Set 4TB as Primary Drive as Partition !

[metabeta]

i badly want to switch to a 4TB Drive, along with one more partition, for my data collection need.

 

So i h' an old pc, that doesn't have UEFI, with dual core. Good old BIOS. So somewhere i read that that limitation is due to incompatibility of the BIOS

So i want a 4TB drive to h' these kind of setup. 1TB (Primary ) and remaining 3TB(Secondary). Then install Rollback RX after setup complete.

So, i could convert it into GPT and format it. But the Disk Management of Win 7 cannot do that. I think. It would convert but not partition it.

So i hope u understood it. As i want simple and minimalistic approach.

Can anyone suggest how do i achieve that. If i could do that , then can i partition it from the windows startup disc and then install it.

I already h' a lots of partition tools like AOMEE i forget many but...

Any suggestion is welcomed.

 

metatbeta.

 

[kyber]

Quote

that doesn't have UEFI,

 

did you look into this for win 7 and partition above 2 tb

 

the Table 3:

 

Quote

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/backup-and-storage/support-for-hard-disks-exceeding-2-tb

 

Edited January 15 by kyber

[MrZeb]

Hi,

 

Avoid problems, data corruption etc.

 

Use a smaller drive to boot (< 2tb) and install the OS then add the 4TB drive for data initialized as GPT to create a 4TB partition.

[metabeta]

if i am understanding the case. I forgot to mention that conversion of 4 TB HDD needs to be converted to GPT from the DIsk Management and then a quick format.

But that is happening within the Windows environment. Even if thats the case, then how about converting it to GPT  from Disk Management and then proceed to remove the old 1 TB HDD(after pc shutdown)

Then insert the GPT converted drive and then proceed to install Windows, which will also allow partitioning it too.

As @kyber link suggest that: (Thank u for taking the time out. It was helpful.)

So this applies it in my case too. I just wanted a single 4 TB with partition 1 TB (Primary) and 3TB (Secondary). So this is a limitation, i suppose.

 

Edited January 16 by metabeta

[metabeta]

Answer found on Google Search:

Quote

 

Yes, you can use a GPT drive to install Windows 7 in UEFI mode. However, your system's firmware must be UEFI and you must be running a supported operating system.
Explanation

    GPT (GUID Partition Table) is a drive format that allows you to create partitions and set up drives that are larger than 4 terabytes (TB).

MBR (Master Boot Record) is another partition style. MBR has a partition size limitation of 2 TB.
You can use the MBR2GPT tool from Microsoft to convert a disk from MBR to GPT without wiping it.

Steps to install Windows 7 on a GPT drive

    Ensure your system's firmware is UEFI
    Ensure you're running a supported operating system
    Install Windows 7 in UEFI mode

How to check if your drive uses GPT or MBR

    Open Disk Management
    Right-click on the disk you want to check
    Click on Properties
    Go to the Volumes tab
    Check the Disk Information to see if your partition style is MBR or GPT

So this seems to be the answer i was looking for. OP thank you for ur time and concern.

[kyber]

As I pointed out you need UEFI with Windows 7 for large Boot partition

 

Regards,

[MrZeb]

@metabeta In your first post you said "So i h' an old pc, that doesn't have UEFI"

 

Without using any hack to boot, UEFI is needed to boot from a GPT drive.

Edited January 16 by MrZeb