Hard Drive Split as 2 Unallocated Spaces

[Jettster]

Hello,

So I'm pretty much in the final setup of my build, but I've got a problem. I have an HGST Deskstar NAS 3TB hard drive, and in Disk Management, it tells me that there are 2 unallocated spaces, one that's approximately 2 TB, and the other is the rest of the hard drive. I wanted to put these as one single space, but when I try to partition and extend the volume, it won't let me. I read up this is due to the hard drive being in some format that doesn't accept more than 2 tb, and that I have to format it as a boot drive, but I already have an SSD for that. So, I don't know what to do, I just want all my space in one partition.

Thanks,

Jettster

[thekeemo]

format it as GPT

[2FA]

You need to iniatilize it as GPT. The MBR partition table type only supports up to 2TB while the GPT partition table type can support beyond that.

[Jettster]

Does is matter at all that System Reserved is part of this, or can I do this, keep it as a non boot drive, and nothing will crash and burn.

[2FA]

@Jettster Make sure to follow your own topics.

 

Also, all of my drives are using GPT as it is much more robust and modern. You should read this: http://www.howtogeek.com/193669/whats-the-difference-between-gpt-and-mbr-when-partitioning-a-drive/

[2FA]

The system reserved partition typically holds the boot loader/boot manager for Windows. Make sure your boot drive has the boot manager on it.

[Jettster]

You need to iniatilize it as GPT. The MBR partition table type only supports up to 2TB while the GPT partition table type can support beyond that.

There's no option to convert it to GPT, would I have to delete the System Reserved on the farthest left? Hard Drive I'm trying to convert is on top, SSD listed on bottom.

[brwainer]

There's no option to convert it to GPT, would I have to delete the System Reserved on the farthest left? Hard Drive I'm trying to convert is on top, SSD listed on bottom.

When you install Windows, it puts the bootloader on whatever is being seen as the first drive by BIOS/UEFI, usually the drive plugged into Sata port #0 on the motherboard by default. Disk Management will also show the drives in the order seen by the system. Therefore we can deduce that your hard drive has your bootloader because it was and is being seen first by your system. So if you did re-initialize this drive with GPT instead of MBR, your system wouldn't boot properly.

 

What you can do to fix this is first, BACK UP YOUR SYSTEM! There is a pretty good chance you will mess this up and not be able to recover without a backup. Also, make sure your backup actually works - there is nothing worse than having a backup that you thought you could rely on, and having it fail you when you need it - it really is worse than not having a backup at all.

Second, turn off your system and unplug your hard drive. Move your SSD's Sata cable to the first Sata Port (commonly numbered as #0). Leave the hrad drive unplugged.

Third, try to boot your system. it probably won't boot. Insert your Windows install DVD or the USB drive with your Windows installer (whatever you used to put Windows onto the SSD).

Fourth, boot into the Windows install medium (DVD or USB) and tell it to repair your installation (this is to the bottom left of the "Install" button in the center of the screen). Follow the prompts for you system not booting. It should correct it by installing a new bootloader. If it fails, record the error and any other information it gives you and report back to us.

Fifth, try to boot into Windows normally again. It should succeed. If it did not, you can try connecting your hard drive and SSD back to the ports they were originally connected to, this should get you back into Windows until you can try something else.

Sixth, when you get into Windows normally *without* the hard drive attached, attach the hard drive to Sata #1 (your second Sata port). then do the following:

• open the start menu and search for "cmd"
• right click the result for the command prompt and choose "Run as Administrator"
• type "diskpart" and enter
• type "list disk" and enter. it will list your disks, note which one is the hard drive (probably 2).
• type "select disk <number>" and enter, where <number> is the hard drive's number from "list disk"
• type "clean" and enter.
• type "exit" and enter.

"clean" in diskpart is the only way I know to remove a System Reserved Partition. It also removes the partition table (the MBR), which is handy because you wanted to do that anyways. When you are done you can go to Disk Management and right click the hard drive and choose "Initialize" and select GPT in the window that pops up. Format your drive and you are done!

 

 

 

If that is way too much work, you could re-install Windows with the SSD in the correct Sata port, and to be extra sure it does it properly, unplug the hard drive entirely while you are installing. You would still have to run "clean" on the hard drive to get rid of the now-unused partition.

[Captain_WD]

~snip~

 

Hey there Jettster,

 

How is the drive set up in BIOS (AHCI, IDE, etc.)? Do you have data on that drive? I'd suggest backing up what you have, right-cling on where Disk 0 (or whichever number it is) on the left-most side of the partitions and see if you have an option to set the drive to GPT. As the guys explained, MBR format supports only up to 2.2TB and the rest is typically left as unallocated space. 

@brwainer also gave you some useful info.

 

Captain_WD.