))
connected internally as in the OP's desktop? If not, the solution here does not apply to you.

2. A 5TB HDD placed in an incompatible enclosure/dock may read only one eighth of the capacity.

3. If you have bought a branded 5TB external drive, it will have the right SATA to USB bridge inside the enclosure to read the full 5 TB whether it is an advanced formatted MBR drive or a GPT initialised and formatted drive.

If this doesn't answer your problem please start a new thread explaining your problem with full details of both your 5TB drives, and how these are connected and also the screenshots which you are talking about.

noman007 · 01 Dec 2015

Hahaha. Very Fair.

1. It's a seagate oem 5TB.
2. I'm thinking it might be the enclosure. Looking to borrow an enclosure to test this theory in a different setup.
One thing that does confused me is that originally the 5tb did show up in this enclosure. After I reformatted and deleted the volume, this is when I lost the 5TB and only showed 500GB.
3. The drive is oem with a different company enclosure. Not sure of the setup but it does register a 2TB fine in the past.

noman007 · 02 Dec 2015

Thanks for the help Jumanji

One possible solution: Segment 5TB drive into 2/2/1TB and format (from an enclosure that recognizes the drive).

Now it seems to work in #2.

jumanji · 02 Dec 2015

Good. Thanks for sharing the workaround..

This happens because your enclosure can address only 2TB.

As far as larger than 2TB drives are concerned:

1. There are older motherboards which cannot deal with larger than 2TB drives - motherboard limitation.

2. Even in new motherboards which can handle more than 2TB drives older versions of Intel Rapid Storage Technology Drivers can play spoilsport. Solution is to update to the recent version of IRST driver - this thread.

3. Many older enclosures cannot handle larger than 2 TB drives. I understand that many new enclosures also have this limitation. So one has to be careful when buying new enclosures and make sure that the enclosure can handle more than 2TB drives if he intends using larger than 2TB drives. Otherwise you may have to resort to this workaround. 2 +2 + 2...... Brush up your maths. :) ( May or may not work with all enclosures)

4. You won't run into this problem if you buy branded external drives from the HDD manufacturers instead of third party enclosures + HDD.

( Just yesterday my daughter had purchased a Seagate 3 TB expansion desktop drive. I checked it to ascertain whether it is formatted as a GPT drive or MBR drive. It is formatted as a GPT drive. Earlier all these larger than 2TB external drives came as advanced formatted MBR drives to make it compatible with Windows XP. Since MS no longer supports Windows XP, the manufacturers have started shifting to GPT formatted external drives, in phases. During this interim transition period users may still be buying MBR drives. And it pays to know whether you have an MBR external drive or GPT external drive for if you come for data recovery that is the first question you will face - whether your external drive is MBR or GPT?:) )