my hard drive wont let me allocate

[Lolcakesnz]

my hard drive comes up with an error when i try to allocate the extra space the space i want to allocate is 1.8tb and it just doesnt let me allocate it i have tried wiping the drive, changing the sata ports but cant change the cables because i dont have any others

 

[USAFRet]

my hard drive comes up with an error when i try to allocate the extra space the space i want to allocate is 1.8tb and it just doesnt let me allocate it i have tried wiping the drive, changing the sata ports but cant change the cables because i dont have any others

You'll have to give us much more info on this.
What size/type drive?
What is currently on it?
Please post a screencap of your Disk Management window.

 

[Paperdoc]

This sounds like a 4 TB unit that has been Partitioned in the MBR style so that only the first 2 TB is actually accessible.

 

[USAFRet]

This sounds like a 4 TB unit that has been Partitioned in the MBR style so that only the first 2 TB is actually accessible.

Yeah, probably.
Maybe we'll find out eventually.

 

[Lolcakesnz]

sorry for the long wait for me to reply was sleeping but the harddrive is 2tb and its a seagate 3.5inch drive that was originaly from a external harddrive and there is nothing currently on it

 

[USAFRet]

sorry for the long wait for me to reply was sleeping but the harddrive is 2tb and its a seagate 3.5inch drive that was originaly from a external harddrive and there is nothing currently on it

OK...it's a 2TB drive.
What seems to be the issue?

 

[Lolcakesnz]

when i try it allocate the 1.8tb of space that is there it wont let me do it it comes up with an error saying "the request is not supported"

 

[USAFRet]

when i try it allocate the 1.8tb of space that is there it wont let me do it it comes up with an error saying "the request is not supported"

As requested before..a screencap of your Disk Management window.
Thanks.

 

[Lolcakesnz]

how do i add the screencap because im new to tomshardware posting side of things

 

[USAFRet]

Detailed instructions on posting images on Tom's hardware.
http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2580030/detailed-instructions-posting-images-tom-hardware.html

 

[Lolcakesnz]

https://postimg.org/image/eq9ttlnir/

 

[USAFRet]

If you right click on that unallocated space in Disk 2, what options does it give you?

 

[Lolcakesnz]

it lets me do the simple volume and then works all the way untill the last one when it just pops up with the error thats on the screen

 

[Paperdoc]

The 38 MB small Partition already on that 2 TB unit is marked as a "GPT Protective Partition". This indicates that this drive originally was Partitioned using the GPT system and can't be accessed in a system that does not have a device driver installed for a drive of that type. You got this HDD out of an external drive by Seagate, so I presume it must have been set up that way while in that enclosure. In fact, I suspect it came that way, already Partitioned and "ready to use".

I presume that there is NOTHING on that unit that you need. That's because everything you do from here on will destroy any old stuff on it and leave it blank like a brand new drive. Is that OK?

Now, you say you "have tried wiping the drive". How? By formatting it? That won't do.

I am not sure, honestly, whether this first idea will work if you are using an OS without a GPT driver installed, which I suspect. But you could try. In Disk Management for Disk2, RIGHT-click on that small 38 MB Partition and Delete it if you can. If that works, you'll have ALL of the space Unallocated. Then you can right-click on that and choose to Make a New Simple Volume. I expect you won't have an option for this, but IF it asks about GPT or MBR, select to use an MBR type of Partition.

If you cannot do that Deletion to get all Unallocated Space, my other suggestion takes a lot longer. You need a free utility for this. You could get DBAN. Or, from the Seagate website, you can download their Seagate Disk Wizard for Windows, and run it under Windows as an application. Either way, what you need to do is Zero Fill that disk. BIG HEADS UP!!! This action wipes ALL the data from that one HDD unit. So at the beginning where you choose what HDD to operate on, make VERY VERY SURE you choose the 2 TB unit, and not another!!

A Zero Fill will fill absolutely every Sector with zeroes, and that will wipe out that old Partition so your HDD is like brand new. This takes hours to do, so be patient.

When it is finished you can exit out of the utility and get back to Disk Management. Now you should see that HDD as all Unallocated Space. As above, Right-click and Make a New Simple Volume using an MBR type of Partition.

 

[Lolcakesnz]

thank you Paperdoc

 

[Paperdoc]

Thanks for Best Solution. Let us know what works (or not, if that is what happens!)

 

[Lolcakesnz]

it worked and im currently putting stuff on the drive now

 

[Paperdoc]

Hurray! Thanks for the update.