Hi, I run Windows 7 Pro SP-1 64-Bit with a ASRock P67 PRO3 (B3)
MoBo that has a UEFI BIOS.
My C, D and E partitions are on a 120 GB NTFS SSD with a MBR.
I installed Windows 7 on a pre-partitioned SSD, so no hidden
"System Partition".
I installed a Toshiba PH3200U-1I72 2TB HDD that is Advanced Format
512e and is properly "Aligned" using the Toshiba provided utility.
The PH3200U-1I72 is used as storage only on partitions "F" thru "M"
set as MBR and working perfectly.
I bought a Toshiba PH3300U-1I72 3TB HDD that is also Advanced
Format 512e to replace the 2TB.
I know that 3TBers can't utilize the full capacity in MBR,
and must be set as GPT to do so.
BTW: I would make 5 partitions, 4 NTFS and one small FAT32.
I use Norton's Ghost weekly and it has issues with GPT.
I proceeded to contact various partitioning/cloning software
companies to see if their products could be used in place of
Ghost.
The partial exchange below is between TeraByte Unlimited and me:
TBU:
"If your new drive uses 4K sector sizes you
wouldn't need to have a GPT."
Me:
Please elaborate.
BTW, This is what my present Toshiba 2TB looks like:
TBU:
If you expose the 4K sector size and not the emulated
normal 512 byte sector size, you can use an MBR and
use the entire space (up to 16TiB).
0xFFFFFFFF*512=2,199,023,255,040
0xFFFFFFFF*4096=17,592,186,040,320
Me:
With what software and what is the procedure to go about
doing this?
Can it be done via a Bootable CD or must it be done in Windows
with just my SSD and empty 3TB connected?
TBU:
It would be a drive feature/option, typically using
a jumper. The BIOS would also have to support the larger
sizes too so it doesn't crash reading larger sectors, a
modern BIOS should be able to handle it.
My hunt for answers from Toshiba is a lost cause as their
support is a TOTAL joke and does NOT offer E-Mail support.
So, I'm here to find out if this "exposing the 4K sector size" can,
indeed, be done to my PH3300U-1I72, and if so, EXACTLY how to go
about doing it.
Also, are there any shortcomings to having the Toshiba "exposing
the 4K sector size" using 5 partitions, 4 NTFS and one small FAT32?
Thanks in advance for any help you can be.
Big Al
MoBo that has a UEFI BIOS.
My C, D and E partitions are on a 120 GB NTFS SSD with a MBR.
I installed Windows 7 on a pre-partitioned SSD, so no hidden
"System Partition".
I installed a Toshiba PH3200U-1I72 2TB HDD that is Advanced Format
512e and is properly "Aligned" using the Toshiba provided utility.
The PH3200U-1I72 is used as storage only on partitions "F" thru "M"
set as MBR and working perfectly.
I bought a Toshiba PH3300U-1I72 3TB HDD that is also Advanced
Format 512e to replace the 2TB.
I know that 3TBers can't utilize the full capacity in MBR,
and must be set as GPT to do so.
BTW: I would make 5 partitions, 4 NTFS and one small FAT32.
I use Norton's Ghost weekly and it has issues with GPT.
I proceeded to contact various partitioning/cloning software
companies to see if their products could be used in place of
Ghost.
The partial exchange below is between TeraByte Unlimited and me:
TBU:
"If your new drive uses 4K sector sizes you
wouldn't need to have a GPT."
Me:
Please elaborate.
BTW, This is what my present Toshiba 2TB looks like:
TBU:
If you expose the 4K sector size and not the emulated
normal 512 byte sector size, you can use an MBR and
use the entire space (up to 16TiB).
0xFFFFFFFF*512=2,199,023,255,040
0xFFFFFFFF*4096=17,592,186,040,320
Me:
With what software and what is the procedure to go about
doing this?
Can it be done via a Bootable CD or must it be done in Windows
with just my SSD and empty 3TB connected?
TBU:
It would be a drive feature/option, typically using
a jumper. The BIOS would also have to support the larger
sizes too so it doesn't crash reading larger sectors, a
modern BIOS should be able to handle it.
My hunt for answers from Toshiba is a lost cause as their
support is a TOTAL joke and does NOT offer E-Mail support.
So, I'm here to find out if this "exposing the 4K sector size" can,
indeed, be done to my PH3300U-1I72, and if so, EXACTLY how to go
about doing it.
Also, are there any shortcomings to having the Toshiba "exposing
the 4K sector size" using 5 partitions, 4 NTFS and one small FAT32?
Thanks in advance for any help you can be.
Big Al
