VIDEO Toshiba 3TB Partitioned As All MBR?

[BigAlC]

Guys,

Windows 7 Pro SP1 64-Bit with an ASRock P67 PRO3 (B3) MoBo

that has a UEFI BIOS, i5-2500K and Corsair Vengeance 16 Gigs.


My C, D and E partitions are on a 120 GB NTFS SSD with a MBR.

My present STORAGE HDD is a 2TB Toshiba with a MBR.


I recently purchased a Toshiba PH3300U-1I72 3TB to replace the 2TB.


I always Ghost with DOS Bootable CDs I make with custom

Autoexec.bat files I write, never Windows.

I found out from Symantec that Ghost has issues with GPT.


I found a way to make my 3TB FULLY accessible and set as MBR.

It's Acronis True Image, aka Seagates DiskWizard aka WD's version

of DiskWizard. It puts an "Extended Capacity Manager" in the boot

sector so you get one 2.1TB and one 700+GB partition, BOTH MBR.

See: Seagate DiscWizard CloneDisc for drives larger than 3TB_Part-2




The reason that I'm posting this is to get feedback from anyone who

has used these programs to see if the 3TBers work as any other HDD

would or are there any quirks that have come up since partitioning

your 3TB?

Please post to me.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Big Al

 

[Saltgrass]

If I am reading the below reference correctly, Windows 7 only does the 512 emulation. In order to use the actual 4k, you need Windows 8.

I don't use Norton Ghost so I can't comment, but it seems that would have been updated to work with GPT drives.

I have been thinking about getting an Advanced Format drive to test since I have seen some 2 TB ones for sale. I suspect some OEM systems already have some even smaller.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/hh848035(v=vs.85).aspx

 

[BigAlC]

It's NOT the Advanced Format per-se, it's the Advanced Format OVER 2TB's.

Re-read my post I updated it heavely. If you do get a 3TB Advanced Format

please let me know what happens.

Thanks.

 

[Saltgrass]

I am not sure your additional comments will alter mine, but I will check the drive model?

Your attachment showed the drive was using 512e, which is a Windows 7 limitation. You might try it in Windows 8 to see if it would show the 4096 option. I think you can still download the 8.1 preview if you had another drive you could load it on, but not sure since it will expire around the middle of Jan.

I may not understand it correctly, but I believe the larger drives (>2.2 TB) were the first ones using the 4Kn format. But now smaller ones are doing the same. Possibly a consumer restriction since some software might treat them differently and I believe Windows 7 was having problems with some of them when used as external drives.

I won't be getting the drive for a while and I won't get any that large. I might get the 2 TB WD 2003FZEX.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236624&Tpk=22-236-624

Edit: Have you also seen this?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/982018

 

[BigAlC]

Guys,

I just found this and would like some input before opening the

Toshiba 3TB's box:

Make SURE the 3TB is EMPTY as this will wipe ALL data on the drive

To make a fully accessible 3TB with 4k sector:


1. Boot to desktop.

2. Open "My Computer" in Windows Explorer.

3. Click on the EMPTY 3TB HDD.

4. If the factory made some partitions on it, delete them all.

5. Once it is just one disk, right-click it and click "Format"

6. Select "4096", "NTFS" and "Format".

7. Click OK. Since the 3TB is EMPTY, it should be real quick.

8. It's now ready to be partitioned to your liking up to 2.7 or so

TB's total and is set as MBR.

So, has anyone used these programs or the "4096", "NTFS" and "Format"

method?

Big Al

 

[Saltgrass]

I supose it wouldn't hurt to try, if it doesn't look right you don't have to worry about loosing any data. Do you have the KB installed on your system referenced earlier?

Let us know if it ends up showing 4096 for both physical and logical sector sizes...

 

[BigAlC]

Guys, my present 2TB Toshiba (PH3200U-1I72) is

Advanced Format and I used the inclued factory

software to "Align" it.

These are screens of my existing 2TB:



So the "4096", "NTFS" and "Format" that will

(hopefully) be done to the 3TB has been serving

my original Hitachi 1TB and Toshiba 2TB quite

well for over 2 years without any hiccups.

 

[Saltgrass]

I have been doing some more checking. I think we can agree the term Advanced Format is meant for a drive with sectors larger than 512. So a 512e and native 4k drives are both advanced format.

One of the questions of which I was not certain, can a 512e drive be changed to be a native 4k drive, and it appears the answer is no. I have two advanced format (512e) drives and tried formatting one (using Windows 8.1) as 4096, but it still shows 512/4096 in the listing to check. It appears the emulation is in the Drive Controller and unless you possibly have a jumper to change that, it is locked at 512e.....

I suppose the bottom line is if I was expecting to be able to run a 3 TB drive as MBR and access the entire space, I would be disappointed. But again, the information I seem to be able to pick up may be outdated or in some cases incorrect.

I would not run a drive with the modifier to allow the full use. But I might work fine for you. I still am unsure why Ghost would have a problem with a 512e drive. It might have with a 4Kn drive, but I have seen no indication you have one of those.

 

[BigAlC]

It's not the 512e per-se... from my OP: I found out from Link Removed that Ghost has issues with GPT. From what I've read at

Link Removed, Ghost has issues with GPT on ANY size drive. If a HDD is set GPT, Ghost has a hissy-fit!

 

[BigAlC]

Sorry to say that I've heard from numerous people with 3+ TB's

and they have grave reservations about Acronis/Seagate/WD's

Extended Capacity Manager to get full MBR 3TB HDD's and they

say that the "4096", "NTFS" and "Format" won't work.


Well, I HATE to admit defeat, but since I CANNOT find the

Ghost v11.5.1.2298 from GSS 2.5.1 that DOES see GPT HDD's,

I've concluded that my only recourse is to relegate my 3TB to

GPT and to BACKUP status to my 2TB Toshiba and dusted-off 1TB

Hitachi MBR HDD's that I'll be using as my main drives.


After numerous E-Mails to a bunch of Cloning Software companies,

I've settled on MiniTool Partition Wizard v8.1.1 from

http://www.partitionwizard.com (To top it off, it's FREE!!!)

to pre-partition my 3TBer and to do the "Copy partitions from

my 1 and 2TB MBR's to partitions on my 3TB GPT" and use my

Ghost v11.5.1.2269's Make and Restore Bootable CD's to do my

MBR C and D Drive imaging chores.

It's been fun--NOT!