How to tell if a drive is 512, 512e or 4k?

TLMartin · 16 Jun 2013 at 18:28

Hi

After lots of sorting out backup solutions for SBS2011 and server 2012 and 7 and 8, I have been able to determine the following

Windows 8 and Server 2012 are the only Windows OS's that properly support 4k drivers and all drives over 2TB are 4k.

Some can be specially formatted to 512e to allow 7 and 2008r2 to use it, but I have read issues on this.

So I have generally been staying to 2TB or under for Windows 7, yet I am using my 3TB or bigger on my Server 2012 for storage and backups.

However I have heard some manufacturers are formatting some 2TB and under drives to 4K standard, which of course will cause problems with 7/2008r2 and before.

How can you tell which drive you have? or best yet... how can you tell before purchase?

Any ideas

Tris

rpstewart · 16 Jun 2013 at 19:11

There's no issue with running 4K sector drives on Win7. I've been doing it for years.

If you google the drive model/part number you should be able to find out easily enough.

TLMartin · 16 Jun 2013 at 19:49

You can only run 4k drives in Windows 7 if you have other driver software dealing with it, acronis backup for instance, and uefi, otherwise it will usually run it at 512e

Microsoft states windows 7 will not read or write 4k, only 512e
only 8 and 2012 contain full support for 4k and they haven't released anything to update previous OS's.

But I suppose its the strange thing that can happen, some people have reported being able to use 3TB on XP and XP doesn't support 512e or 4k

Khazzer · 16 Jun 2013 at 20:36

I believe that as of SP1 Windows 7 has supported 4k drives, but as 512 Logical and 4k physical.

Khazzer · 16 Jun 2013 at 20:46

Windows 7 can both read and write 4K sectors using 512e functionality
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/hh848035(v=vs.85).aspx
However applications may not be able to unless they have been brought up to date.

TLMartin · 16 Jun 2013 at 21:19

Hi

yeah 512e... so its not native 4k.... for example, this causes a major issue with Server2008r2 inbuilt backup on SBS2011

Every drive over 2TB fails backup and or restore via the native software (that should be as up to date as the OS)

If in a server environment 512e is not reliable for a simple thing as backup, I wouldn't really trust it on the most part, and as you say the software using it has to be upto date, so some software can use it, others can't... means all kind of issues, which means its safer to use 512 pure and 2TB and under drives on all windows OS's or Win 8. But if some 1&2TB drives are being formatted with 4k physical, this brings back the issue, you buy a 2TB expecting it to work on Win 7 and it has potential not to same more importantly with Server2008r2 in production environment

Now I am an avid western digital user and so far so good, but I have looked at their product data sheets for the specific drives and non mention 512 or 4k, I also know western digital 2TB drives have been updated to 2 1TB platters instead of 3 666GB platters, does that mean they will use 4k or is that irrespective?

I am just thinking am I missing a place I should be looking to clearly identify if it is 512 or 4k?

Thanks

marms · 16 Jun 2013 at 23:53

If the drive is listed as being Advanced Format (AF) on the Western Digital spec sheet it'll be a 4k drive. Most Green drives and all Red drives are 4k format.