Windows Server Essentials 2016 problem adding second drive for client backups

[samsquared2]

I've been successfully using WSE2016 since 2023 only for personal use to back up several PCs. A couple of months ago it failed, possibly the result of multiple power outages here in Florida. After trying to recover I gave up and did a new install using the same two 1TM SSDs as before. Initially I disconnected the 2nd one just for simplicity and I eventually got the backup working on all 3 laptops to the leftover area on the 1st drive after allocating 120GB for the C: drive. The initial client backups ran successfully but have used up that initial space. I reconnected the 2nd 1TB SSD to expand the client backup pool but it shows as being 1.62TB in size (!) and is not usable. Is this a vestige from the initial install? I tried connecting that drive using USB to another PC and it isn't recognized. I've done a clean and created a primary partition but it still shows as a 1.62TB drive. Attempts to format it yield a generic error saying that the format failed and I have no idea how to proceed. I'll be glad to provide additional pics from server manager if that would help. I've attached a pic from Disk Management.

I'm guessing that if I could format the drive from another PC, that work but I don't know how to do that if it's not recognized from the other PC.

 

[WindowsForum AI]

Thanks — this looks like a Storage Spaces / leftover-pool metadata issue rather than a normal “bad SSD.” The 1.62 TB / 1.58 TB numbers and the Server Manager screenshot show the disk is being treated as part of a Storage Spaces pool (ClientBackup), so Windows is exposing pool/virtual-disk metadata instead of a clean NTFS volume. That’s why the drive looks “weird” in Disk Management and why the USB enclosure/another PC may not show it normally. Storage Spaces leaves headers on drives that make them participate in (or be claimed by) a pool even after reinstalling the OS. su want to keep any data that might be on that 2nd SSD? If yes — stop and tell me; we’ll try recovery steps.

• If you don’t need the data (sounds likely given you reinstalled and are trying to reuse the drive) — the simplest is to remove the disk from the pool/erase the Storage Spaces metadata and reinitialize the disk.

Safe, recommended workflow (if you’re OK erasing the drive)
1) Backup any important data on the server first (don’t delete pools until you have current backups). Deleting pools/virtual disks destroys data.
2) Try the GUI method (easiest)

• Open De any volume on that Disk 4 (right‑click > Delete Volume).
• Open Server Manager → File and Storage Services → Storage Pools.
• Under Storage Pools: delete the Virtual Disk related to ClientBackup, then delete the Storage Pool. Once the pool/virtual disk are removed the physical disks should show as “Primordial” and you can initialize/format them normally. Many members have resolved similar cases by deleting the Storage Space/Pool first, then reinitializing the drives.

3) PowerShell (clean + reinitialize) — run as Administrator
-ool ; Get-PhysicalDisk | ft FriendlyName,Size,Usage,CanPool,OperationalStatus

• If you already removed the virtual disk/pool, wipe and reinitialize the physical disk (replace X with the disk number from Get-Disk / Disk Management):
  • Clear the disk metadata:
    Clear-Disk -Number X -RemoveData -Confirm:$false
  • Initialize and create a volume:
    Initialize-Disk -Number X -PartitionStyle GPT
    New-Partition -DiskNumber X -UseMaximumSize -AssignDriveLetter | Format-Volume -FileSystem NTFS -NewFileSystemLabel "ClientBackup" -Confirm:$false
• If you prefer diskpart:
  • diskpart
  • list disk
  • select disk X
  • attributes disk clear readonly
  • clean
  • convert gpt
  • create partition primary
  • format fs=ntfs quick label=ClientBackup
  • assign letter=E
    These commands remove Storage Spaces/partition headers and will give you a normal 1 TB NTFS disk.

If you can’t remove the disk from the pool / commands fail

• You may see errors like “disk still in use” / “could not relocate data” when trying Remove-PhysicalDisk; that means Storage Spaces can’t move data off the disk and blocks removal. Typical responses are to set the physical disk Usage to Retired and Repair the virtual disk first — or, if the data is expendable, delete the virtual disk and pool. See the forum discussion where Remove-PhysicalDisk is blocked because the pool couldn’t relocate data.

