Used 8TB Drive [ fix unallocated space ] Win 11?

Sparky · 17 Feb 2022 at 12:30

Hi

Just installed a 8TB drive that I bought online, the drive is split into 2 volumes but it will only allow me to allocate 1 of the volumes. So I have drive E 2TB and unallocated space 5.4TB . Tried to extend E but it wont go above the 2TB already allocated [ does that make sense?]

Any way I can do this in Win11?

alec · 17 Feb 2022 at 14:13

Disk Management is included with Windows
Quite easy to use, right click on volumes, delete, create a new big one on empty space. Watch out and don't delete your C drive with windows install.

https://www.partitionwizard.com/partitionmagic/windows-11-disk-management.html

ODuffer · 17 Feb 2022 at 14:20

I've found the Windows partition manager a bit lacking on occasion, I've used the free version of IM-Magic when I've struggled.

Sparky · 17 Feb 2022 at 14:21

alec said:
Disk Management is included with Windows
Quite easy to use, right click on volumes, delete, create a new big one on empty space. Watch out and don't delete your C drive with windows install.

https://www.partitionwizard.com/partitionmagic/windows-11-disk-management.html

Delete the 2TB volume?

alec · 17 Feb 2022 at 14:38

Sparky-F1 said:
Delete the 2TB volume?

I don't trust partition extending, shrinking and merging.

So yes, I would delete all existing volumes on that drive and make a new volume from scratch. That ensures no surprises. Then give in a quick format (full format would take half a day)
Backup your files first if there is anything important

Sparky · 17 Feb 2022 at 14:43

Deleted the allocated drive now just have 2 unallocated drives and cant seem to make it a single drive. I can reassign the initial drive but the other still remains unallocated.

alec · 17 Feb 2022 at 14:49

hmm quick google on "windows drive 2tb limit" brought me this
Drives with MBR partition table can't have more than 2tb formatted and need to be converted to GPT
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/wi...management/change-an-mbr-disk-into-a-gpt-disk

So all you need to do after deleting volumes, right click on drive itself and choose Convert to GPT

Sparky · 17 Feb 2022 at 14:59

alec said:
hmm quick google on "windows drive 2tb limit" brought me this
Drives with MBR partition table can't have more than 2tb formatted and need to be converted to GPT
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/wi...management/change-an-mbr-disk-into-a-gpt-disk

So all you need to do after deleting volumes, right click on drive itself and choose Convert to GPT

You legend, sorted.

alec · 17 Feb 2022 at 17:16

I guess previous owner never figured this out?

Sparky · 17 Feb 2022 at 17:56

Probably not.

Sparky · 17 Feb 2022 at 21:34

Thanks @alec that had been doing my head in for hours.