Windows 10: New 4TB drive install..

As long as your system came with Windows 8/8.1, it is probably installed using UEFI. A quick look at Disk Management would tell you for sure, if it has a EFI system partition, it is UEFI and configured as GPT.

That being the case, you can make a system image using the built in Windows Backup utility and apply it to the new drive... It looks like they have moved that utility back to the Control Panel "Backup & Restore (Windows 7)". You do need a second drive, such as an external one to hold the image.

But a clean install will work also, just be aware of how to boot to the UEFI version of the install media. Your system is probably already set for that so check the number of partitions created during the install. If it is only 2, you are not doing a UEFI install.

 

(I had to look this up.)

Go to Windows Administrative Tools/ Computer Management/Disk Management.

Right click on your hard disk in the lower part of the window. (Not the name in the upper part.) Select the Volumes tab.

Also, a GPT boot drive will show an EFI partition in Disk Management.

You might consider a 3TB drive. They cost little more than 2TB drives. That's what I bought in my most recent build late in 2014. If memory serves, 4TB drives had a higher cost per byte than 3GB at the time. That price premium may have declined since (9 months is a long time in the HD market), but 3TB are still a good deal. If you have a GPT disk in your all-in-one (and I'd bet that you do), you have no concerns about the 3TB barrier.

 

Open disk management, Right click on the area of Disk 0 ->Properties->Volume. See screenshot:

You have read the spec or ask the seller to make sure if it works with large HD. Not all adapters are the same.

Only works with 2.5" and too slow with USB 2.0

For external USB HD. I would suggest not to use any enclosure if you can avoid it. The HD will be too hot inside the enclosure, not enough air flow and probably will be dead in couple of years.

I use this adapter: Amazon.com: Anker® USB 3.0 to SATA 3ft Converter Adapter Cable for 2.5 inch/3.5 inch Hard Drive Disk HDD and SSD, Power Adapter included: Electronics
It supports USB3.0 and can handle SSD/HD up to 4TB.
NOTE: Power adapter is only used with 3.5" Mechanical drive.

 

Hi there.

I agree with those LARGE HDD's and USB3 - especially if it's being used a lot - don't bother with enclosure --you can't really use that stuff as a Portable device. !!!

Check also that your Mobo has a GENUINE decent bus speed --a load of fairly recent computers have proper USB 3 ports but the Bus speed isn't up to it.

Another idea is to connect the HDD directly to the SATA connector on the MOBO -- but in this case I'm not sure how you would manage the power connector.

I use a slight variation on this

I have 3 X 1TB old laptop HDD's connected as a Storage space of 3TB connected directly via USB 3 ports using standard UNPOWERED SATA-->USB3 connectors. Speed is fast enough for Multi-media streaming and 3TB is a decent sized storage space.

It's amazing - I fit a few SSD's (at their expense) into people's laptops and they just want to BIN the old laptop HDD's --these work fine if you don't need mega fast I/O and the power requirements are MINIMAL if you are running one or more multi-media servers from a decent desktop machine.

Cheers
jimbo

 

@OP.
A friend of mine has an all in one unit as yours. If it were my PC, I would replace the internal with a 250GB SSD, the price of SSD is going down, ~ $80 US @Amazon to load Windows, it will improve the speed/boot up time and use a 4TB as an external to store personal data.

 

How do you explain the hundreds, if not thousands of USB 3 desktop hard drives available in enclosures? I have a desktop drive in an enclosure sitting on my desktop computer connected to the back USB ports. Most of the time I leave the power switch for it turned off. When I want to do a backup, all I have to do is turn the power switch on, back up to it, either shutdown the computer or do a safe removal in Windows and turn the power switch off for it.

It's also shared on the network so if someone wants a file from one of their backups, flip the switch on, let it mount in Windows on the desktop, and access it via network to get what they need, then safely remove it in Windows and turn it off.

Incredibly convenient and more reliable than a hard drive that is starting and stopping at the whim of the controller - for a hard drive used only for backups.

 

For Boot device ABSOLUTELY -- SSD's are Brilliant.

For Large data files that don't change much it's not such a "No brainer" though.

Cheers
jimbo

 

I didn't have the nerve to suggest upgrading to an SSD. That would not be helpful if ljt22 needs a lot of capacity on the boot drive. If she/he/it simply has a ton of data and can move it to an external drive, that'd be good. It's a bit more iffy if there are hundreds of gigabytes of games. (Absurd on an all-in-one, but not impossible.)

 

I recently installed a 3TB drive on an old Dell Optiplex 790 (made in 2011). It supports UEFI and boots in about 30 seconds. So it depends on the PC. I can't see installing an SSD when the spinning hard disk boots in 30 seconds.

 

Thx for all the infor.....Len

 

In a way, you answered your own question. Yes, it is convenient. However, External HD is not designed for constantly used and in your case, you just use it to back up and occasionally sharing. But if you contantly use it then you'll be surprised one day to find out that your HD comes up with a RAW disk.
Been there, Done that !!!

 

I have had a look in disk management and under properties same as yours except no info its blank...I am sure HP don't want me updating ....lol Is there anywhere else to look??? Thx len

 

WOW we are getting somewhere I had to populate a few times and it is exactly the same as yours GUID partition table (GPT)
So does this mean I can get the 3 or 4 TB drive and format GPT???? and clone this disk??? Thx again for all the help Len..

 

Seriously I don't think it's a good idea to mix your Windows OS with personal data. It is much easier to maintain and backup and if your PC becomes unbootable, you don't have to worry about losing any data.

 

Hi All can I just say a quick thank you to you ALL for coming back to me, I don't know where i'd be without you..
Still not quite sorted but further on than I was yesterday thanks to you all.....

Regards -Len*Smile