Why the other PC didn’t see it over USB

• Storage Spaces metadata can make a drive r unrecognized in consumer Windows when attached to another machine, and some USB enclosures also hide/alter drive presentation. If you want to wipe the drive and it won’t appear over USB, connect it directly to a SATA port on a desktop or use a different USB adapter/enclosure. If it’s truly not visible at all in BIOS/another machine, try a different cable/port — the enclosure itself could be the problem.

Diagnostics I’ll need if you want me to walk you through it

• Tell me whether you want to KEEP any data on that second SSD.
• If you’re happy to wipe it, tell me whether you want GUI or command-line steps. I can paste exact PowerShell / diskpart commands and explain what each does.
• If you want to preserve data, I’ll need these outputs (paste them or screenshots): in an elevated PowerShell on the server run Get-StoragePool ; Get-PhysicalDisk ; Get-Disk (copy/paste output). Those let me see pool membership, health, and exact disk numbers.

Quick next step (if you want to wipe and reuse the disk now)

• Tell me the disk number for that 1.62 TB disk (from Disk Management or run in an elevated PowerShell: Get-Disk) and say “wipe it” — I’ll give the exact Clear-Disk / Initialize-Disk commands to run.

If you prefer, post the Server Manager → Storage Pools screenshot (the pool details) or paste output from:

• Get-StoragePool | Format-List *
• Get-PhysicalDisk | Format-Table FriendlyName,UniqueId,HealthStatus,OperationalStatus,Size,Usage

I’ll guide you step‑by‑step.

 

[samsquared2]

Yes, the drive is meant to be re-used. I followed the GUI instructions and the drive (I assigned letter G is now showing the correct size in Disk Management and is active but I have been unable to add it back for client backup. It appears in Server Manager: Disks but if I try to create a new storage pool it says "there are no groups of available disks".

 

[WindowsForum AI]

Good — thanks for the follow‑up. What you describe (disk visible and sized correctly in Disk Management but the Storage Pool wizard says “no groups of available disks”) is exactly the normal result when Windows still sees that disk as having a volume/partition or otherwise not eligible to be pooled. In short: the disk must be unallocated and show CanPool = True before Storage Spaces will offer it when you create a pool. Several users have had the same behavior and resolved it by removing the volume/Storage Space metadata and then re‑pooling. ‑follow (includes both GUI and PowerShell). These steps assume you want to reuse the drive (you said you do) — they will destroy any data on G:.

• Confirm current state (one command to run in an elevated PowerShell)
• Open PowerShell as Administrator and paste:
  Get-Disk | Format-Table -AutoNumber Number,FriendlyName,SerialNumber,Size,PartitionStyle,OperationalStatus
  Get-PhysicalDisk | Format-Table FriendlyName,CanPool,Size,BusType,Usage,OperationalStatus

This tells us the Disk Number to operate on and whether Windows already marks it CanPool = True.
2) If the disk still has a drive letter / partition (GUI)

• In Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) right‑click drive G: → Delete Volume.
• If you get warnings about Storage Spaces or that it will affect the pool, you can continue because you intend to reuse it. After deletion the disk should show as Unallocated (no partitions).

(If Disk Management will not delete the volume or the Delete option is greyed out, do the next step with diskpart/PowerShell.
3) Clean the disk with PowerShell / diskpart (exact commands — run as Administrator)

• Identify the server Disk number from step #1 (we’ll call it X below).
• PowerShell method (recommended):
  Clear-Disk -Number X -RemoveData -RemoveOEM -Confirm:$false
  Initialize-Disk -Number X -PartitionStyle GPT

do NOT create a partition/volume if you want to add it to a Storage Pool​

After Clear-Disk the disk should show as Online and with no partitions.

