Solved New 2TB drive - format problem?

[teckneeculler]

I've just added a new Seagate 2TB drive to my 64bit W7 system, because I was getting low on storage space, but I'm not sure I've done it properly.

I used Disk Management to format the drive (MBR, my motherboard doesn't have UEFI) and it took around 3 hours. But afterwards, reading about it on the Internet, it seems that I should have partitioned the drive first.

The attached gif shows the current state of the system. As you can see, the New Volume has no drive letter, and doesn't show up in 'My Computer'.

The drive's 'Right Click' options are:
Mark partition as active
Change drive letter and paths
Format

Okay, I guess I could use the Change drive letter and paths option to allocate a drive letter and a label, but what about the Mark partition as active option? Isn't that intended only for a bootable\system drive? I'm pretty sure I read that here on the W7 forum.

But how does that jell with my D drive (see the gif) which is also shown as 'Active', even though it has no OS on it?

Advice please

 

[teckneeculler]

To the 100 or so folk who've looked at my query and were unable or unwilling to offer any insights - trouble yourself no further - I've sorted it out myself.

 

[Layback Bear]

This is the first time I have seen your thread.
Remember that people all over the world that are not members therefore can not post view your thread.

You are correct, your D partition on Drive #1 should not be active (system flag).

I have been here a long time. The few times I have had problems with one of my system and asked for help or opinions has taken from a few minutes to a day or so to get a reply.

It happens. Members that offer help do so freely. Sometimes it takes a little while before the right member reads the new thread.

Example as of now.

Currently Active Users: 11460 (80 members and 11380 guests)

If you are having any more problems with Disk Management I will try to help or find someone who can.
I spend a lot of time on this forum but I do not live here. It's been about 13 hours sense my last visit. Eating and sleeping and every day life got in the way.

 

[teckneeculler]

Layback Bear, thanks for your input.
As I said, I sorted it out myself, so no help required now.
Cheers

 

[AddRAM]

Post a new shot of Disk management, we`ll see if it`s truly sorted out

 

[teckneeculler]

Seems OK now. I spent all yesterday moving stuff into the new drive.

I think what baffled me was I hadn't built a PC for two years (IT was my business before I re-retired and moved to an area where there are more cows than computers), plus I was used to creating systems on new, unallocated drives, where the OS installation does its own partitioning.

Having got this one to work by formatting first, rather than partitioning, as some pundits recommend, I don't see the point of doing it their way if there's only one partition required.

Another thing I wasn't certain about was whether I needed to make the new volume active, given that both my C and D drives were in this state. I'd forgotten (duh) that D was originally a system drive but when I added C, I slaved D and deleted the Windows folder.

But apparently, you can have multiple active partitions in a system, provided there's only one to a disk, and the BIOS points to the boot drive.

Cheers

 

[Layback Bear]

If their is no operating system on Disk 1 partition D their is no need for it to be active.

 

[teckneeculler]

That's true, but it's functioning perfectly well and I'm not inclined to risk screwing it up.