Issues getting my Seagate BarraCuda 4TB HDD to allocate all of its 4TB space.

[Yawnitz]

Hello! First time poster here. I'm well and truly stumped on this one.

Here's my issue as its most basic:

I can't get Windows 10 to allow me to allocate my entire drive for use.

 

Here's what I've tried so far:
Following FAQs that tell me to use Disk management to delete and create partitions. We're limited to 2.2TB for some reason.

Reinstalled Windows to try and get the initial setup to recognize the whole drive, or at least release the back 1.8TB for another drive letter.

 

Here's what I think the problem is:

I suspect Windows 10 sees the HDD and thinks, "Oh look at you! You're my system boot drive because you are Device 0!"

Meanwhile, my 2TB M.2 NVME drive is saying, "Hey! Look at me! Not only am I the intended boot device, I am also the drive that actually has Windows 10 installed! Please, don't call me device 1, because I'm not trying to slave off of anything else!"

Motherboard is just sitting there telling me, "Can't help ya. Just doing what I've been told to do. RTFM if you can't figure it out." [I've tried!]

(It's an ASROCK B450 mITX Fatal1ty motherboard.)

 

So, basically, I suspect the issue is that the SATA ports are being given priority over the PCIe lanes, and refuse to see the HDD as anything other than the system drive. As a result, Windows 10 will not allow me to reallocate the partitions because Windows has already claimed it for itself. When I say that the SSD is Device 1 and the HDD is Device 0, I'm referring to their labels in Disk Management. I really don't know for certain if this is the root of my issue. I've been able to format and use 2.2TB of the drive, but I wasn't really happy with that solution since I could have just paid $30 less for a proper 2TB drive and been happy with that.

 

Thanks for your consideration.

[Master Disaster]

The 4TB drive needs converting to GPT before you format it.

[suedseefrucht]

7 minutes ago, Yawnitz said:

We're limited to 2.2TB for some reason.

 

8 minutes ago, Yawnitz said:

Windows 10 sees the HDD and thinks, "Oh look at you! You're my system boot drive because you are Device 0!"

But 1.8 TB for Windows 10? I don't think so.

[Yawnitz]

3 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

The 4TB drive needs converting to GPT before you format it.

I vaguely remember seeing something like this in my searching around. I have no idea what this means, but I'll look into it. Thanks!

[Yawnitz]

2 minutes ago, suedseefrucht said:

 

But 1.8 TB for Windows 10? I don't think so.

There's only 50MB of the drive "reserved for system use". I don't remember where I saw it, but 2.2TB is as big as ... something can get. There's 1.8TB worth of drive that isn't allocated to anything. Windows can't even use the 1.8TB. It sees it, just doesn't let me do anything with it.

 

I suspect I am looking at the wrong problem, since that's something I am known to do.

 

Master Disaster suggested I convert the drive to GPT. That will be my next step. Actually, going to bed is my next step. I'll look into this once I am up again. Thanks for stopping by!

[Master Disaster]

21 minutes ago, Yawnitz said:

I vaguely remember seeing something like this in my searching around. I have no idea what this means, but I'll look into it. Thanks!

Make sure you're booted from the SSD.

 

Open disc management

Right click on the 4TB drive on the far left of the Windows (you want to right click on the part that says 4TB as shown below)

 

 

You should see an option that says something like "Convert to GPT"

After you've converted the drive you'll need to format it again to get the full 4TB (or you can extend the partition)

[Yawnitz]

I right-clicked on the drive. The option to convert it to GPT is greyed out.

 

Something in my system is hard-set against me getting access to my own drive. I really miss fdisk.

[Master Disaster]

25 minutes ago, Yawnitz said:

I right-clicked on the drive. The option to convert it to GPT is greyed out.

 

Something in my system is hard-set against me getting access to my own drive. I really miss fdisk.

In disk manager make a mental note of the drives number (the one that says Disk X)

 

Open command prompt

Type the following one at a time and hit enter after each

 

diskpart

select disk x (replace the x with your 4TB drives number)

clean

convert gpt

exit

 

Then close command prompt and reformat the drive in disk management.

 

Edit - Actually before you do this could you take a screenshot of your disk management window and post it.

