WD 4 TB HDD, can't format or delete partition during installation of Win 10

[Want-to-know-more]

Yesterday I tried to install windows 10 on a new empty WD 4tb HDD. however when I create a new partition, for some unknown reason it created multiple partitions on it's own. And one of them, a partition about 1608 GB, no matter how I try, I can't either delete or format it.

 

[wpgwpg]

Anything over 2.2 TB has to be formatted GPT. It sounds like maybe you formatted it MBR?

Good luck.

 

[Want-to-know-more]

Not a clue, what is GPT and of course I don't know MBR either. What should I do to them?

 

[Colif]

Win 10 makes 4 partitions when it installs, can you share a screen shot of your disk management screen?

MBR is the disc partition scheme first made in 1975 for IBM PC's and only allowed a maximum partition size of just over 2 tb, 4 partitons max per hdd, and max hdd size of 8 tb
GPT was designed to avoid the limitations of MBR and allows partitions themselves to be a max size of 256 TB, 128 partitions per drive, and max disc sizes of 1024X1024x1024 TB which is a big number and one we probably won't approach for a few years.

http://www.howtogeek.com/193669/whats-the-difference-between-gpt-and-mbr-when-partitioning-a-drive/

Win 10 when formatting a brand new drive to install itself on is likely to use GPT but I don't understand the figures you got.

 

[Want-to-know-more]

Win 10 makes 4 partitions when it installs, can you share a screen shot of your disk management screen?

MBR is the disc partition scheme first made in 1975 for IBM PC's and only allowed a maximum partition size of just over 2 tb, 4 partitons max per hdd, and max hdd size of 8 tb
GPT was designed to avoid the limitations of MBR and allows partitions themselves to be a max size of 256 TB, 128 partitions per drive, and max disc sizes of 1024X1024x1024 TB which is a big number and one we probably won't approach for a few years.

http://www.howtogeek.com/193669/whats-the-difference-between-gpt-and-mbr-when-partitioning-a-drive/

Win 10 when formatting a brand new drive to install itself on is likely to use GPT but I don't understand the figures you got.

Now, I understand what is the problem.
Based on what I read, we probably could manage it under OS. However, is it possible to manage it when installing Win 10 or linux such as Debian from optical drive?

 

[Colif]

I don't know anything about Linux, I am curious why win 10 is doing it in first place. does it leave the remainder of drive unallocated space? or does it make partitions for all the space on drive (after formatting, I assume you left with 3.6 tb total to use, so is there another 2 tb partition you didn't mention?). Its probable the remainder is unallocated and it just took what it needed. Just curious why it chose 2tb,

Google is failing to help me work out my question.

 

[Want-to-know-more]

I don't know anything about Linux, I am curious why win 10 is doing it in first place. does it leave the remainder of drive unallocated space? or does it make partitions for all the space on drive (after formatting, I assume you left with 3.6 tb total to use, so is there another 2 tb partition you didn't mention?). Its probable the remainder is unallocated and it just took what it needed. Just curious why it chose 2tb,

Google is failing to help me work out my question.

First it gives me 4 partitions, then I try to delete them all. However, because one of partitions can't be deleted, finally I left two unallacated partitions. One of them can be created new or formated, despite the other one can't, which also remind me the available partition its capacity is really closed to 2.2 tb. So, I guess it is Mbr.

And, I can't agree with you anymore, sometimes Google it is not helpful!

 

[Colif]

Seems I was wrong about the max size of an MBR disc, its 2,2 tb max

An MBR formatted disk can have only 4 primary partitions and can manage data only up to 2TB. With data storage needs increasing, the GPT (GUID Partition Table) disks are now being sold with newer computers, that can address more than 2TB of storage. MBR disks reserve the first sector of the disk for storing information about the disk partitions and location of the operating system files.

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/guid-gpt-partition-windows

So if you formatted drive as MBR (something Win 10 generally refuses to do) then the max size of data you could access would be 2 tb, your pc would just ignore the rest. Like it seems to be. Something odd going on there

 

[Want-to-know-more]

Seems I was wrong about the max size of an MBR disc, its 2,2 tb max

An MBR formatted disk can have only 4 primary partitions and can manage data only up to 2TB. With data storage needs increasing, the GPT (GUID Partition Table) disks are now being sold with newer computers, that can address more than 2TB of storage. MBR disks reserve the first sector of the disk for storing information about the disk partitions and location of the operating system files.

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/guid-gpt-partition-windows

So if you formatted drive as MBR (something Win 10 generally refuses to do) then the max size of data you could access would be 2 tb, your pc would just ignore the rest. Like it seems to be. Something odd going on there

Oh, No. I seem just see my money flying away. So sad, still need to google it, no matter how many hours it would waste. Guess there should be at least two more post I should post, because I also have Eban problem now and Eban forums seems doesn't work.

 

[wpgwpg]

Just reformat the drive GPT. You don't have to spend any money to do that. I bought a 3 TB drive some time ago and formatted it MBR just to see what would happen. I got similar results to what you report. Just boot from your install disk and format the drive GPT, that's all you have to do.

Good luck.

 

[Colif]

What motherboard are you using?

Has it got a UEFI style bios or the older type. If bios set to legacy it might be why the HDD was formatted as MBR. I thought Win 10 would force you to use GPT but it might do that only on UEFI bios motherboards.

http://www.howtogeek.com/175649/what-you-need-to-know-about-using-uefi-instead-of-the-bios/

Seems it is: https://www.maketecheasier.com/differences-between-uefi-and-bios/

[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=370ULtuv5no"][/video]

 

[Colif]

moral of story: if you have an old motherboard that cannot swap to UEFI, don't buy a hdd bigger than 2tb. But if you have a UEFI Bios, the sky is not even close to the limit when it comes to storage. I think win 10 actually doesn't use the max size thing as it could be a limitation in win 10 itself or they just giving themselves room to expand into later on. We don't have 256 tb drives yet, let alone ones that could hold 128 partitions that big, so why allow people to create them? Sure, you might be able to in raid but apart from the obvious reason (because you can), there is no sane reason.