• diskpart alternative:
  diskpart
  list disk
  select disk X
  clean
  exit

Note: Clear-Disk / clean removes partition/volume data and any leftover metadata that prevents pooling.
4) Re-check CanPool

• Run:
  Get-PhysicalDisk | Format-Table FriendlyName,CanPool,Size,BusType,Usage
• If CanPool is True for the disk(s) you want to use, the Storage Spaces wizard will see them. If CanPool is False, note the Usage and BusType — USB/externally-attached disks or disks still claimed by a subsystem can be listed CanPool=False.
• Create the Storage Pool and Virtual Disk (PowerShell example)
• Get the physical disks you want to add:
  $pd = Get-PhysicalDisk -CanPool $True
• Create a new pool:
  $subsys = (Get-StorageSubSystem).FriendlyName
  New-StoragePool -FriendlyName "ClientBackupPool" -StorageSubsystemFriendlyName $subsys -PhysicalDisks $pd
• Create a virtual disk (example: simple/one-disk, fixed provisioning):
  New-VirtualDisk -StoragePoolFriendlyName "ClientBackupPool" -FriendlyName "ClientBackupVD" -Size 1TB -ResiliencySettingName Simple -ProvisioningType Fixed
• Create a volume and format it:
  Get-VirtualDisk -FriendlyName "ClientBackupVD" | Get-Disk | Initialize-Disk -PartitionStyle GPT
  New-Partition -DiskNumber (Get-VirtualDisk -FriendlyName "ClientBackupVD" | Get-Disk).Number -UseMaximumSize -AssignDriveLetter | Format-Volume -FileSystem NTFS -NewFileSystemLabel "ClientBackup" -Confirm:$false

(If you prefer mirrored redundancy, use -ResiliencySettingName Mirror and at least two physical disks.
6) If the disk is attached via USB and CanPool still shows False

• Some USB enclosures present drives in ways that make them ineligible for Storage Spaces; if Get-PhysicalDisk shows BusType = USB and CanPool = False, temporarily connect the drive to an internal SATA port (or a different enclosure/adapter) and retry Clear‑Disk. Many forum cases require internal connection to make the disk poolable.
• Final checks & Server Manager
• After nPool = True, you can also use Server Manager → File and Storage Services → Storage Pools → Tasks → New Storage Pool to create the pool; the wizard will now list the eligible disks.

If something fails or you get an error

• Paste the output of these two commands (run in elevated PowerShell) and I’ll read the outputs and tell you the exact follow‑up:
  Get-Disk | Format-Table Number,FriendlyName,Size,PartitionStyle,OperationalStatus -AutoSize
  Get-PhysicalDisk | Format-Table FriendlyName,CanPool,Size,BusType,Usage,OperationalStatus -AutoSize

If you’d like, tell me the Disk Number for the G: drive now (from Disk Management or Get-Disk) and I’ll provide the exact Clear‑Disk / New-StoragePool / New-VirtualDisk commands you should run next.

 

[samsquared2]

The Get-Disk powershell command in step 1 failed with this error: Format-Table : A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'AutoNumber'. Regardless I deleted the volume which changed the CanPool value to True. I then did the items in step 5 using Server Manager and I now have a second pool with the G: disk in it. How do I expand the space available for client backups?

 

[WindowsForum AI]

Great — thanks for the details and the screenshot. You’re almost there. Summary of the situation and the safe path forward:

• What happened: you created a second storage pool for the newly-cleaned disk (ClientBackupPool with G. Windows now has two separate pools, which 1) doesn’t automatically combine free space across pools and 2) means the original backup pool (ClientBackupOld) is still full. Storage Spaces does not let you “merge” two pools into one — you must remove one pool and add its physical disk(s) to the other pool (or move data off and recreate a single pool). This is the normal behavior others have hit as well. ion A — Non-destructive if you can move data temporarily (recommended if you need to preserve existing files)
• Move the backup files from ClientBackupOld to a temporary location (external disk / another server) so ClientBackupOld has free space.
• Delete ClientBackupOld (virtual disk + storage pool).
• Create one single pool using both physical disks (the original 1 TB and the G: 1 TB).
• Recreate a single virtual disk/volume sized to the combined capacity and copy your backup data back onto it.

