3TB HDDs - How ?

[PeterSt]

Hi all,

I wonder ... can 3TB HDDs work throughout or ... I say maby No.
What I have :

2x HDS723030ALA640 which is a Hitachi Deskstar 7K3000. Produced Jan 2011.
They are mounted in an USB 3.0 Luciport dock device. This latter could be related, but even so ...

Already months ago I formatted both with the GUID Partition Table (GPT) since this is needed for > 2TB disks. This all worked fine. Up to last night.

Both disks were provided earlier on with data under 2TB. Last night I started a copy run which would cross that 2TB border. Well, it didn't. All failed when the disk was filled with 2TB of data. After that, nothing much could be done with it. Deleting the lastly added folders with files did delete the files, but would not delete the folders. After mangling a bit with getting this done, all the other files had gone. At least so it appeared. Folders were there, but no files anywhere to be found.
Not a most big deal because this was the setup for making 3TB disks out of original 2TB disks, and the 2TB's were just still there, so I could always perform the original copy again.

At some stage Disk Management could not find the drive in question anymore, so I guessed things really messed up and performed a reboot. This worked well, and notice that at this time less than 2TB was in use, because I could delete the "offending" files (just crossing the 2TB limit) before.

My idea (right from the moment I observed the problem) was to shrink the volume into 2TB and next create another partition of 1Tb for the remainder.
In the mean time I noticed that my W7-SP1 reported the drive(s) as having "Basic" partitions. Nothing like the GPT I applied. But, looking deep down it can be observed that it's still GPT.

Shrinking the 3TB volume to 2TB went alright;
Creating the 1TB from the remaining went odd. I could do it, but as soon as the last button was pressed (upon the Make Volume wizard) the screen flashed a couple of times with by itself related windows, like the window that offers you to open the new volume. But, it was there twice, and both ended up in the 2TB volume. The 1TB volume ? it failed to initialize, and the state was the same as before : unallocated.
I just did the same as before (Make new Volume) and then it worked.

Filled up that 1TB with an amount of data, so the total on that disk now was well over 2TB, and this seems to work.

In the mean time -at performing some activity with selecting the 1TB volume- an error occured telling me the USB volume was detached (which it was), and reconnect the drive let it work again.

Of course this doesn't give any good feeling at all. Possibly it is related to the USB3.0 dock. The drive(s) are to be fixed mounted into the PC case anyway, so maybe in there it goes different;
The other disk is still formatted into one 3TB volume, and I could mount it directly to SATAIII and fill that one up with more than 2TB.


Of course the question : Does anyone have the expreience to let this go unconditionally OK ? Preferrably 3TB on one volume of course ...

Thanks,
Peter

[PeterSt]

Anyway ...

Similar seems to happen as before;
I want to delete folders from the 2TB volume after adding a few more to there (which just fitted within the 2TB) and after deleting those again all is messed up; the folders won't delete (visually anyway) but are empty. The other ones (being on there for a few months) show empty as well.

A reboot shows the files again. Also those of the folders I deleted.
Deleting those folders after the reboot, and now they are gone (and the rest is still there).

No much reliable, right ?

[manisandher]

Hi Peter. This is of no help to you at all, but I thought I'd share it anyway.

I have a 3TB drive installed and am intending to look into using GUID Partition Tables to utilize the 1TB that I'm currently not using, but just haven't had time to do this yet.

Will let you know how I get on once I get around to trying it.

Mani.

[PeterSt]

Mani, thanks. But you really shouldn't spend time on this. I mean, all the hussle when the disk is "destroyed"; even when you have a backup of it (like me).

I was merely wondering whether anybody had it normally running. And then outside of RAID because that will matter (different drivers).

So, anybody ?

[BertD]

I was merely wondering whether anybody had it normally running. And then outside of RAID because that will matter (different drivers).

So, anybody ?

I just put a 3TB drive in the PC, Windows recognized the drive and installed the drivers for it and after that I formatted the disk up to the full 3TB (actually 2.72TB).

No problems so far, all seems to go well and smoothly.

At this moment the drive is filling with data (making a copy of the 2x 1.5TB RAID0 I have used before to store music), these 1.5TB drives can then be used elsewhere being compatible with other PC's and such.

I will have to wait until all is done and data has passed the 2TB border to be sure all is still okay.

Heat and noise is not an issue inside my PC (sound shielded and proper airflow to keep things cool).

If things fail or not, I will report back.

Bert

[BertD]

Okay, all data transferred going behond the 2TB limit without an issue. After that I've copied an extra directory to the HDD to be sure it is in the +2TB area and played music from there. No issues whatsoever...

Never had a problem with the 3TB RAID0 drives either but only using my 64-bit Windows configuration.

My other partition in the same PC (32bits XP) does not recognise and does not show the RAID or 3TB drive at all...

Bert

[PeterSt]

Ok, so I guess I can try that too.

Does your Disk Management still show the GTP partiion ? (remember, mine does not - but in the USB 3.0 dock).

Also, does everything still work after a reboot ?
(this wasn't the case with an earlier attempt to span 2 2TB disks, but I think this has been the 32bit OS)

Thanks,
Peter

[BertD]

Does your Disk Management still show the GTP partiion ?

Also, does everything still work after a reboot ?

Yes, and yes.

Several reboots were needed anyhow for checking the drive under XP and XX for playing minimised.

Installing and formatting the drive only works (Disk Management) when the OS is not minimised though...

Good luck,

Bert

[PeterSt]

Ok, thanks Bert !

[Gerard]

I have the same problem. 

WD green 3 TB. Tried from HDD Dock to SATA and reverse.

It just stops at a certain point. And or the 3 TB is not been seen anymore.

What can i do to make it work? Sorry that was not entirely clear for me.

 

[BertD]

I have the same problem. 

It will only work as part of the system itself (inside the PC) and installing the drive under full functioning Windows.

Disk Manager will be the tool to make it work (formatting GTP et all).

BTW, never remove a drive when it is reading or writing...

Bert

[Gerard]

I have the same problem. 

It will only work as part of the system itself (inside the PC) and installing the drive under full functioning Windows.

Disk Manager will be the tool to make it work (formatting GTP et all).

BTW, never remove a drive when it is reading or writing...

Bert

Hmmm ok

first a go as two partitions.

Will try it after this.

Thanx Bert 

[christoffe]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/186875-uefi-unified-extensible-firmware-interface-install-windows-7-a.html

[PeterSt]

By now I can tell that indeed it (still) seems to work when the 3TB is just part of the PC (SATA connected).
I have it in since Bert tried it (see earier post) and didn't see strange things anymore.

Strangely enough the disk doesn't get hot anymore now. I'm not sure whether this is because now it spins down normally, because during the hour-long copy job it also didn't get hot (jut fairly warm as usal during continuous use). Strange (and it is just laying on top of the PC, thus not cooled).

Btw, I always thought that the GPT partition as such showed in Disk Manager, but now I think it just does not, because it is another "dimension" when we talk about the "Basic disk" vs. Dynamic etc. It sure *is* important to format it GPT though, because otherwise it will never work. So on that matter it is as important to be able to see it easily.
(by now I forgot where you can see that the partition is GPT formatted, but it can be seen somewhere).

The idiocy and danger about this all is that with each of the bad experiences I had, it seemed to work. The spanned 2x 2TB is the best example of it, because that really worked, until a reboot ...

Peter

[Gerard]

 

Finally after three day's of copy i managed. From Sata to Sata that is. Made 2 partitions. Somehow i have the feeling that my externe HDD dock is part of the problems!

Thanx for your help.