 

[Want-to-know-more]

Just reformat the drive GPT. You don't have to spend any money to do that. I bought a 3 TB drive some time ago and formatted it MBR just to see what would happen. I got similar results to what you report. Just boot from your install disk and format the drive GPT, that's all you have to do.

Good luck.

Thanks to everyone. Now I know how to do it.

When you try to install Windows in a 4tb HDD by booting from DVD,

The specific step is 1. Turn on computer, go to your boot by pressing Del or F11, different motherboard different key I don't know. Load your UEFI setting in your boot. I have no idea what is UEFI, but it works. 2. After you save changes and restart, go to boot priority. you probably will have 2 choices of your DVDrom, like me, I have both Sata and UEFI. Choosing the UEFI one, again, restart. And we shouldn't have anything to worry bout now.

 

[Colif]

UEFI is the new graphical bios that works alongside the GPT format that allows you to use all 4tb of your drive.

When I reformatted my drive in Feb, I had deleted win 10 off C and was expecting to just be able to install it back on the same partition, instead win 10 said it couldn't go on the drive as it wasn't in GPT. I didn't know what that was, I sat there for a while wondering how i get win 10 back on the drive - I had gone from a broken Win 10 to no Win 10 at all - and then looked it up on another computer. Think I read I needed to delete all the partitions but even with a blank drive, win 10 refused to go on. I restarted pc and for some reason it let me continue

I guess I had mine set to Auto in my bios as when I tried to install 10 it simply refused to do it on a MBR disc. I was same as you are, I didn't know about the difference and it was only the refusal that bought it to my attention. If the auto setting has said legacy I would still be using MBR now, but the Auto setting let Windows stop me installing it as an MBR disc and left me sitting there for about an hour after I deleted win 10 off the hdd. All it took in the end was a restart of pc, it must have loaded the right style bios (as Auto lets me use either) and even though I deleted all the extra partitions win 10 is supposed to create, it accepted just one partition as being fine and finally installed win 10, to much rejoicing

My install is different, I don't think I could recreate it if I tried. Instead of the 4 partitions it tries to create, I have one big 232gb partition which does everything. I expect there might be a hidden UEFI boot partition, I don't know since that would only be 100mb but I can't see it in disk management.

Glad you could swap, hate to buy a 4tb drive on an old pc and not have that option... wonder if mums pc is UEFI, I have never looked in its bios.

 

[Want-to-know-more]

UEFI is the new graphical bios that works alongside the GPT format that allows you to use all 4tb of your drive.

When I reformatted my drive in Feb, I had deleted win 10 off C and was expecting to just be able to install it back on the same partition, instead win 10 said it couldn't go on the drive as it wasn't in GPT. I didn't know what that was, I sat there for a while wondering how i get win 10 back on the drive - I had gone from a broken Win 10 to no Win 10 at all - and then looked it up on another computer. Think I read I needed to delete all the partitions but even with a blank drive, win 10 refused to go on. I restarted pc and for some reason it let me continue

I guess I had mine set to Auto in my bios as when I tried to install 10 it simply refused to do it on a MBR disc. I was same as you are, I didn't know about the difference and it was only the refusal that bought it to my attention. If the auto setting has said legacy I would still be using MBR now, but the Auto setting let Windows stop me installing it as an MBR disc and left me sitting there for about an hour after I deleted win 10 off the hdd. All it took in the end was a restart of pc, it must have loaded the right style bios (as Auto lets me use either) and even though I deleted all the extra partitions win 10 is supposed to create, it accepted just one partition as being fine and finally installed win 10, to much rejoicing

My install is different, I don't think I could recreate it if I tried. Instead of the 4 partitions it tries to create, I have one big 232gb partition which does everything. I expect there might be a hidden UEFI boot partition, I don't know since that would only be 100mb but I can't see it in disk management.

Glad you could swap, hate to buy a 4tb drive on an old pc and not have that option... wonder if mums pc is UEFI, I have never looked in its bios.

I'm glad you installed win10 successfully. I'm little confused what's the situation you been. So if I didn't understand wrong, you can only use 232gb. If that's right, I am sorry to hear that. And I am sorry, I pretty sure I can't fix that. However, as people usually say, if you share your problem even just talking to one person, your problem will delete a half. So I hope you can feel better and somehow probably someone will help you here soon.

 

[Colif]

LOL... I was explaining you weren't only one tripped up by not knowing what GPT was. MY problem was lack of knowledge, something I have fixed since then.

My SSD is only a 250 GB anyway unformatted, when its formatted it only has 232 GB so I didn't lose anything. Your 4tb drive is only 3.6tb formatted.

I was also the person who fixed your problem

 

[Want-to-know-more]

LOL... I was explaining you weren't only one tripped up by not knowing what GPT was. MY problem was lack of knowledge, something I have fixed since then.

My SSD is only a 250 GB anyway unformatted, when its formatted it only has 232 GB so I didn't lose anything. Your 4tb drive is only 3.6tb formatted.

I was also the person who fixed your problem

Ah,hah, sorry i have been foolish this time. Glad you are fine now.

 

[Colif]

Before this post I didn't know a few things like

Max size of MBR hdd is 2tb
You have to use UEFI to access more
Win 10 will actually install on MBR if bios is set to it - I thought it simply refused to.
it made it somewhat clearer as to why my Feb install was so confusing to me.

So its cool