# How to install Windows 7 on a 4TB hard drive?  UEFI?



## supadupa64 (Oct 26, 2014)

I want to install windows 7 on my 4TB hard drive.  Here's what I run into.  I run the Windows 7 install, click the 4TB disk and it tells me *I can't install it on the GPT partition*.  Is this because *my motherboard isn't UEFI *compatible or can I do it without this?

- Motherboard A960D+ AM3+ biostar (I don't think it's UEFI compatible and I think that's what i need to make this work?)
- I formatted it and I can put data on the 4TB hard drive at the moment, but I can't install Windows 7 on it.  

All the 4TB is recognizable, but I can't install Windows 7 on it.

Please HELP!!!


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## Jetster (Oct 26, 2014)

That's correct. To install Windows 7 to a 4 Tb partition you have to have UEFI. You can set a partition of 2tb then after you install Windows you can make the second partition active as a separate drive. Using the entire space If you install Windows to another drive you can set the whole drive as active. You still should use GPT


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## chuck216 (Oct 26, 2014)

You could always do the smart thing and get a 120 GB SSD and install Windows on that and use the 4 TB for storage.


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## supadupa64 (Oct 26, 2014)

Solution 1: Buy a new motherboard that is UEFI compatible.  I assume once I buy the UEFI compatible motherboard, Windows 7 install will automatically let the software install on the 4TB hard drive?

Solution 2: Buy a Solid State Drive and run Windows 7 on that without buying a new motherboard and decided to use the 4 TB drive as storage.


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## Jetster (Oct 26, 2014)

Solution 3: Make a 250Mb partition for Windows and set the rest as storage

Fill out your system specs. Once you go SSD you can't (won't want to)go back


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## supadupa64 (Oct 26, 2014)

I find it a hassle to click a few more times every time I want to access something on another drive which is why I want it all on one drive, but I guess solution 3 is sounding pretty good right about now.  I guess I can create a shortcut to my storage drive on my desktop to access the rest of my data quickly.  *This thread is opening up some creative options I never really considered.*  This is helping me a lot and I hope it helps everybody else.

System specs:
AMD FX8350 eight-core processor 4.0 GHz
16.0 GB DDR3
Windows 7 64-bit
Nvidia GTX 460v2
Drive 1: 2TB OS
Drive 2: 3TB (currently accessing only 2TB and can't figure out how to get at the other 1TB without transferring everything off, formatting to GTP so it can all be recognized and moving the data back to new usable 3TB)  I may just do that though.
Drive 3: 1GB 
Drive 4: 4TB (7200rpm)


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## Jetster (Oct 26, 2014)

supadupa64 said:


> I guess I can create a shortcut to my storage drive on my desktop to access the rest of my data quickly.



That's what I do. I really don't want my data getting to close to a system partition. Just pin a shortcut in the windows explorer folder in the task bar or on the desktop


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## chuck216 (Oct 26, 2014)

supadupa64 said:


> I find it a hassle to click a few more times every time I want to access something on another drive which is why I want it all on one drive, but I guess solution 3 is sounding pretty good right about now.  I guess I can create a shortcut to my storage drive on my desktop to access the rest of my data quickly.  *This thread is opening up some creative options I never really considered.*  This is helping me a lot and I hope it helps everybody else.
> 
> System specs:
> AMD FX8350 eight-core processor 4.0 GHz
> ...



If I'm not mistaken that's 9.5 TB of storage potential, what do you do with all of it I've seen website servers that operate with less storage.


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## supadupa64 (Oct 26, 2014)

Well, my 3TB drive is filled with computer game footage (fraps) and other video content (I have a YouTube channel).  I wanted to move all my data to my new 4TB 7200rpm drive and open up everything else for recording and probably ditch the 500gb drive.  My main 2TB drive is about half full of graphics (Photoshop designs) and other stuff.


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## chuck216 (Oct 26, 2014)

supadupa64 said:


> Well, my 3TB drive is filled with computer game footage (fraps) and other video content (I have a YouTube channel).  I wanted to move all my data to my new 4TB 7200rpm drive and open up everything else for recording and probably ditch the 500gb drive.  My main 2TB drive is about half full of graphics (Photoshop designs) and other stuff.




It's too bad your motherboard's SATA controller doesn't support JBOD raid, you could just trick the system into thinking it's all one driv.e.


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## supadupa64 (Oct 26, 2014)

If I knew how to do that...  I want to get a new motherboard to use the UEFI, but I'm not sure if it's worth the money when I can just partition my 4TB drive and install Windows 7 on part of it.  The idea is that I want to use my 7200 rpm instead of my 5400rpm.


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## newtekie1 (Oct 26, 2014)

Jetster said:


> Solution 3: Make a 250Mb partition for Windows and set the rest as storage


Is that even possible?  The last time I had a drive larger than 2TB with Win7 it wouldn't even let me touch the part beyond 2TB.  I couldn't create a second partition in the area beyond the 2TB barrier.


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## Steevo (Oct 26, 2014)

chuck216 said:


> It's too bad your motherboard's SATA controller doesn't support JBOD raid, you could just trick the system into thinking it's all one driv.e.




That is dangerous, with JBOD certain failures and how the disks are handled will cause all the data to be lost, you don't get any performance improvements, you don't get anything other than more chances for failure. 

I would buy a good SSD, put your OS, cache, applications on it, and then map your videos, pictures, music, and all other media onto the individual disks as needed.


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## Jetster (Oct 27, 2014)

newtekie1 said:


> Is that even possible?  The last time I had a drive larger than 2TB with Win7 it wouldn't even let me touch the part beyond 2TB.  I couldn't create a second partition in the area beyond the 2TB barrier.



As long as its GPT Yes. MBR No

After he installs to the first partition he sould be able to activate the rest of the drive in windows as long as its a GPT partition

On second though. He may not be able to boot to a GPT at all without a UEFI. I just got confused

*With no UEFI he has to have MBR to boot and then cannot use anything larger than 2 Tb.*

*Legacy BIOS can read a GPT just not boot to one *

*Your going to need a boot drive or and new board *

*forget option 3*


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## revin (Oct 27, 2014)

I just Install on a 500Gb-1tb Partition. then use windows to make 2-4 other partitions,
I've got aprox 12tb of storage on several disk that I'm moving to the 3 tb


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## Aquinus (Oct 27, 2014)

You can't install Windows to a GPT partition unless you boot the installation media in UEFI mode. Even with a UEFI supported motherboard, if you don't boot the installer in UEFI mode, it will fall back on MBR.

Your board doesn't have a UEFI BIOS, therefore no UEFI for you.


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## OneMoar (Oct 27, 2014)

Aquinus said:


> You can't install Windows to a GPT partition unless you boot the installation media in UEFI mode. Even with a UEFI supported motherboard, if you don't boot the installer in UEFI mode, it will fall back on MBR.
> 
> Your board doesn't have a UEFI BIOS, therefore no UEFI for you.


this
no UEFI support means no UEFI support


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## FordGT90Concept (Oct 27, 2014)

A another vote for "this."  I'm not seeing any documentation on your motherboard that suggests it is using UEFI BIOS (it has ye ol' AMI BIOS); therefore, it is impossible to boot into a partition larger than 2 TB on that motherboard.


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## revin (Oct 27, 2014)

To which I tried GT90's very detailed UEFI install but to no avail. The board is UEFI, but it seems that the modded W7 just wouldn't allow any GPT from any program to work, thus it must been a w7 issue.

Any way, he's got the guide to get you going when you get the board


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