Windows 10: Installation on 3TB disk (Non Uefi)

Hi everyone!

I was wondering if there is an easy way of installing W10 in larger disks (+2TB) on systems with no UEFI Support

Right now my HDD is formatted with MBR, windows 10 is installed in it, and have ~700GB of unallocated space wich i cant use due to partition limitations

Additionally, I have a slower and smaller hdd.

The goal is to install W10 on the larger hdd. It has to be gpt

any advice will be appreciated

*Smile

:)

 

Second hard drive missing after update from 7 to 10

Just chiming in here - I have a similar issue. Windows 10, just installed. My 3TB drive (which I partitioned as 2TB because I'm on an older BIOS, no UEFI) shows at first... then after 5 or 10 minutes, it just drops off the map. Not in disk management,
no where. I have to reboot to access it.

 

Cannot allocate the unallocated space in a 3Tb and 4Tb hard disk drives in Windows 10

I have a 2011 Acer Predator G3610 with UEFI boot. The original disk (a 1,5Tb Sansung) just failed and I replaced it with a Toshiba OCZ VT180 SSD as boot drive plus a Seagate 4tb and a WD Blue Series 3Tb
unit for extra storage.

I haven't been able to use the full size of both disks (currently connected to the SATA III connector in the board) and the non allocated space cannot be accesed via disk manager, only letting me to check
properties/help. Same for the disk, they're listed but cannot re format them as GPT, the only options available being online/offline; check properties and help.

I have gone through the forums without luck. Is there any way I can use all the available storage?

Thanks

 

If you want to have your boot drive GPT, then it has to be UEFI boot.

For non-EUFI, I believe your only option is to partition the drive into a 2TB and a 1TB partition and install OS on the 2TB partition.

You can do MBR which has 2TB limitation or GPT which requires EUFI for boot drive, but those are your options.

(You can have GPT for non boot drives without EUFI though so you could also use a different drive for boot)

 

You can do it the other way around, also, install Windows 10 on the 1 TB partition and use the larger 2 TB partition for data storage. Also, with MBR and legacy bios, you can move the boot files to the Windows OS partition and delete the System reserved boot partition which will free up a space for another data partition if you want. Heck, you can also move the WindowsRE environment off the recovery partition and into the Windows OS partition so you would only need 1 partition for Windows itself and have three empty slots for partitioning however you would want to.

 

You cannot use more than 2.2TB in TOTAL on an MBR drive (no matter how many partitions) without using special driver software.

Support for Disk Drives Beyond 2.2 TeraBytes (TB) and 4K Advanced Format Sectors

 

Thanks! So what about this, maybe you know, @cereberus. Format the 3TB drive as GPT and install it as the second drive. On the slower, smaller drive put only a System Reserved partition, put the OS partition on the large GPT drive. Are there drivers in the boot files to then enable Windows to boot from the GPT drive from a legacy bios? Or do the GPT drivers get loaded with Windows? Then the slower hard drive would only be loading the boot files.

 

Might work theoretically, but not even sure how you would do this, as windows installation would not install to a gpt disk. Might be able to use Macrium to clone C drive only to GPT drive, but getting it to boot?

Frankly, it would just be easier to buy a small (say 256GB) ssd and use that as the OS drive.

 

Looks like many people had this issue in the past with Win7

Boot Windows 7/8 from GPT on BIOS system : No hybrid MBRs or DUET! - Windows 7 Help Forums

http://woshub.com/booting-windows-7-...ware-non-uefi/

What do you think?

 

The trick here is to convert drive to gpt not losing data. I think minitools partition manager free can do that.

Looks theoretically possible. Upgrades could be a problem though

I would still recommend getting an ssd and avoiding the problem.

 

What is that problem. I don't think you need GPT. MBR may suffice. Why don't you post a picture of your disk management.

 

Reason is simple - MBR maximum drive size is 2.2TB - see my link earlier.

 

I know that. But I would define a couple of partitions smaller tham 2.2TBs.

 

Hi,

Only if you want to boot from it that is.

Cheers, *Wink

 

The point is the SUM of ALL partitions is 2.2 TB - this is defined by the MBR that can only access up to 2.2TB - there is only one MBR without special software.