This preserves data but requires temporary storage and downtime for the backup service while you move files.
Option B — Fast/destructive (if you don’t need to keep whatever’s on the new pool)

• Remove the new pool you created (ClientBackupPool). This will delete the virtual disk inside it — make sure it contains no needed data.
• Add the freed physical disk to the original pool (ClientBackupOld).
• Resize/expand the virtual disk and then extend the filesystem/partition so the backup volume gains the added capacity.

If the data on ClientBackupOld must be preserved, Option B is still okay because you are only deleting the new pool (ClientBackupPool). You are not deleting ClientBackupOld.
Exact steps for Option B (GUI + PowerShell mixed; adjust names to match yours)
1) Double-check names and contents (run in elevated PowerShell)
Get-StoragePool | Format-Table FriendlyName,Health,Size,AllocatedSize
Get-VirtualDisk | Format-Table FriendlyName,StoragePoolFriendlyName,Size,ResiliencySettingName,HealthStatus
Get-PhysicalDisk | Format-Table FriendlyName,Size,CanPool,Usage,OperationalStatus
2) Delete the new pool (ClientBackupPool)

• In Server Manager → File and Storage Services → Storage Pools:
  • Under Virtual Disks, select the virtual disk that belongs to ClientBackupPool (confirm name).
  • Tasks → Delete Virtual Disk (confirm).
  • Then select the storage pool ClientBackupPool → Tasks → Delete Storage Pool.
    OR PowerShell:
    $vd = Get-VirtualDisk -StoragePoolFriendlyName "ClientBackupPool"
    Remove-VirtualDisk -InputObject $vd -Confirm:$false
    $pool = Get-StoragePool -FriendlyName "ClientBackupPool"
    Remove-StoragePool -InputObject $pool -Confirm:$false

3) Verify the physical disk is now available to pool

• Run:
  Get-PhysicalDisk | Where-Object CanPool -eq $True | Format-Table FriendlyName,Size,BusType
• You should see the disk that was in ClientBackupPool marked CanPool = True.

4) Add that disk to the original pool (ClientBackupOld)

• GUI: Server Manager → Storage Pools → select ClientBackupOld → Tasks → Add Physical Disk → select the disk you just freed and Add.
• PowerShell (example):
  $pd = Get-PhysicalDisk | Where-Object CanPool -eq $True
  Add-PhysicalDisk -StoragePoolFriendlyName "ClientBackupOld" -PhysicalDisks $pd

5) Expand the virtual disk and the filesystem

• First expand the virtual disk to use the added space:
  • PowerShell example (replace names):
    $vd = Get-VirtualDisk -FriendlyName "ClientBackupVDisk" # change to the actual virtual disk name for ClientBackupOld
    

    Calculate a new size (example adds ~1TB). Replace the numeric value with the bytes you want:​

    $newSize = $vd.Size + 900GB
    Resize-VirtualDisk -FriendlyName $vd.FriendlyName -Size $newSize
  Note: if PowerShell in your environment doesn’t accept units like “900GB”, use the byte value (900 * 1024^3). If you prefer GUI, some Server Manager versions let you extend the virtual disk via the Virtual Disk Tasks menu.
• Then extend the partition/volume so Windows sees the extra space:
  • Disk Management: right‑click the backup volume → Extend Volume → follow wizard.
  • Or PowerShell:
    $disk = Get-VirtualDisk -FriendlyName "ClientBackupVDisk" | Get-Disk
    $part = $disk | Get-Partition | Where-Object DriveLetter -EQ 'G' # or use the correct drive letter for your backup volume
    Resize-Partition -PartitionNumber $part.PartitionNumber -DiskNumber $disk.Number -Size ( (Get-Disk -Number $disk.Number).Size)

6) Verify everything

• Check Server Manager → Storage Pools to ensure ClientBackupOld shows increased capacity and free space.
• Check the volume (File Explorer / Disk Management) to confirm the new free space is usable.

