HDD Partitioning Issue.

[kierden]

Hey peeps,

 

Just a quick one that I thought you should hopefully be able to help me with. 

I have just built my PC and installed an ssd for the boot drive which is working perfectly and HDD which for some reason has self partitioned itself into 3 partions like so:

 

How do I format disk 0 into 1 3TB partition?

Thanks!

 

Kieren

[Matsy]

You need to back-up the data on the 3tb first. if there is anything on there you want to keep.

Windows 7 doesn't like 3tb drives (they aren't supported in the default settings) and to merge it all together you need to do this:

1. Right click on New Volume E and delete volume, do the same for D on disc 0, so all 3 partitions are unallocated.
2. Right click where it says Disc 0
3. Click Convert to GBT disk, it will all merge now and you will have access to all the space
4. Right click on where it says unallocated and click on new simple volume, next next next, dont change anything
5. Your full hard drive will be available now.

[kierden]

Thanks for your help with this Matsy.

Unfortunately it will not let me delete the D: drive, the button is greyed out and when I right click it at the top and click delete I get the message 'Windows cannot delete the active system partition on this disk.

I have been able to delete E: so it is now unallocated.

The D partition is completely empty but I still cannot delete it.

 

What should I do now?

 

Cheers,

 

Kieren

[Matsy]

Did you install anything on it when you installed your OS?

Also what is the hard drive? (which model)

[kierden]

Nope, it's all on the sandisk SSD. I did move my documents and downloads, which I have since moved back but that is it. It is now empty.

It's a Seagate Barracuda 3TB.

 

Cheers,

 

Kieren

[Matsy]

Can you right click and format the D partition? If you can do it, then delete volume.

OR right click on the 3tb drive in my computer and format it that way.

If not

 

Try this, its probably going to be stubborn because ya know....it's just typical.

1. Open command prompt as admin
2. type diskpart
3. type list disk
4. type select disk
5. select disk 0 (as that will be your 3tb drive)
6. type list partition
7. select partitonD (as that is the partition that needs to go bye bye)
8. type delete partition

[kierden]

Thanks for the help again buddy, it's telling me to use the override parameter when deleting that partition. Any idea how to do that?

CMD dump:

 

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]

Copyright © 2009 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

 

C:\Windows\system32>diskpart

 

Microsoft DiskPart version 6.1.7601

Copyright © 1999-2008 Microsoft Corporation.

On computer: KIERENS-MONSTER

 

DISKPART> list disk

 

  Disk ###  Status         Size     Free     Dyn  Gpt

  --------  -------------  -------  -------  ---  ---

  Disk 0    Online         2794 GB  1698 GB

  Disk 1    Online          119 GB      0 B

 

DISKPART> select disk

 

The arguments specified for this command are not valid.

For more information on the command type: HELP SELECT DISK

 

There is no disk selected.

 

DISKPART> select disk 0

 

Disk 0 is now the selected disk.

 

DISKPART> list partition

 

  Partition ###  Type              Size     Offset

  -------------  ----------------  -------  -------

  Partition 1    Primary            349 GB    31 KB

 

DISKPART> select partition 1

 

Partition 1 is now the selected partition.

 

DISKPART> delete partition

 

Virtual Disk Service error:

The device is in use.

 

 

The selected volume or partition is in use.

To continue with the operation use the OVERRIDE parameter.

 

DISKPART>

 

------------------------------------------------

 

Cheers,

 

Kierens

[Matsy]

Its saying that because the hard drive is active, you can disable it in disk management, but forget that for now.

God I hate 3tb drives, they don't like to be nice...

 

Right click the drive in my computer and format it (if it lets you...)

If it does let you, go back to my first post and do that.

[kierden]

Ahh, should of mentioned that format is also greyed out too.

 

Cheers,

 

Kieren

[Matsy]

Sigh...

 

Go into disk management, right click on Disc 0 and click OFFLINE, to turn the hard drive off that will get rid of the override thing...

Then repeat 

1. Open command prompt as admin
2. type diskpart
3. type list disk
4. type select disk
5. select disk 0 (as that will be your 3tb drive)
6. type list partition
7. select partitonD (as that is the partition that needs to go bye bye)
8. type delete partition

[kierden]

Hey man, that option isn't appearing for me when right clicking disk 0

[Matsy]

EDIT: dis-regard everything I said in this post I'm stupid....been up for like 20 hours, not even thinking straight....

 

Power of your computer

Unplug the 3tb drive.

Boot up into the windows 7 install disc

Run the startup repair (this will put the nessacary files onto your SSD since it can't access them from your unplugged hard drive)

Plug back in and then you should be able to delete/format the partition (to be safe, format the entire thing from my computer )

 

tada ;p 

 

If that doesn't work I'm going to cry...

[kierden]

I have just gone into the drive, right clicked and clicked properties and it is showing 216 mb of data in there which I cannot see for the life

[Matsy]

I have just gone into the drive, right clicked and clicked properties and it is showing 216 mb of data in there which I cannot see for the life

 

Re-read the post :c that should work 

[kierden]

Okay, I've spent the last 30 minutes without the hdd in trying to repair it but it still won't boot up. So I'm doing a new install then!

Thanks for your help buddy

[kierden]

New install done and drives now correctly partitioned!

Thanks for all the help!

[Captain3xtreme]

It's working now but if I understood your situation the SSD was booting fine and you just wanted to format your hard drive into one 3tb partition. The easiest way to have done this would have been to use a partitioning tool like EaseUS Partition Master which likely would have overridden all of windows disk managements BS rules about partitioning. Failing that you could have used a Linux LiveCD or the ultimate boot cd and used gparted to convert and wipe the drive without affecting your SSD.