[SOLVED] Can’t use all 4TB HDD ?

[irDalton]

Built my first pc on Monday and I’m running windows 10 and have bought a 4TB HDD. Well, after getting booted up I noticed I didn’t even have the 4TB HDD to store things on, had to use my 500gb SSD. Well, that being said, I found out I had to partition the 4TB but I can only partition 2TB of it. I CAN partition 2TB and get access to that amount of storage, but I have another 1.6807 or something unallocated that I can’t access. I’ve watched videos and it seems simple what to do, but it’s not allowing me to do anything. For some reason I do have 500mb or so reserved on that drive somehow. Idk if that’s effecting the reason as to why I can’t group the 2 partitions to get my full 4TB or what...

Anyone have any clues or solutions? I can upload screenshots when I get home from work. Just wanted to get the thread started.

 

[SkyNetRising]

To use full capacity of 4TB drive, it must be partitioned in GPT partitioning scheme.
If MBR partitioning scheme is used, then only 2TB of capacity is available.

Note - to convert drive from MBR to GPT, it must be empty (not contain any partitions).
Conversion can be done from Windows Disk Management or diskpart utility.

 

[irDalton]

To use full capacity of 4TB drive, it must be partitioned in GPT partitioning scheme.
If MBR partitioning scheme is used, then only 2TB of capacity is available.

Note - to convert drive from MBR to GPT, it must be empty (not contain any partitions).
Conversion con be done from Windows Disk Management or diskpart utility.

It is empty aside from something about 230mb that I can’t remove. I get an error saying can’t be removed. I don’t know why it’s even there. It’s fresh computer with nothing installed. And everything that’s installed went to my SSD.

That’s what I was wondering if that little bit of data that’s somehow on it is stopping me from partitioning/grouping the TB I have. Off the top of my head one is 2.017 or something and the other is like 1.68.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Show screenshot from Disk Management.

Anyway - if you tried to install windows on 4TB drive first or had SSD and HDD both connected, while installing windows,
then bootloader partition may have been created on HDD instead (not on SSD). Without bootloader system is unbootable btw.

 

[irDalton]

Show screenshot from Disk Management.

Anyway - if you tried to install windows on 4TB drive first or had SSD and HDD both connected, while installing windows,
then bootloader partition may have been created on HDD instead (not on SSD). Without bootloader system is unbootable btw.

That might have been the reason, my friend helped build it and while installing windows they were both indeed already hooked up.
I’ll post a screenshot when I get home from work. Have 5 hours left

 

[irDalton]

Show screenshot from Disk Management.

Anyway - if you tried to install windows on 4TB drive first or had SSD and HDD both connected, while installing windows,
then bootloader partition may have been created on HDD instead (not on SSD). Without bootloader system is unbootable btw.

If that’s the case and some of it went to the HDD instead of all going to the SSD, is there anyway of fixing it?

 

[SkyNetRising]

is there anyway of fixing it?

Yes, there is. You create bootloader partition on SSD manually.

Or you can clean SSD, disconnect HDD and reinstall windows.

 

[irDalton]

Yes, there is. You create bootloader partition on SSD manually.

Or you can clean SSD, disconnect HDD and reinstall windows.

I’ll have to look up how to do boot load partition on SSD manually. Installing windows was a a nuisance.

 

[irDalton]

Show screenshot from Disk Management.

Anyway - if you tried to install windows on 4TB drive first or had SSD and HDD both connected, while installing windows,
then bootloader partition may have been created on HDD instead (not on SSD). Without bootloader system is unbootable btw.

Actually I think reinstalling windows without the HDD would be simpler. I could just bypass all the hiccups I had last time cause I’d know what to do. Could I use the activation key again on this same co outer? I bought it with al my other equipment so it’s only been used once and that was yesterday when I got it put together.

