Two Issue sandwich.

[Ishumi]

Hey forum, hope things are faring well for you.

I'm coming for help with a two core issues, one lead to another to another and they all link back to the start so I'm hoping someone can give me a hand.

I've put a 3 point summary at the end as well.

 

Lets get specs out of the way first.

• Windows 10 Pro 64bit, Creators update 1703. all uptodate so says windows.
• Alienware Aurora R4 Dell branded mobo x79 Platform with some daughter board managing all the front IO an stuff. (A11 Bios, there has not been an update to the Aurora R4's bios in years)
• i7-3930K @3.2Ghz 6 Cores with intel turbo w/e boost up to 3.49Ghz across all.
• 4x4GB DDR3 Sticks of Dell Branded. (16GB 1600MHz)
• nvidia GTX 680 2GB (looks like a reference card)
• 1 500GB seagate 7200RPM Boot Drive, Sata
• 2 1TB seagate 7200RPM Data Drives, Sata
• 1 3TB western digital "caviar green" Sata [Not showing full size] Currently connected via Sata/USB tool.
• No Raids of any sort.
• Dell PSU 800W I think.

As noted I'm still on "Creators" 1703 of windows,

my "Feature update" delay setting has ticked over and PC wants to install "Fall Creators" 1709.

• Core Question 1. Do I update at all to 1709? | 1703 I believe continues security updates into Spring of 2019.

 

With all the horror stories I'd heard of 1709 update I wanted to do a system backup to have a "Safety net."

• Got out 3TB Western Digital MyBook 3.0 but was unable to find the stupid version of USB it uses or its power adaptor.
• I took the HDD out of its enclosure and connected it directly to my PC's 4th bay, Not detected - even after reboot.
• Tried 3rd bay, removing 1 working data drive (L), still no show. put working data drive back.
• Used a Sata/USB tool my Father had. | Hardware & Drive Manger's see the drive, but only an unallocated 746GB.
• AOMEI Partition Assistant, sees another small 128MB segment. 

Images in spoiler.

Spoiler

Drive manager ↓ seen as Disk 7

 

AOMEI ↓ Seen as Disk 8..  no idea why Disk 1 has so many hidden partitions let alone nearly 500MB just sitting there free lol. Also hadn't known about Disk 2's random orphended 128MB.. 

 

Lots of googling latter, people saying either of the following.

• Update Intel Rapid storage technology.
• Legacy Bios machines can't use 2TB+ drives without UEFI.

my Bios is indeed "Legacy" and not UEFI so if this is true then 3TB+ internal drives are up in smoke.

 

In my attempts to update Intel RST, primarily with 14.8 or lower as those ones still list Intel C600 Raid chip support, I've been meet with "Platform not supported" 

Image in spoiler.

Spoiler

 

Yet I have an old version of this installed, Intel Rapid Storage Technology Enterprise 3.[other numbers] x36bit. 

I'm wary of uninstalling this as on the whole I don't know what it does for me being present as I -do not- have any Raid setup.

However there is no way to get it back from Intel's official site.

 

• Core question 2.| Bother any further with this drive business?
  Would buying a new External be any different? 
  I used to be able to see all 3TB with the WD 

• The drive had had a Windows 7 system made backup on it last I used it, could that play a part?

 

Summary.

1. Old system.
      Everything is reported as "uptodate" however, age may be preventing newer versions/compatibility.
2. Do I upgrade to 1709 at all?
      I rather not get caught up in a double version jump right into 1803, my update settings are set to "Business branch" + 100 days.
3. Chasing my tail with this drive bs..
      I want it fixed for any future larger than 2TB drives but goodness its ticking me off.

 

Thank you for your time, really do appreciate it.

~Umi.

 

In case we solve anything I'm adding search lines here so others can find it easier as I couldn't find anything when I searched.

3TB Drive not showing

3TB Drive only showing 746GB

[NelizMastr]

5 minutes ago, Ishumi said:

   Everything is reported as "uptodate" however, age may be preventing newer versions/compatibility.

1. Do I upgrade to 1709 at all?
      I rather not get caught up in a double version jump right into 1803, my update settings are set to "Business branch" + 100 days.
2. Chasing my tail with this drive bs..
      I want it fixed for any future larger than 2TB drives but goodness its ticking me off.

1. Age shouldn't be the issue here, as even Core 2 Duo machines can upgrade to 1803 (launched yesterday) as far as I know.

