Solved Is anyone using a LaCie 4big Quadra 8 TB on Windows 7 64 bit?

[stuart253]

Hello,

Is anyone using a LaCie 4big Quadra 8 TB on Windows 7 64 bit? I have a Dell XPS 8100 and I cant seen to be able to setup the device.

I have configured the device as a RAID 5 plus spare connecting it to my PC via a e-sata port. After setup and partitioning, I only see free space of 1.63 TB.

Ofter several e-mails to and from LaCie, they have said that I may have a bad unit. This I will look into.

I just want to verify that this unit "plays" nicely with my PC. Anyone using this device?

Thanks

Stu

 

[Johnathan Lyman]

RAID 5 works like this:

(Size of Smallest Drive) * (Number of Drives - 1)

One disk is used for parity.

So you SHOULD have

2TB * 4 Drives - 1 Parity Drive = 6TB

You can't create partitions over 2TB in Windows, normally*. You should be able to create 3x2TB partitions.

BUT if one or more of the disks fails, you drop off the usable disks and anything below 3 disks cannot do RAID 5.

If you can only create ONE 2TB partition and have no room for more, I'd send it back. Something is wrong.



* When I say "normally" I mean using regular NTFS methods. You can partition higher but the MBR has to be replaced with a GUID Partition Table (GPT) and only works on 64-bit versions of Windows.

 

[stuart253]

Hello JL,

Thanks for your response. So from a novice's understanding.

Qiestions:

1) If I setup the 8 TB device correctly, I should have had RAID 5 plus spare with 6 TB of free space which I could slice up into partition(s)?

Before I attempted the partition process, the amount of free space should have been 6TB. Is this correct?

2)While in diskpart, "list disk" should have shown a "size" and "free" value of 6 TB?

3) Since I am Windows 7 64 bit, based upon what you stated, I could have a 6 TB partition. Would it be better to have one large partition or several smaller ones.

I just want to make sure that the problem is not "user" error and it is hardware. I would hate to go through this and another device just to find out it is me.

Thanks

Stu

 

[Johnathan Lyman]

Hello JL,

Thanks for your response. So from a novice's understanding.

Qiestions:

1) If I setup the 8 TB device correctly, I should have had RAID 5 plus spare with 6 TB of free space which I could slice up into partition(s)?

Before I attempted the partition process, the amount of free space should have been 6TB. Is this correct?

2)While in diskpart, "list disk" should have shown a "size" and "free" value of 6 TB?

3) Since I am Windows 7 64 bit, based upon what you stated, I could have a 6 TB partition. Would it be better to have one large partition or several smaller ones.

I just want to make sure that the problem is not "user" error and it is hardware. I would hate to go through this and another device just to find out it is me.

Thanks

Stu

You are correct on the 6TB.

I would make them as large as possible. Your max would be 2TB per partition unless you wanted to change the boot record type on your main drive to GPT (an undertaking).

 

[pallesenw]

If you don't use GPT then 2TiB is maximum for the entire disk, not per partition.

 

[stuart253]

Still can't device to work

Hi

I return the unit and received a new one. Still cant configure device correctly. Frankly, I have just given up.

A most frustrated user.

Stu

 

[Johnathan Lyman]

Hi

I return the unit and received a new one. Still cant configure device correctly. Frankly, I have just given up.

A most frustrated user.

Stu

Have you partitioned your drives as GPT versus NTFS? Since the unit doesn't have it's own OS, it relies on the PC's OS.