Also, how would I get rid of the 200 odd MB that’s already on the HDD as it says boot up and partition etc etc? When I’ve tried removing it from Disk Management I get an error and I’m not allowed. I’ll show a screenshot here in about and hour or so.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Could I use the activation key again on this same co outer?

Install and skip step, when key is asked. It will activate once you connect to internet.

Also, how would I get rid of the 200 odd MB that’s already on the HDD as it says boot up and partition etc etc?

You clean it. You'll have to do that anyway to convert from MBR to GPT.

 

[irDalton]

Install and skip step, when key is asked. It will activate once you connect to internet.


You clean it. You'll have to do that anyway to convert from MBR to GPT.

Would cleaning that 200 mess up anything? Cause if half is one SSD and other half on HHD and I’m wiping the HHD, is that gonna do anything? Would I need to wipe my SSD as well?

 

[SkyNetRising]

Would I need to wipe my SSD as well?

You're doing that, when you reinstall windows with HDD disconnected.

 

[irDalton]

You're doing that, when you reinstall windows with HDD disconnected.

https://prnt.sc/p269u6

 

[SkyNetRising]

Yep. Bootloader is on HDD. As expected.

So you have 2 options:
1. clean ssd and hdd, disconnect hdd and reinstall windows on ssd or

2. create bootloader on ssd manually and avoid reinstallation. This is, how you do it:
(execute from elevated command prompt)

diskpart​

list disk​

select disk 1​

(select 465gb disk)​

list partition​

select partition 1​

(select 465GB partition)​

shrink desired=500​

create partition primary​

format fs=ntfs​

active​

assign letter=H​

exit​

bcdboot c:\windows /s H:​

Now reboot into BIOS,
change boot priority and make SSD first in boot order,
boot into windows,
clean hdd, convert it to GPT,create partition and format it.

 

[irDalton]

Yep. Bootloader is on HDD. As expected.

So you have 2 options:
1. clean ssd and hdd, disconnect hdd and reinstall windows on ssd or

2. create bootloader on ssd manually and avoid reinstallation. This is, how you do it:
(execute from elevated command prompt)

diskpart​

list disk​

select disk 1​

(select 465gb disk)​

list partition​

select partition 1​

(select 465GB partition)​

shrink desired=500​

create partition primary​

format fs=ntfs​

active​

assign letter=H​

exit​

bcdboot c:\windows /s H:​

Now reboot into BIOS,
change boot priority and make SSD first in boot order,
boot into windows,
clean hdd, convert it to GPT,create partition and format it.

That second one seems very complicated, tbh. Lmao. I don’t even know what bootloader and all that stuff means. Ahhh.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Bootloader is that 243MB partition (system, active) on your 4TB drive.

 

[irDalton]

Bootloader is that 243MB partition (system, active) on your 4TB drive.

I did it all and then at the very last part of bcdboot it says “Failure when attempting to copy boot files”

 

[SkyNetRising]

Did you run the commands from elevated command prompt?
Can you show screenshot with that error?

https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/e/elevated.htm

 

[irDalton]

https://prnt.sc/p2a89u

I followed your steps before and everything worked and was successful, then on the last step I get this.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Do it from elevated command prompt.

 

[irDalton]

Do it from elevated command prompt.

I don’t know what that is so I’ll look at that link you showed earlier for it. Would I have to redo all the steps or just type in that last one?

 

[SkyNetRising]

Last one only.

 

[irDalton]

Last one only.

Alright, I’ll give it a shot when I get home and update you.
Appreciate all of the help so far.

 

[irDalton]

Last one only.

It said cannot with storage that has boot up, crash dump, etc etc. I’m just gonna say screw it and use the 2tb I have. This is too much of a hassle lol. I’ll probably never even use close to a TB anyway. So 2 should be plenty.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Sure. Giving up is also a choice.

But keep in mind, if you decide after all that you need full storage of the drive and it has 2TB of data on it,
it will be much more complicated to convert to gpt.
You'll need additional drive to backup data first.