Seagate 4TB Hard Drive Installation
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Kathandrax
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antidote34 -
antidote34 -
Hello,
I recently acquired a new hard drive (https://www.materiel.net/produit/201303050120.html). This is my third one. I installed it, making sure to connect everything correctly, and the system starts up normally.
Unfortunately, Windows seems to recognize the new disk, but I can't find it in the Computer menu. The BIOS does recognize the disk (even though it places it in the fifth position, behind an empty slot) and its 4TB. I should mention that I am running Windows 7.
I would like to ask for your help. Thank you in advance.
I recently acquired a new hard drive (https://www.materiel.net/produit/201303050120.html). This is my third one. I installed it, making sure to connect everything correctly, and the system starts up normally.
Unfortunately, Windows seems to recognize the new disk, but I can't find it in the Computer menu. The BIOS does recognize the disk (even though it places it in the fifth position, behind an empty slot) and its 4TB. I should mention that I am running Windows 7.
I would like to ask for your help. Thank you in advance.
10 answers
To know how to create a partition on a hard disk, go directly to the end; otherwise, read these few instructive notes before formatting!
I think it’s good to add some clarification about disks larger than 2TB.
Depending on the motherboards and the innovations developed by motherboard manufacturers, some functions on newer motherboards allow the use of hard drives larger than 2TB without issue thanks to UEFI.
[[[What is UEFI:
Besides the classic partitioning by MBR (limited to 2.2TB), UEFI manages a new partitioning system named GPT (globally unique identifier partition table) for disks. GPT allows 128 primary partitions on a storage device with a capacity of up to 9.4 ZB (zettabytes, a billion terabytes). UEFI thus allows booting from disks of 2.2TB and higher.]]]
So in short, a motherboard with UEFI no longer poses problems in managing hard drives larger than 2TB.
For older motherboards, it’s more complicated; it is therefore impossible to install an operating system (OS) if UEFI is not an option on the motherboard.
Indeed, hard drives cannot be recognized by the BIOS.
When installing a new hard drive, you need to assign a letter for it to be recognized. You can either do this through Windows with Disk Management (for beginners) or in pro mode with cmd.exe (command prompt), which is much more complicated than the first method, but the second is undoubtedly the best in terms of efficiency if you know what you’re doing.
Some hard drives can be difficult (like 32GB USB drives sometimes) to format or even impossible with Windows software (this unfortunately happens).
Thus, the command prompt remains the best method to format a hard drive (or USB drive), assign a letter, and create a partition.
For older motherboards, a 4TB hard drive cannot be used in a single partition.
You need to divide the hard drive into 2, so 4TB into 2TB + 2TB (or even divide it into 3, with 500GB for installing an OS for example + 1.5TB + 1.5TB approximately since a hard drive doesn’t have a real size of 4TB). Then it will be possible to use a 4TB hard drive under these conditions.
A little note for those who don’t know:
Not all hard drives are actually the announced size in GB or TB in a computer.
When you buy a 500GB hard drive in a store, it says 500GB on the box, but once in the computer it doesn't make 500GB but actually 465GB, meaning a loss of 35GB.
The larger the hard drive, the greater this loss will be; a 1.5TB hard drive actually makes 1.36TB in the PC, meaning 140GB lost.
The bigger the drive, the more GB you lose.
That’s why when you partition a 4TB hard drive, the values in GB of the partitions are not 2TB + 2TB but rather about 1.5TB + 1.5TB (because I don’t have a 4TB hard drive, I don’t know the exact values).
Another point to clarify: when you buy a new hard drive because the one in your PC has failed, you will need another PC to format your hard drive and assign it a letter to be able to install an OS on it.
But if your PC is still running with its OS, then of course go through Disk Management or the cmd.exe command prompt.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Partitioning a hard drive for beginners in "Disk Management":
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click on the Windows logo, then type in the search bar "Disk Management," then click on "Create and format hard disk partitions."
Choose the hard drive of your choice.
