What is the maximum hard drive size that Win 7 Pro will support

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ruthnicholls

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I have Windows 7Professional, 64bit running on an SSD 500GB drive.

My internal drives are the 500GB SSD, 2 x 1TB, and a small 150GB velociraptor. My External drives, all powered, are 2 x 1TB, 2 x 500GB, and 2 x 2TB drives.

The newest one is one of the 2 TB ones. Since adding this one, I find I cannot run it if all the others are connected as well.

I read that there is a limit to how many TB Windows 7 can support, and that it depends also whether they are internal or external.

Please can you clarify this for me. If there is a limit, I will have to move a lot of data(photos) around so as not to need to run all at once.

I have also just upgraded the power pack to 650watts,quadrail.

Thanks.
 
Last edited:

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No Windows 7 does not have a limit. Something else is limiting you, what it would be I'm not sure. Probably a limitation on the means you are connecting these external drives.
 

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The MBR partition type limits volumes to 2 TB. For GPT it is much larger, far beyond the largest drive currently available. I don't know if there are any theoretical limits on the number of volumes but the practical limit is drive letter availability.
 

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Windows 7 Pro 64 bit
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Just one little question ---

AddRAM said:
Is it initialized as GPT ?

Windows support for hard disks that are larger than 2 TB
Click to expand...

I know this discussion is not recent, but it pretty much answered the question that I had.

That being said, the answer sort of presented me with another question, as answers often do where I am concerned.....

If I am understanding the information given in the "support microsoft" link provided, if I initialize a 4TB (or larger) internal (or external) storage disk as GUID/GPT, then it matters not if the base firmware is BIOS so long as the boot disk agrees with the base firmware; .......... right ?
 

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Windows 7 Pro x64Intel Core Two Duo E8600 3.33 ghz8GBGigabyte Radeon R7 240
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Dell Optiplex 780m "mini-tower"
OS
Windows 7 Pro x64
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Intel Core Two Duo E8600 3.33 ghz
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Whatever DELL put in it
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If I am understanding the information given in the "support microsoft" link provided, if I initialize a 4TB (or larger) internal (or external) storage disk as GUID/GPT, then it matters not if the base firmware is BIOS so long as the boot disk agrees with the base firmware; .......... right ?
Click to expand...

Yes.
 

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My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Pro x64Intel Core Two Duo E8600 3.33 ghz8GBGigabyte Radeon R7 240
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell Optiplex 780m "mini-tower"
OS
Windows 7 Pro x64
CPU
Intel Core Two Duo E8600 3.33 ghz
Motherboard
Whatever DELL put in it
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8GB
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Gigabyte Radeon R7 240
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HP 2159m
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750 Watt Corsair CX750
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Logitech Wireless
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Logitech Wireless
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Chrome, Firefox, IE
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