3tb Hard Drive

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thecrazydrummer

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Topic # 99365 17-Mar-2012 21:47
Hi there, I recently purchased a 3tb Hard drive to install in my windows xp professional 32 bit system as a secondary drive. I am now aware that the 32 bit operating system does not read anything over 2.2 tb, however the bios still should shouldn't it? At the moment it is only reading 746GB, same as in windows. I can use the drive fine and it has been formatted, however it is only a quarter of the size it should be. I also have 5GB of RAM in the system, windows obviously only reads 3.5GB because of the whole 32 bit thing, however the bios does see the full size, which must mean the motherboard is ok with 64 bit, correct? Specs: Windows XP Professional 32 bit 5GBs Ram 500GB Western Digital Green Caviar (C drive) 3tb Western Digital Green Caviar (G/secondary drive) Asus P5QL/EPU Motherboard Intel Core 2 Duo E800 3.00GHz CPU Any suggestions? Thanks in advance for any advice. Cheers, Ash.

Udo

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Reply # 596626 17-Mar-2012 22:46
Upgrade the OS?

LennonNZ

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Reply # 596633 17-Mar-2012 22:50
Common problem.. upgrade your BIOS

kyhwana2

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Reply # 596637 17-Mar-2012 22:56
It's also a known BIOS limitation.. chweck to see if theres an upgrade to fix it, otherwise you're out of luck. XP 32bit is also limited to 2TB, nothing you can do to change that. (It's a MBR limit, you need to use GPT, which XP doesnt support)

thecrazydrummer

13 posts

Geek

Reply # 596641 17-Mar-2012 23:02
Thanks for the replies, I am aware that windows xp 32 bit does not support over 2.2 tb and I plan on upgrading when windows 8 comes out. I recently upgraded the bios using the ASUS update utility, is this the only/best way of doing it? If my bios cannot read the 3tb then I will need to get a new motherboard, correct? Cheers, Ash.

thecrazydrummer

13 posts

Geek

Reply # 596708 18-Mar-2012 11:12
Ok, so I've decided I will just go ahead and get a new motherboard, any suggestions on what to get? Something that will support a 3tb hard drive (probably everything can nowadays?). I might as well get a new processor as well, I was thinking an intel i5 of some sort. Thanks, Ash.

freitasm

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Reply # 596709 18-Mar-2012 11:32
If you are getting a new motherboard you will have to reinstall Windows. In this case, go for Windows 7 64 bit and be done with it... Don't wait for Windows 8. Mauricio Freitas (Geekzone Admin, Devil's Advocate, my blog, technology disclosure, my tweets, Web Performance Optimization) Geekzone Price comparison \| Amazon Kindle order page \| How to get the best out of Geekzone \| New Zealand IT Jobs \| Geekzone News \| Jinglebugs

networkn

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Reply # 596712 18-Mar-2012 11:35
Even more reason to upgrade to Windows 7, since 5GB of memory can't be recognized by a 32Bit OS either. Jump to 64 Bit.

kyhwana2

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Reply # 596734 18-Mar-2012 12:43
You'll also probably need new RAM and CPU as well! (Your current board has DDR2, any new board will be DDR3!)

Ragnor

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Reply # 596774 18-Mar-2012 15:27
kyhwana2: You'll also probably need new RAM and CPU as well! (Your current board has DDR2, any new board will be DDR3!) .. and probably a newer power supply (depending on what you have).

Hobchild

345 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 596784 18-Mar-2012 15:43
Sounds like you need to build a new computer to go with your new HDD.

heretohelp

356 posts

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Reply # 598381 21-Mar-2012 20:54
freitasm: If you are getting a new motherboard you will have to reinstall Windows. In this case, go for Windows 7 64 bit and be done with it... Don't wait for Windows 8. What are youtalking about. xp may BSOD but a windows repairwill fix this thenjust install the drivers. But win 7 64bit would helpwith things Hu? did i do that? 16Mb (EDO RAM), K6-II processor, 2Mb of onboard graphics. 32k dial up modem. 12 speed CD ROM. 5¼-inch floppy drive. 500Mb HDD.