There is mixed info here, but the direction is right.
ANY empty HDD needs to have two things done before it can be used by any OS for data. First, one must create one (or more) Partition(s) on the HDD unit. A Partition is a single chunk of space on the unit that will be used as a "drive" with its own letter name in Windows, or any other OS. When you Create the first Partition on the HDD, a Partition Table and boot record is written to the start of the HDD in a particular place. The Partition Table holds the data specifying where this first Partition starts and ends, and also has space for a few more Partition specs. The boot record mostly is a short piece of code written in a specific spot on the HDD. At boot time (if this is the boot device) the mobo must read that bit of code and run it to start loading the OS from this device.
The second step it to Format the Partition just created. This writes certain specific files to that Partition, thus creating the File System that will be used to track all files on this "drive" (Partition). VERY often in current OS's, the Partition Creation and Format steps are combined into one operation called Initializing the HDD unit.
The most common way to do the Partitioning step until recently was called MBR, but it has a limit that it only reserves space to define a Partition no more than 2048 GB (2 TB), and it can only allow for up to 4 Primary Partitions on one HDD unit. (There are other Partition types if needed.) The most common File System installed by a Format operation has been NTFS for Windows users.
With HDD units over 2 TB come three problems to be solved for Windows users.
1. A different system for setting up Partition Tables and their information is needed to allow for a Partition larger than 2 TB, and for more than 4 Primary Partitions. This new system is called GPT. The File System installed on a HDD with GPT Partitioning does NOT need to be different - it can still be NTFS.
2. IF you plan to BOOT from this HDD unit, your mobo BIOS must know how to use the new Partition Table, AND it must be configured to do this. This is known as UEFI support, or more commonly a UEFI BIOS. Note that, if you do NOT want to BOOT from this HDD (that is, you'll use it ONLY for data storage and retrieval), you do not require a UEFI BIOS.
3. Whether you have a UEFI BIOS or not, and whether or not you plan to boot from an HDD over 2 TB, your OS MUST have a device driver capable of using that HDD unit and the GPT Partitioning system. In the case of Windows, there is NO driver included for such HDD's up to and including Win XP. (I understand you may be able to get a device driver to use with some Win XP's that allow use of HDD's over 2 TB, but it does not come on the Microsoft Win XP CD.) Win 7 and Win 8 DO have the required driver, but ONLY in their 64-bit versions.
So, to use an HDD over 2 TB you really should have:
A. Win 7 or Win 8 64-bit OS installed.
B. Use that OS to Initialize (Partition and Format) the HDD using the GPT scheme and most commonly the NTFS File System.
C. IF this will be your BOOT device, then you MUST have a mobo with a UEFI BIOS system. If you don't have that, you will need to boot from a smaller HDD that has MBR Partitioning on it, and use the large HDD as a data storage system.
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