3TB HD for Backup - Help

[craige4u]

Hello,

I am using Q9550 CPU + Asus P5Q deluxe Mobo with Win7 x64bit OS.

Now I want to buy internal 3TB HDD and I know it requires EFI/UEFI BIOS, so I have two questions now:

1] Can I just plug this HDD and use it as an backup drive normally, without any problem? (Offcourse booting would be done by my primary 2TB HDD)

2] Incase there is a need to boot this 3TB HD in future I assume I wont be able to do it, hence can u check my mobo and suggest if it supports booting as well ?

 

[Smoblikat]

Hello,

I am using Q9550 CPU + Asus P5Q deluxe Mobo with Win7 x64bit OS.

Now I want to buy internal 3TB HDD and I know it requires EFI/UEFI BIOS, so I have two questions now:

1] Can I just plug this HDD and use it as an backup drive normally, without any problem? (Offcourse booting would be done by my primary 2TB HDD)

2] Incase there is a need to boot this 3TB HD in future I assume I wont be able to do it, hence can u check my mobo and suggest if it supports booting as well ?

As far as backups go you should be able to use teh 3TB for that, just format as GPT.

Booting might be a different story though, check ASUS website to see if there is a compatibility update for your BIOS.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Won't be able to boot off of it, and Win7 backup has issues using HDDs larger than 2TB for backup. Many owners of 3TB externals found that out the hard way.

 

[craige4u]

As far as backups go you should be able to use teh 3TB for that, just format as GPT.

Okay, so as soon as i plug the 3TB HD I will get the option to format as GPT? OR I require something special ?

Won't be able to boot off of it, and Win7 backup has issues using HDDs larger than 2TB for backup. Many owners of 3TB externals found that out the hard way.

I always copy --> Paste my backup manually !!

 

[craige4u]

I am still awaiting for the response.

 

[Doomer]

Why don't you check it?

 

[craige4u]

Havent bought the HD yet and I wana make sure it will indeed work.

 

[Nec_V20]

I would go for a 4TB hard drive because the price difference is not really all that great.

It is pretty senseless wanting to use a hard drive as a boot drive nowadays, considering how SSD prices have come down.

 

[jlazzaro]

I always copy --> Paste my backup manually !!

copy/paste, really?

http://www.cobiansoft.com/index.htm

 

[craige4u]

I cant believe there is not a single relevant answer, all guys are talking sumthing or the other.

I wana buy the HD in 3-4days and am really looking for an simple answer to the question:

As soon as i plug the 3TB HD I will get the option to format as GPT? OR I require something special ? [Asking coz my pc is pretty old]

 

[dma0991]

You cannot use a 3TB HDD without UEFI support on your motherboard. GPT is required by the OS to fully utilize the 3TB space as a single partition. If you do not have UEFI, GPT option is not available and you'll need to break it into two partitions, 2TB and 1TB.

They used to include a PCIE controller card back with the HDD when they first introduced 3TB drives into the market. They don't provide them anymore since most modern motherboards these days come with UEFI.

 

[craige4u]

You cannot use a 3TB HDD without UEFI support on your motherboard. GPT is required by the OS to fully utilize the 3TB space as a single partition. If you do not have UEFI, GPT option is not available and you'll need to break it into two partitions, 2TB and 1TB.

Perfect, so now am willing to do a partition on the drive of 1.5TB each, but the question how to do that now....

Plugged the HDD --> Right Click --> Format --> Format as NTFS --> but now wht capacity will be formatted & how to divide the drive into 2 partition frm here ?

 

[dma0991]

Formatting merely changes the volume into a usable format, which is NTFS. The problem here is if it is not recognized as a whole 3TB volume, you cannot partition it into two 1.5TB partitions. When you first start off, you're prompted to choose either MBR or GPT. Either way will only lead to creation of two volumes, 2TB and 1TB(due to no UEFI limitation mentioned earlier).