The selected hard drive will appear with stripes; right-click on the stripes and select "Shrink Volume." Choose the size of the partition you want (value expressed in MB).
Once this is done, this partition is not usable.
You need to select it, then right-click and select "New Simple Volume," then go directly to "Next >," assign a letter then "Next >," then perform a quick format in NTFS. Don’t forget to give it a name before clicking on "Next >."
If the size does not please you, select this partition then right-click and "Delete Volume," confirm.
Then select the "blue" partition next to it, right-click and "Extend Volume," confirm to recover all the space on the hard drive.
Then start over from the beginning.
I think it’s good to add some clarification about disks larger than 2TB.
Depending on the motherboards and the innovations developed by motherboard manufacturers, some functions on newer motherboards allow the use of hard drives larger than 2TB without issue thanks to UEFI.
[[[What is UEFI:
Besides the classic partitioning by MBR (limited to 2.2TB), UEFI manages a new partitioning system named GPT (globally unique identifier partition table) for disks. GPT allows 128 primary partitions on a storage device with a capacity of up to 9.4 ZB (zettabytes, a billion terabytes). UEFI thus allows booting from disks of 2.2TB and higher.]]]
So in short, a motherboard with UEFI no longer poses problems in managing hard drives larger than 2TB.
For older motherboards, it’s more complicated; it is therefore impossible to install an operating system (OS) if UEFI is not an option on the motherboard.
Indeed, hard drives cannot be recognized by the BIOS.
When installing a new hard drive, you need to assign a letter for it to be recognized. You can either do this through Windows with Disk Management (for beginners) or in pro mode with cmd.exe (command prompt), which is much more complicated than the first method, but the second is undoubtedly the best in terms of efficiency if you know what you’re doing.
Some hard drives can be difficult (like 32GB USB drives sometimes) to format or even impossible with Windows software (this unfortunately happens).
Thus, the command prompt remains the best method to format a hard drive (or USB drive), assign a letter, and create a partition.
For older motherboards, a 4TB hard drive cannot be used in a single partition.
You need to divide the hard drive into 2, so 4TB into 2TB + 2TB (or even divide it into 3, with 500GB for installing an OS for example + 1.5TB + 1.5TB approximately since a hard drive doesn’t have a real size of 4TB). Then it will be possible to use a 4TB hard drive under these conditions.
A little note for those who don’t know:
Not all hard drives are actually the announced size in GB or TB in a computer.
When you buy a 500GB hard drive in a store, it says 500GB on the box, but once in the computer it doesn't make 500GB but actually 465GB, meaning a loss of 35GB.
The larger the hard drive, the greater this loss will be; a 1.5TB hard drive actually makes 1.36TB in the PC, meaning 140GB lost.
The bigger the drive, the more GB you lose.
That’s why when you partition a 4TB hard drive, the values in GB of the partitions are not 2TB + 2TB but rather about 1.5TB + 1.5TB (because I don’t have a 4TB hard drive, I don’t know the exact values).
Another point to clarify: when you buy a new hard drive because the one in your PC has failed, you will need another PC to format your hard drive and assign it a letter to be able to install an OS on it.
But if your PC is still running with its OS, then of course go through Disk Management or the cmd.exe command prompt.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Partitioning a hard drive for beginners in "Disk Management":
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click on the Windows logo, then type in the search bar "Disk Management," then click on "Create and format hard disk partitions."
Choose the hard drive of your choice.
The selected hard drive will appear with stripes; right-click on the stripes and select "Shrink Volume." Choose the size of the partition you want (value expressed in MB).
Once this is done, this partition is not usable.
You need to select it, then right-click and select "New Simple Volume," then go directly to "Next >," assign a letter then "Next >," then perform a quick format in NTFS. Don’t forget to give it a name before clicking on "Next >."
If the size does not please you, select this partition then right-click and "Delete Volume," confirm.
Then select the "blue" partition next to it, right-click and "Extend Volume," confirm to recover all the space on the hard drive.
Then start over from the beginning.
Fortunately, there are capable people like you!!! Phew!!!