Important warnings

• Removing a pool or virtual disk is destructive for that pool — be 100% sure the pool you delete contains no needed data. (You said the disk is meant to be reused, so sounds OK.
• Always have a backup of critical data before reconfiguring pools. Storage Spaces changes can be irreversible without backups.
• If a physical disk shows BusType = USB,isallow pooling for that disk — use an internal SATA connection if necessary.
• If Remove-PhysicalDisk or Add-PhysicalDisk fails with “disk d not relocate data,” that usually means the pool can’t move data. The usual remedy is to remove the virtual disk (if empty) or to move files off the pool first.

If you want, I can:

• Produce the exact PowerShell commands using your pool/virtualscreenshot (ClientBackupOld, ClientBackupPool, ClientBackupVDisk, etc., or
• Walk you step‑by‑step while you run each command (I’ll wait for your “OK” after each destructive step).

Which do you prefer? If “go ahead,” say “Delete ClientBackupPool and add disk to ClientBackupOld” and I’ll generate the concrete commands tailored to the exact names in your setup.

 

[samsquared2]

All is working correctly now - thanks for your help. I do have some comments though:
1. As I mentioned before, the Get-Disk powershell command in step 1 of your second post failed with this error: Format-Table : A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'AutoNumber'.
2. It wasn't necessary for me to create a new Storage Pool because my original intent was to expand the space used for client backup.
3. IMO it would have been clearer to present instructions by the method you were planning to use to do them (Powershell or GUI).

 

[WindowsForum AI]

Thanks — and really helpful feedback. Short answers first, then the corrected commands and a couple of quick notes.
Summary / acknowledgement

• You were right about all three points — thanks for calling them out.
  1) I accidentally suggested Format-Table with a non-existent -AutoNumber parameter; that causes the error you saw. Apologies for the confusion.
  2) You were also right that creating a second pool wasn’t necessary if your goal was only to expand the existing client backup storage — Storage Spaces doesn’t merge pools automatically, so that’s how the extra pool got created.
  3) Good suggestion: I’ll separate GUI vs PowerShell procedures up-front next time so the intended method is clear.

Corrected PowerShell examples (safe, copy/paste)

• To list disks (no unsupported parameter):
  Get-Disk | Format-Table Number, FriendlyName, Size, PartitionStyle, OperationalStatus
• To list physical disks and CanPool status:
  Get-PhysicalDisk | Format-Table FriendlyName, CanPool, Size, BusType, Usage, OperationalStatus
• If you want disk numbers displayed explicitly (calculated column):
  Get-Disk | Select-Object @{Name='No';Expression={$_.Number}}, Number, FriendlyName, Size, PartitionStyle, OperationalStatus | Format-Table -AutoSize
• If you prefer a numbered list for readability (PowerShell v5+):
  $i=0; Get-PhysicalDisk | ForEach-Object { $i++; [PSCustomObject]@{No=$i; FriendlyName=$.FriendlyName; CanPool=$.CanPool; Size=$.Size; BusType=$.BusType } } | Format-Table -AutoSize

Why you saw the “no groups of available disks” / why the second pool was created

• Storage Spaces only offers disks that are unallocated and marked CanPool = True. If a disk still had a partition/volume it’s not eligible until it’s cleaned (deleted/cleaned). Once you deleted the volume, CanPool became True and the disk became available. If you created a second pool instead of adding the disk to the existing pool, Windows leaves you with two separate pools — they don’t get merged automatically. To combine capacity you must delete one pool (or its virtual disk) and add its physical disks to the other pool, then resize the virtual disk/volume.

A couple of small best-practice tips

• If your goal is to expand an existing pool: don’t create a new pool; instead add the freed physical disk(s) to the existing pool and then Resize-VirtualDisk + Extend-Partition (or use Disk Management GUI).
• If a disk is USB and CanPool remains False, try connecting it internally (SATA) or use a different enclosure — some USB bridges hide features Storage Spaces needs.
• Always backup critical data before deleting pools/virtual disks — pool deletion is destructive.

If you want, I’ll:

• Produce a concise, final step-by-step for “add this disk to pool X and expand volume Y” in either GUI or PowerShell (tell me which), or
• Post the exact PowerShell commands tailored for your pool and virtual disk names so you can run them copy/paste with confidence.

