[SOLVED] Unable to Initialize 4TB HDD in Windows 10

[Anticitizen One]

I'm trying to add a 4TB HDD (Western Digital Red Pro 4TB, Model# WD40003FFBX) to my internal storage in Windows 10 Pro. It is detected by disk manager and my motherboard in BIOS but I can't get around a recurring "Request could not be performed because of an I/O device error" notice when I try to initialize it. I'm running an older motherboard (Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3) but it is using the most up-to-date firmware available from Gigabyte (Version F10). I've tried multiple SATA ports and cables and they work with the other drives I test just fine, but this new WD 4TB drive keeps giving an error. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[mamasan2000]

I wonder if it's not MBR vs GPT. BIOS is from 2012.
https://www.gigabyte.com/se/Motherboard/GA-Z68XP-UD3-rev-10/support#support-dl-bios
Theres a beta bios available, no clue how reliable that is.
MBR harddisks are limited to 2 TB. https://www.diskpart.com/gpt-mbr/mbr-vs-gpt-1004.html

 

[Anticitizen One]

I wonder if it's not MBR vs GPT. BIOS is from 2012.
https://www.gigabyte.com/se/Motherboard/GA-Z68XP-UD3-rev-10/support#support-dl-bios
Theres a beta bios available, no clue how reliable that is.
MBR harddisks are limited to 2 TB. https://www.diskpart.com/gpt-mbr/mbr-vs-gpt-1004.html

I tried running diskpart and it detected the drive but when I tried to convert it to GPT it still gave the I/O device error. I was so hopeful that was going to fix it! Rats!

 

[Bob.B]

I'm trying to add a 4TB HDD (Western Digital Red Pro 4TB, Model# WD40003FFBX) to my internal storage in Windows 10 Pro. It is detected by disk manager and my motherboard in BIOS but I can't get around a recurring "Request could not be performed because of an I/O device error" notice when I try to initialize it. I'm running an older motherboard (Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3) but it is using the most up-to-date firmware available from Gigabyte (Version F10). I've tried multiple SATA ports and cables and they work with the other drives I test just fine, but this new WD 4TB drive keeps giving an error. Any help would be appreciated!

Maybe.
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/hdd-sata-power-disable-feature,36146.html

You can also google.....sata pin3.

 

[mamasan2000]

Have you checked the obvious one? Which is cables. Make sure they are all the way in, on both sides, the drive and the motherboard. Check power too. Try another SATA-cable too.
Here is some more:

View: https://youtu.be/QqlKDGeR6rE?t=79

Can you assign a drive letter to the drive? If you can, try the chkdsk command in above video. So replace 'e:' with the drive letter of your 4TH HDD.
If you don't like videos, here is a text-version: https://www.easeus.com/resource/io-device-error.html
I don't think Step 3 applies anymore, IDE thing. That was in the PATA era, we are on SATA now.

 

[Anticitizen One]

Thank you all for the links!

Alright, I just tried initializing the HDD on another desktop build (also running Windows 10)--so new PSU, new SATA cables--and it gave the same error at the same junction. Windows disk manager detect the volume and labels it "Disk 3" (or "Disk 6" on my build as I have 5 other drives installed) but again is unable to initialize due to "an I/O device error."

I'm thinking it's either a bad drive (though it's odd that it spins up, shows up in disk manager as well as in diskpart in the Run/cmd prompt window as well as in my BIOS) or there's something I need to do to prep my system to be able to accept and initialize a >2TB HDD. I would hate to replace this drive only to run into the same issue with another >2TB HDD, but it looks like from most of the other videos I've watched of all the problems you can run into trying to install a >2TB HDD this I/O device error is not a common one, so that makes me think maybe it is indeed the drive itself.