Question Ubuntu, how to see a 3TB hdd formatted as MBR under windows

sauzer

Honorable
Aug 29, 2012
33
3
10,535
I just installed ubuntu today so I dont really know much about unix/ubuntu, but I have a little problem.
2 years ago, I bought a pc with a 3tb internal hdd. I installed w7 (64bit), but I had an issue, basically i formatted the hdd as MBR (instead of GPT) and I could only see 2tb instead of 3tb. I read that to fix such problem asus had a tool (called disk unlocker https://event.asus.com/mb/2010/Disk_Unlocker/ ) that basically mounts a virtual drive containing the missing TB that windows couldnt see, so I used that.
Now the issue is that under ubuntu, of course, i only see the 2tb partition, the extra one (that windows can see only after running disk unlocker) appears as "free space".
Anyone know if theres a way to mount that missing partition under ubuntu?

One solution would be to format the hdd as gpt but I cant do that.

Thanks!
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
In answer to your question:
"Anyone know if theres a way to mount that missing partition under ubuntu? "

No.
GPT
Reformat it, and do it properly.

The MBR partition table only recognizes a 2.2TB volume. Period.
There is no magic way around that.

(well, there is some foolishness from (i think) WD to do this. But thats not what you want)
 

sauzer

Honorable
Aug 29, 2012
33
3
10,535
In answer to your question:
"Anyone know if theres a way to mount that missing partition under ubuntu? "

No.
GPT
Reformat it, and do it properly.

The MBR partition table only recognizes a 2.2TB volume. Period.
There is no magic way around that.

(well, there is some foolishness from (i think) WD to do this. But thats not what you want)

Well, theres a workaround for sure (i use diskunlocker because I have an asus, asrock has another program called 3tb unlocker, and im sure other mobos have one as well, they all probably do the same thing to see a 3tb hd under mbr) since ive been using it for 7+ years on others pcs before this one and always worked. I thought there was a way to do so in linux as well tho. I cant reformat that hdd, it has an installation of windows i might still need one day.
 

sauzer

Honorable
Aug 29, 2012
33
3
10,535
Anything can be redone but i dont want to reinstall that particular installation of windows tbh, would take too much time to redo it the way it is. And those workaround worked pretty well for 8 years so its not like theres a risk to lose data or anything, they work fine. And i'm sure there must be a way to make it work under linux as well, after all now everyone pretty much uses GPT but back when a lot of mobos didnt support it people had to use mbr, i cant belive people would just lose 33% of a 3tb hd switching to linux.