This is a tutorial on how to used the entire large HDD as a single drive to install Windows and boot, using the GPT files system, where as MBR has a drive size limit of 2.1 or 2.2TB.
Before getting started, here are a few things to know
* Windows must be 64bit
* Motherboard must support UEFI for boot, none UEFI can only use drive as data.
* If you're doing this tutorial on a used HDD, then back up important data first to another drive. This tutorial will wipe out all partitions and data on the drive.
1. Insert Windows disc to DVD drive
2. Go into bios and check, if the HDD is detected or not. If yes, then enable UEFI boot.
Each bios is different, refer to your motherboard's manual on how to to enable UEFI boot
3. When UEFI is setup, save changes and exit
4. Hit the Quick Boot List key
Each board is different, check your motherboard's manual on how to access quick boot list.
5. Notice, the DVD drive will be listed twice, one will be UEFI. Select the UEFI option and boot from the Windows disc
6. Click on Install Now
7. Accept the EULA
8. Click Custom
9. Click Drive Options (advanced)
10. Click New
11. Windows setup wizard will automatically use the entire HDD, click apply
12. Windows setup will have to create additional partitions, click OK
13. If it's done correctly, there will be 3 partitions, select the partition with the largest size and click Format.
14. Windows will warn, format will wipe all data on HDD. Click OK
15. Select the partition that was just formatted, and click Next to begin installing
16. Once Windows has finish and booted to the desktop, go to disk management to verify whether it's using the entire HDD or not. If there are no unallocated HDD space, then Windows is using the entire drive.
To verify is HDD is running as GPT
1. Open Command Prompt (run as Administrator).
2. Type Diskpart, Enter
3. Type List Disk
If it's GPT, then a * will be under GPT
HDD's disk space properties, using entire HDD
Before getting started, here are a few things to know
* Windows must be 64bit
* Motherboard must support UEFI for boot, none UEFI can only use drive as data.
* If you're doing this tutorial on a used HDD, then back up important data first to another drive. This tutorial will wipe out all partitions and data on the drive.
1. Insert Windows disc to DVD drive
2. Go into bios and check, if the HDD is detected or not. If yes, then enable UEFI boot.
Each bios is different, refer to your motherboard's manual on how to to enable UEFI boot
3. When UEFI is setup, save changes and exit
4. Hit the Quick Boot List key
Each board is different, check your motherboard's manual on how to access quick boot list.
5. Notice, the DVD drive will be listed twice, one will be UEFI. Select the UEFI option and boot from the Windows disc
6. Click on Install Now
7. Accept the EULA
8. Click Custom
9. Click Drive Options (advanced)
10. Click New
11. Windows setup wizard will automatically use the entire HDD, click apply
12. Windows setup will have to create additional partitions, click OK
13. If it's done correctly, there will be 3 partitions, select the partition with the largest size and click Format.
14. Windows will warn, format will wipe all data on HDD. Click OK
15. Select the partition that was just formatted, and click Next to begin installing
16. Once Windows has finish and booted to the desktop, go to disk management to verify whether it's using the entire HDD or not. If there are no unallocated HDD space, then Windows is using the entire drive.
To verify is HDD is running as GPT
1. Open Command Prompt (run as Administrator).
2. Type Diskpart, Enter
3. Type List Disk
If it's GPT, then a * will be under GPT
HDD's disk space properties, using entire HDD