[markwoll]

diskpart replaces many functions of fdisk.

If you make a poor choice with the following, you might wipe one of your 'good disks'. Don't do that.

So attach the disk with the usb adapter, or be sure you know which one is which.

Open a cmd window with administrator rights.

type diskpart   ( this will take you to a diskpart prompt )

type list disk    ( this will give you a list of all of the recognized disks on the system, with size and partition information  ie Disk 0 Disk 1 Disk 2)

type select disk ( number of disk you identified as the 4tb seagate disk  ie select disk 2)

type list part  (optional step to show the list of partitions on the selected disk )

IF YOU ARE SURE THIS IS THE ONE continue to the next step

type clean  ( this will wipe the configuration and contents of the selected disk ) No going back, no confirmation

it will just go back to the diskpart prompt.

type exit to exit diskpart and maybe exit again to close the cmd window.

 

Disk management should be able to partition and format the drive.

If for some reason this does not work because of unknown disk/partition type, you might need to use gparted or some other disk tool to remove the partition info.

 

[Master Disaster]

Just now, markwoll said:

diskpart replaces many functions of fdisk.

If you make a poor choice with the following, you might wipe one of your 'good disks'. Don't do that.

So attach the disk with the usb adapter, or be sure you know which one is which.

Open a cmd window with administrator rights.

type diskpart   ( this will take you to a diskpart prompt )

type list disk    ( this will give you a list of all of the recognized disks on the system, with size and partition information  ie Disk 0 Disk 1 Disk 2)

type select disk ( number of disk you identified as the 4tb seagate disk  ie select disk 2)

type list part  (optional step to show the list of partitions on the selected disk )

IF YOU ARE SURE THIS IS THE ONE continue to the next step

type clean  ( this will wipe the configuration and contents of the selected disk ) No going back, no confirmation

it will just go back to the diskpart prompt.

type exit to exit diskpart and maybe exit again to close the cmd window.

 

Disk management should be able to partition and format the drive.

If for some reason this does not work because of unknown disk/partition type, you might need to use gparted or some other disk tool to remove the partition info.

 

I'm actually a little worried OPs boot partition for the SSD might be on the HDD and by cleaning it OP will nuke their Windows install.

[Yawnitz]

It's a new computer. I haven't got anything really important on this computer. Nukes are okay. Bricks are not.

I remember trying the clean command earlier. It gave a different error message.

 

You'll have to tell me how to take a screenshot. I have been out of the PC troubleshooting game for over a decade, so I either don't remember or don't know how to do certain basic things.

[markwoll]

Doing this on a different computer with a known set of disks would be some insurance.

The disk sizes are different and listing the partitions would be a tell.

[Master Disaster]

Just now, Yawnitz said:

It's a new computer. I haven't got anything really important on this computer. Nukes are okay. Bricks are not.

I remember trying the clean command earlier. It gave a different error message.

 

You'll have to tell me how to take a screenshot. I have been out of the PC troubleshooting game for over a decade, so I either don't remember or don't know how to do certain basic things.

Open Disk management, press print screen, open Paint, hit paste, save as JPEG or PNG, attach it to your reply here and click the + button

[Yawnitz]

I've suspected for a while now that I would have been better off installing the HDD *after* I installed Windows on the SSD.

[Master Disaster]

3 minutes ago, Yawnitz said:

I've suspected for a while now that I would have been better off installing the HDD *after* I installed Windows on the SSD.

 

 

Yeah, as I suspected, the boot loader is on the 4TB.

 

Best way to proceed is to unplug the 4TB entirely, reinstall Windows onto the SSD then reconnect the 4TB after install is finished and reformat it.

[Yawnitz]

Goofy-ass computer... Who told you to put the boot loader on the HDD, anyway?

 

Yeah, yeah. I can hear it now:
"Uh, technically, you did."

[Yawnitz]

Thanks for all of your help! I'll see you on the other side!

[Master Disaster]

Just now, Yawnitz said:

Goofy-ass computer... Who told you to put the boot loader on the HDD, anyway?

 

Yeah, yeah. I can hear it now:
"Uh, technically, you did."

Actually no, this is a very common issue. I personally always recommend users unplug all other drives when installing Windows otherwise its like playing russian roulette.