Help required for unallocated disc space on HDD

[Derek Smith]

I've just bought an 8TB HDD.

Using Windows Computer Managent, it shows two partitions, one of 2048.00GB and the other of 5404.04GB, both unallocated.

I can create a new Simple Volume for the former, but for the latter, the option is greyed out.

I have the free copy of Partition Magic. It will not allow me the Create Volume option on the bigger partition. It will not allow me to increase the size of the 2TB partition.

Most options given by Google are for quite expensive software (FREE download, and then the request to pay). Can anyone help me by directing me to instructions or explain what I should do.

Further, why was the 8TB HDD pre-partitioned? Is it defective? Has it been returned before and then sent? I got it via E-buyer and have had no previous probs with them over 15 years.

[sunbeam alpine]

Have you tried selecting GPT instead of MBR format? That should enable you to format it as one large drive. You can do this with the standard tools supplied with Windows.

[grumbledoak]

Probably the 2TB partition is MBR and thus as big as it can get, and maybe your free Partition Magic cannot touch a GPT one?

Fancy braving the command line ?
https://www.diskpart.com/windows-10/diskpart-windo...

[Derek Smith]

Thanks for the replies.

grumbledoak said:

Probably the 2TB partition is MBR and thus as big as it can get, and maybe your free Partition Magic cannot touch a GPT one?

Fancy braving the command line ?
https://www.diskpart.com/windows-10/diskpart-windo...

I go back a few weeks.

I've tried cmd> clean without result. Have I misunderstood GPT? I thought it was only to do with the number of partitions.

Sorry to seem a bit think. Not had this problem before.

[grumbledoak]

What did "list disk" say after the clean? or now?

[Derek Smith]

Online 7452

I've just seen it's initialised to GPT

No drive letter.

[grumbledoak]

It sounds like you have created one single big partition

Try "list volume" ?

[Derek Smith]

Went into windows to allocate drive letter, it asked to format drive, I did so, and I'm back to where I started with 2 and 5.4 partitions.

It's shown online in Computer management, but if I try to format it, a fault window comes up telling me it is offline.

[grumbledoak]

Formatting as 2TB sounds like MBR. What version of Windows are you on?

[Derek Smith]

10, upto date

[grumbledoak]

Are you using UEFI boot or older "legacy boot" ?

I think you need UEFI boot and GPT together.

[Mr Pointy]

Try Macrium Reflect Free version:

https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree?mo

[Derek Smith]

UEFI.

Beginning to get a wee bit frustrated.

I've run out of ideas.

[grumbledoak]

I can imagine.

Probably Windows is stopping us doing something stupid but I don't know what.

My approach would be DiskPart "clean", "create partition primary", "format", and "assign" and see where it disobeys.

[Derek Smith]

I went through all the procedures in command prompt again, following the way I'd done it before, and blow me if I now have got a 7.27 volume K.

It was almost as irritating as before. Well, not really, but definitely frustrating.

The only difference I can think of is that I had no drive letter for the first 2TB partition during the final, successful, process.

Thanks for all your help.

[Derek Smith]

Just remembered I had a problem with Window's refusal to format. I went into Partition Magic and formatted it there. Then went throught the procedures again.

I'm fairly IT confident but back a few years when I occasionally struggled, I used to go into Google and the answers were often there. This time, it was just simple suggestions, all a bit basic that anyone would try, and the others were all trying to sell your something. One was for $158!

Times have changed. YouTube, same stable I know, was a bit more helpful.

Anyway, all solved, and thanks again.