 

Also don't bother with 1709 now 1803 is out. It's never a great idea to stay behind on feature updates for too long as support

for each older version is cut off after 18 months. Your current 1703 will expire in October 2018. You could decide to upgrade

directly to 1803 once you see fit.

 

2. Windows is capable of handling 3TB+ partitions and drives since Windows 7, as long as you have a GPT partition table on them.

With the BIOS set to legacy, you won't be able to boot from a GPT disk, but you can read them just fine from within Windows and

write as well. So the software side of things should be okay. 

Also remember to reboot Windows after you add hard drives, as a shutdown and boot won't refresh hardware changes properly.

 

[Ishumi]

12 hours ago, NelizMastr said:

1. Age shouldn't be the issue here, as even Core 2 Duo machines can upgrade to 1803 (launched yesterday) as far as I know.

 

Also don't bother with 1709 now 1803 is out. It's never a great idea to stay behind on feature updates for too long as support

for each older version is cut off after 18 months. Your current 1703 will expire in October 2018. You could decide to upgrade

directly to 1803 once you see fit.

 

2. Windows is capable of handling 3TB+ partitions and drives since Windows 7, as long as you have a GPT partition table on them.

With the BIOS set to legacy, you won't be able to boot from a GPT disk, but you can read them just fine from within Windows and

write as well. So the software side of things should be okay. 

Also remember to reboot Windows after you add hard drives, as a shutdown and boot won't refresh hardware changes properly.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

When I spoke of age I was speaking on core system related updates such as the Intel Rapid w/e. 

Cuz I still can't get that to update and that's the only online solution I've found as to why the drive isn't being seen fully.

 

Which brings back to that issue, the drive is set to GPT as shown in the images I shared.

 

Is there anything else I can for the drive to get it to work? I've not tried formatting the volume that can be seen yet, I was concerned that might make the issue worse somehow.

 

 

Now as for windows, the primary reason I delay a feature update 5 months is I rather not get caught up in all the problems they almost always have in the first few months.

I have only the machine, no means of doing overhall or large replacements, so my goal with it is stability and a fresh off the press version does not tend to that.

 

I'm comfortable upgrading to 1709 if I have too but would rather wait till aug or so for 1803. 

 

Thanks for your time

~Umi

[Ishumi]

Drive issue solved, kind of.

I apologize if this gets a smig rambly as I wish to provide a fuller picture at least on this one part.

 

I post this for anyone else hunting in these forums for the 3TB+ drive not being fully seen issue.

If you have data on the drive, I'm sorry but this won't be the fix you're hoping for.

 

To outline again my own issue.

• I took a external drive that used to have a windows 7 OS system made backup, out of its enclosure because I couldn't find its stupid proprietary USB cable.
• Putting the drive directly into my PC, it was not seen even after a reboot and a full power cycle. I don't know why.
• It -was- detected via a Sata/USB adaptor I borrowed from my father.
• While already being seen as a GPT drive, it had no drive letter assigned and only showed one 746GB unallocated volume through Drive Manager, and another small 128MB volume via Aomei Partition Assistant.. [some random freeware I found in conjunction with their backup tool when I googled top 10 backup tools because I didn't want to deal with Window's built in one again.]

 

Now anything I Googled said stuff about updating Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver/program.. mine wouldn't update despite using versions that listed the C600 controller chip my board has, if that includes you then those are versions 14.8 and older.

 

That said I did realize my version was one different, RTS Enterprise, and two 32bit.

I believe, perhaps, the installers of the non Enterprise versions where trying to load the 64bit due to 64bit OS..

I've not tried installing the Enterprise version as it mentioned requiring a F6 driver install method and it so happens I don't have any USB keys laying around like I used to back in College, and the wording of ReadMe.txt on the process made this sound like something only doable during a OS install.

 

 

I decided I had nothing really left to lose with the drive, I was intending to wipe it anyway to backup my current Win 10pro (1703) system.

 

I created a new volume with the 746GB volume & a NTFS format.
After this, remembering somethings I'd seen on the forums about Intel RTS; I reconnected the drive to directly to my PC's mobo (yay hotswap bays), and rebooted.

 

The drive was seen and a 2TB unallocated volume showed up.

Using Drive Manager I deleted the fresh volume I had just made allowing the full 3TB to unallocated then formated the whole thing into a NTFS Volume.

 

I hope this helps anyone else with this issue, I'm sorry I don't have a fix that retains retrievable data on the drive.

~Umi