In Disk Management, you'll see something like Disk 1 - 2TB and Disk 2 - 1TB instead of being Disk 1 - 3TB(only if you have UEFI and GPT). Therefore the only way to partition it is by formatting Disk 1 and Disk 2 individually, creating two partitions, 2TB and 1TB.

 

[craige4u]

Alrite got it perfectly.
Now, after initializing the HD as GPT, I have to create partitions. Now wht if I want single 3TB partition what file system shall I use coz NTFS is limited to only 2tb. (I knw we can have single 3Tb partition but how I need 2 knw)

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Alrite got it perfectly.
Now, after initializing the HD as GPT, I have to create partitions. Now wht if I want single 3TB partition what file system shall I use coz NTFS is limited to only 2tb. (I knw we can have single 3Tb partition but how I need 2 knw)

NTFS is not limited to 2 TB; GPT is what allows you to have volumes over 2 TB. I have a single 16 TB volume on my home Windows server which is formatted as NTFS.

 

[VirtualLarry]

You cannot use a 3TB HDD without UEFI support on your motherboard. GPT is required by the OS to fully utilize the 3TB space as a single partition. If you do not have UEFI, GPT option is not available and you'll need to break it into two partitions, 2TB and 1TB.

They used to include a PCIE controller card back with the HDD when they first introduced 3TB drives into the market. They don't provide them anymore since most modern motherboards these days come with UEFI.

Formatting merely changes the volume into a usable format, which is NTFS. The problem here is if it is not recognized as a whole 3TB volume, you cannot partition it into two 1.5TB partitions. When you first start off, you're prompted to choose either MBR or GPT. Either way will only lead to creation of two volumes, 2TB and 1TB(due to no UEFI limitation mentioned earlier).

In Disk Management, you'll see something like Disk 1 - 2TB and Disk 2 - 1TB instead of being Disk 1 - 3TB(only if you have UEFI and GPT). Therefore the only way to partition it is by formatting Disk 1 and Disk 2 individually, creating two partitions, 2TB and 1TB.

Both of these are incorrect. UEFI booting utilizes GPT partitions, but UEFI is NOT required to utilize GPT partitions, only OS support.

Likewise, if the OS supports GPT data partitions, but the BIOS does not support UEFI, you do NOT have to break it up into 2TB and 1TB partitions.

Lots of misinformation there.

 

[dma0991]

Both of these are incorrect. UEFI booting utilizes GPT partitions, but UEFI is NOT required to utilize GPT partitions, only OS support.

Likewise, if the OS supports GPT data partitions, but the BIOS does not support UEFI, you do NOT have to break it up into 2TB and 1TB partitions.

Lots of misinformation there.

I only said you need prerequisite of UEFI and GPT to be able to utilize 3TB or larger drives as a single volume without any other interfaces. Even if the OS supports GPT partition, you can't have a 3TB volume because the HDD isn't even recognized without UEFI.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I only said you need prerequisite of UEFI and GPT to be able to utilize 3TB or larger drives as a single volume without any other interfaces. Even if the OS supports GPT partition, you can't have a 3TB volume because the HDD isn't even recognized without UEFI.

This is not true.

I just recently installed two 3TB HDDs (Toshiba), onto a P35-DS3R (ICH9R) motherboard, that does not have an UEFI BIOS. I simply physically installed them, went into Disk Management (Win7 64-bit), and it prompted me to choose MBR or GPT. I chose GPT, then I created two 3TB volumes, and formatted them. Easy-peasy.

As I said, as long as the OS support GPT data disks, even if you don't have a UEFI BIOS, you CAN create GPT partitions, and format 3TB volumes.

Edit: My mistake, they are not currently in the DS3R, that's where they are eventually headed. They are currently in a Foxconn G31 board (Edit: ICH7), but again, it does not have UEFI BIOS.

UEFI BIOS is ONLY needed to BOOT from a larger-than-2TB volume/disk.