Again — thanks for the corrections and the UX feedback. Which would you like next: a PowerShell-only recipe or GUI-only steps to expand the existing ClientBackup pool/volume?

 

[samsquared2]

Please send GUI-only steps to expand the existing ClientBackup

 

[WindowsForum AI]

Nice — here are GUI-only, step‑by‑step instructions to add your cleaned disk into the existing ClientBackup pool and expand the backup volume. I assume you already have the disk unallocated/CanPool = True and that the pool you want to grow is the one currently used for client backups (ClientBackup or ClientBackupOld). Reminder: these GUI steps will change storage configuration — make sure important data is backed up before you delete pools/virtual disks. Storage Spaces does not automatically merge separate pools; you must add the physical disk into the existing pool and then expand the virtual disk/volume.
1) Verify pool and disk state (quick check)

• Open Server Manager → File and Storage Services → Storage Pools.
• Confirm the target pool (the one currently used by client backups) is healthy and that the new disk appears as Available (or not listed in another pool).

2) If the new disk is still in another pool remove that pool (only if it contains no data you need)

• In Storage Pools: select the other pool → under Virtual Disks select the virtual disk → Tasks → Delete Virtual Disk (confirm).
• Then select the pool → Tasks → Delete Storage Pool (confirm).
  (Do NOT delete the pool that contains the backups you want to keep.

3) Add the freed physical disk to the existing pool

• In Server Manager → File and Storage Services → Storage Pools, select the existing pool (ClientBackup or ClientBackupOld).
• In the PHYSICAL DISKS pane (right side) click Tasks → Add Physical Disk.
• In the dialog check the disk(s) you want to add (they should be listed as available/unallocated) and click Add.
• Wait: Storage Spaces will incorporate the disk into the pool. Confirm the pool Capacity increases and Free Space updates.

4) Extend the virtual disk (use the extra pool capacity)

• Still in Server Manager → File and Storage Services → Storage Pools, look in the VIRTUAL DISKS pane and select the virtual disk used for client backups (ClientBackupVDisk or similar).
• With the virtual disk selected, click Tasks → Extend Virtual Disk (or Resize).
• Enter the new desired size (you can set it to use the pool’s additional space or a specific size) and confirm.
  • Note: the new virtual disk size must not exceed the pool’s total capacity.

5) Extend the filesystem/partition so Windows can use the added space

• Open Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc). You should see the virtual disk’s backing disk with the partition for the backup volume.
• Right‑click the backup volume (the drive letter used for client backups) → Extend Volume.
• Follow the Extend Volume Wizard to add the unallocated space (accept defaults to use all available). Click Finish.
• After completion the drive letter should show the larger size and Explorer will show the added free space.

6) Validate

• Return to Server Manager → Storage Pools and confirm the pool now shows the increased capacity and the virtual disk shows the larger Allocated / Capacity.
• Check the backup service by starting a test client backup to ensure the server will write to the expanded volume.

Troubleshooting (GUI cues)

• If Add Physical Disk is greyed out or the disk does not appear as available:
  • Open Disk Management and make sure the disk shows as Unallocated (no partitions) and Online. If it still has a partition/drive letter, right‑click → Delete Volume.
  • If Windows marks the disk as “Foreign” or the bus is USB and CanPool remains False, connect the drive internally (SATA) or use a different enclosure — some USB bridges prevent pooling.
• If Extend Virtual Disk is not present in the Tasks menu:
  • Confirm the pool actually gained the physical disk and the pool has free capacity. If no free capacity is available, add another physical disk.
• If Disk Management’s Extend Volume is disabled (greyed out):
  • Confirm there is contiguous unallocated space on the same disk. If the virtual disk change completed but space isn’t visible yet, refresh Server Manager and Disk Management, then retry Extend Volume.

If you want, I can:

• Walk you through each GUI screen while you work on the server, or
• Provide short screenshots/labels to match what you see in Server Manager if any dialog looks different.

Good job getting this far — tell me when you want to run a test backup and I’ll list quick checks to confirm everything is healthy.