Hard Drive Capacity Under Win7 64bit

[enxio27]

Please help me confirm/correct my understanding. I've done a search, but either I'm not finding anything definitive, or I'm using the wrong search terms.

I'm installing a 4TB internal drive as a secondary (the system boots from a 500GB drive). Can Win7 64bit see/use the entire drive using MBR as long as the partitions are 2TB or less? Or do I have to use GPT in order to see/use the whole drive?

 

[mrjimphelps]

If you will divide the drive into partitions which are no bigger than 2TB, then you can use a 4TB drive. However, you have to use GPT in order to have one big partition for the entire drive. MBR can't create partitions which are bigger than 2TB (actually, 2.2TB).

You have to have UEFI firmware, not BIOS firmware, in order to be able to use GPT. But since UEFI has been around for a while, it is likely that you have it.

64-bit Windows 7 allows you to make a big partition bootable. With 32-bit, if you have UEFI you could have one big partition for the whole drive, but you couldn't boot with it if the boot partition is bigger than 2TB.

Here is some very helpful information:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...port-for-hard-disks-that-are-larger-than-2-tb

 

[Megahertz07]

You only need win 7 64 and UEFI BIOS to boot a GPT drive. Under Win 7 (32 or 64) you can boot from a MBR disk and use a GPT drive for storage.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

If you will divide the drive into partitions which are no bigger than 2TB, then you can use a 4TB drive...

Actually, you can access only up to 2.2TB partition on a non-GPT disk. You won't be able to access the rest of the unallocated space (tried it, failed). You have to use GPT to access all of any drive larger than 2.2TB.

You can boot off any MBR drive, as long as it is smaller than 2.2TB, and use GPT drives for storage at the same time. I'm booting off a 500GB SSD (which recently replaced a 128GB SSD) and my data is on four 4TB GPT drives.

 

[Frank McLean]

Hi,

Can someone help me? I just bought a new 4 TB Segate Drive. My PC is running Window 7 Professional 64 bit. I tried to follow the instructions in this thread:

External HD 4TB - 2 Partitions To MBR [2TB Each] Solved - Windows 7 Help Forums

to convert it to two 2 TB drives but have got hung up and can't figure out how to proceed from here to accomplish it.

I couldn't see how to delete the partitions using the Mini Tool Partition Wizard and converted the GPT to MBR but the remaining space is unusable and I don't know how to work around this.

 

[SIW2]

What do you want to use the 4tb for? Internal storage? External storage?

If it is an internal drive, do you want to install windows 7 on it?

 

[SIW2]

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/2581408/windows-support-for-hard-disks-that-are-larger-than-2-tb

a capacity beyond 2.2 TB is not addressable by using the MBR partitioning scheme

Support for Disk Drives Beyond 2.2 TeraBytes (TB) and 4K Advanced Format Sectors

Seagate DiscWizard Beyond 3TB - YouTube

 

[Frank McLean]

Hi SIW2,

I just want to use this drive for external storage. Do I have to convert it to MBR to use it with Windows 7 for this purpose or can I use it in GPT?

 

[Frank McLean]

SIW2,

Earlier I read this post:

External HD 4TB - 2 Partitions To MBR [2TB Each] Solved - Windows 7 Help Forums

In that, post it says: If the disk is empty (no data). delete all partitions, create 2 new of 2 T, convert to MBR.

I've created the two new partitions but but don't know how to convert them to MBR.

 

[Frank McLean]

SIW2

This new disk is a Segate 4 TB drive. It's dimensions are 11.7 x 8 x 2.1 cm or ~ 4.6" x 3.14" x .8". Can you tell me what kind of drive this is? Is SSD, or Flash. I don't think its a miniature standard HD.

 

[SIW2]

What is the exact name of the drive? 4TB ssd would be expensive, more than $1000.000 I expect.

You should be able to do mbr and gpt conversions wiath any decent partition manager.

Usually, you rt click on the rt edge of the disk, or click the disk to highlight it, then there is usually a "wizard" at the top of the partition manager window.

You have to select (highlight) the disk ( not a partition ).

 

[Frank McLean]

SIW2,

I see that I can copy files to the GPT partitions, question is if I restored it to the 4TB partition would explorer have trouble addressing storage above 2TBs?

 

[Frank McLean]

SIW2

The drive name is:
Seagate Expansion 4TB Portable External Hard Drive USB 3.0 (STEA4000400)

 

[SIW2]

I see that I can copy files to the GPT partitions, question is if I restored it to the 4TB partition would explorer have trouble addressing storage above 2TBs?

Windows 7 works ok with gpt storage disks. GPT can support a 4tb partition.Should be fine.

 

[mrjimphelps]

We need the model number or part number of the hard drive.

 

[Frank McLean]

Thanks for your responses SIW2.

mrjimphelps the P/N is ITEAPF-500 4TB and the M/N is SRDONFI.

Frank

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...4TB ssd would be expensive, more than $1000.000 I expect...

Actually, right now, MSRP for the 4TB Samsung 850 EVO is $1600.00 USD and Newegg is selling it for $1518.00 (when it is in stock). I've seen them priced for over $1700.00

 

[Frank McLean]

Hi Lady Fitzgerald,

Here is a Pic of the ad on Amazon.ca

Frank

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

SIW2

The drive name is:
Seagate Expansion 4TB Portable External Hard Drive USB 3.0 (STEA4000400)

That is a single 2.5" HDD (not SSD) in an enclosure with a 2.5" interface.

As already stated, GPT formatted drives will run just fine as storage drives on Win 7; there was no need to partition it.

 

[Frank McLean]

Hi Lady Fitzgerald,

Would it be better to keep the drive as it is now with 2 partitions or would it be better to restore it to 1 partition?

Frank