Win7 64 can't allocate all WD 6TB space

[tugatomsk]

Having returned an external Toshiba 6TB Canvio due to its overheating issues, I bought an internal WD 6TB Green and a 1life external enclosure.

My Win7 premium 64bits allocates only 2TB, even with GPT. I don't understand why since:

- I already have an internal Seagate 3TB e an external WD 3TB, windows allocated the entirety of the 3TB right from the start for both of them, no need for me to allocate the drive manually;
- My Win7 allocated all 6TB of the previously mentioned Toshiba 6TB Canvio;
- My BIOS has UEFI enabled, I checked on the boot menu.

Not even EASEUS Partition Master or DiskPart managed to solve the problem, still 2TB...

Current BIOS version: BEH6110H.86A.0034.2011.1018.1937
Motherboard: Intel DH61SA

What am I missing?

 

[tugatomsk]

EDIT: I got suspicious of the 1life enclosure case, could its SATA-USB module be pulling a trick on me? So I got the disk out and inserted in on the docking station I own (http://www.b-move.es/en/product/dock-station/30/). Only then Win7 Disk Management showed the other 3,5 unallocated TB! All I had do to was remove the existing 2TB volume and format the new 6TB volume. I put the disk back in the case and Win7 still detects the 6TB single partition. 😀

Could it really be the SATA-USB module?

 

[FALC0N]

Yes, it could

 

[psoohoo]

be careful, do more testing before proceeding.
you may not be able to use all 6TB while using the case.
Since it wasnt reporting the correct total, its possible that the case is not able to access the disk past that 2TB barrier.
SInce you partitioned it elsewhere, the partition table had the correct information about the drive and reports that to Windows. But once you write out past that point, it may not be accessible.

I could be wrong, but just be wary.

 

[Calvin7]

SPECIFICATIONS
Material: Aluminium
Disc size: 3.5″
Internal connection: SATA
External connection: USB 2.0
Dimensions: 185 x 112 x 30 mm
Power input: AC-DC power adapter
Color: Black
Maximum disc capacity: 2TB
http://1-life.eu/?product=1life-hdbasic-3-5-sata&lang=en

 

[tugatomsk]

Actually, my enclosure is this: http://1-life.eu/?product=1life-hdextended&lang=en

This one doesn't have the 2TB limitation, I hope... I'm still transferring data to the hard drive, let's hope it can fill up without the possible issues you mentioned.

 

[tugatomsk]

The other day I accidentally removed the USB cable when transferring data form the PC to the new 6TB drive. The volume disappeared instantly and the disk management had the disk as RAW instead of NTFS. That's when I realized you were right to worry, so I decided to install the HDD inside the PC.

The only thing is that the power supply does not have spare plugs. I tried disconnecting the DVD-ROM and plugging the 6TB HDD with the DVD+ROM SATA+power.
EDIT: I also have two 4 pin peripheral power cables. Are there any adaptors for SATA?

As so as I pressed the boot button, Windows 7 instantly corrected files labels misplacement (or whatever it was), the volume name and letter returned to normal, even the files where accessible. Still, I decided to format the disk again, just in case, since I still had all data in the original hard drives.

The HDD seems fine so far. However, for some reason, in the toolbar's "remove devices" menu the 6TB (now internal HDD) seems to be able to be removed under the user group name ("PETER-PC", in my case) following the HDD description, like if it was an external HDD, USB pen drive or a printer.

Can I just leave it like that or should I remove the disk from the PC?
__________________

 

[psoohoo]

you can purchase a Molex (4-pin) to SATA power adapter. You can also purchase a SATA power Y-Adapter (splitter).

cant say much about the other issue at this moment as I am on a laptop and only have one drive.
I suppose it is possible to disconnect an internal drive if its does not have any system partitions on it.