6TB HDD capacity not recognized

[HPbwana]

Seagate 6TB SATA internal HDD installed OK but shows up as 1.5TB in BIOS and Device Mgr.  BIOS = v5.13.  OS = Windows 7 64-bit home premium. 

Seagate's DiscWizard (latest version) says: "Cannot run Seagate Extended Capacity Manager.  No large hard drives can be detected on your system because it uses an unsupported version of nVidia disk controller driver."

[beatgr]

Notes regarding the NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller Driver, indicate that Version 9.99.0.4 released on Jan 19, 2008 may be the latest driver for this computer.
--
Are you aware of this Microsoft Support Article?

Microsoft Windows Support for hard drives that are larger than 2 TB
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2581408

In order for an operating system to fully support storage devices that have capacities that exceed 2 terabytes (2 TB, or 2 trillion bytes), the device must be initialized by using the GUID partition table (GPT) partitioning scheme. This scheme supports addressing of the full range of storage capacity. If the user intends to start the computer from one of these large disks, the system’s base firmware interface must use the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and not BIOS.
===
SEAGATE Support -- Beyond 2 TB
http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/beyond-2tb/

SEAGATE Support -- Breaking the 2.1TB Barrier
http://www.seagate.com/staticfiles/support/docs/MB615_1102_US(2).pdf

[HPbwana]

Thank you for the fast response.  I already had initialized it with GPT*.  I'm trying to use it as an extra storage disk, not a boot disk.  The BIOS only reports 1.5 TB during bootup.  Win 7 Device Mgr only reports 1.5 TB.

The Windows Support article seems to say that my system should support > 2TB drives.

Disk model: Seagate ST 6000 DX.  Box says Windows 7 supported.

Cannot find solution on Seagate, HP, or Acronis websites, or with Seagate SeaTools.

What is the meaning of the nVidia error message in Seagate DiscWizard?  Is that the hangup?

*Actually, I chose MBR the first time in Win Disk Mgr but then "converted" it to GPT.

[beatgr]

*** What is the meaning of the nVidia error message in Seagate DiscWizard?
Is that the hangup? ***
===
You would have to ask Seagate Support, since they wrote the DiscWizard Tool.
Obviously, an aspect of that DiscWizard Application code does not like the current nVidia SATA Driver and/or hardware.

You are operating under BIOS,
and NOT Universal Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)??

IF you are just using as a data disk (not boot disk),
THEN I would use the MS Windows 7, DISK MANAGEMENT (Under Computer Management)
for Disk Initialization (GPT), Partitioning, and Formatting.

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

Review this article by Seagate on How to use the Extended Capacity Manager.  Did you install the Acronis virtual disk driver?

 Review this article. Open up the Run window admin and enter:

diskpart

list disk

select disk x  ------------> x is your 6 TB hard drive

clean

exit

Now go back into Disk Management and initialize and format the hard drive GPT.

@Paul_Tikkanen Paul,  do you have a driver up your sleeve for this issue? 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, Dave:

The only suggestion I could offer would be to DL and install the latest nVidia chipset driver for that platform.

http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverResults.aspx/30520/en-us

[beatgr]

@Paul_Tikkanen

Paul -
Let me offer this suggestion, since I think the incorrect chipset is referenced in your NVIDIA link

We know that the HP Pavilion a4316f Desktop PC uses a Pegatron M2N78-LA (Violet6) motherboard,
That motherboard used the NVIDIA GeForce 9100 chipset (Rough Equivalent of the Intel universe PCH chip).

NVIDIA refers to this chipset, on their Support pages as 9-series.

The GeForce 340.52 Driver WHQL is the MS Windows (64-bit) Driver, for the 9-series (9100 listed)
July 29, 2014
http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverResults.aspx/77224/en-us
===
In addition, NVIDIA provides an application for that Chipset: NVIDIA Control Panel and NVIDIA System Monitor, v 6.03
http://www.nvidia.com/object/nvidia_system_tools_6.03.html

NVIDIA Control Panel and NVIDIA System Monitor User's Guide
Buried on Pages 31-32, of the Dynamic BIOS Access is a discussion of Peripheral (SATA) Support.
http://us.download.nvidia.com/Windows/nForce/system_tools/6.03/NVIDIA_Control_Panel_and_System_Monit...
===
That NVIDIA Application can provide the proper updates for the NVIDIA GeForce 9100 chipset.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Yes, but that is the graphics driver.

The rest of the drivers (which you see listed on the file I posted) should all work on that motherboard.

I have given that driver to several forum members for other reasons that had the same 9100 chipset and it installed the drivers they were missing.

I have no idea if that will get a 6 TB drive to work (I doubt it), but it will install the latest sata drivers.

[HPbwana]

I ran the disk clean and re-installed it as GPT.  Still reports as 1.5TB.  I can create a partition (drive F) but only get 1.5 TB.

I installed the latest NVIDIA 340.52 driver for GeForce 9100 and rebooted.  Seagate DiscWizard still fails with same error: "Cannot run Seagate Extended Capacity Manager....unsupported version of nVidia disk controller driver...."

The NVIDIA Control Panel v340.52 menu does not look like the one in the PDF, which appears to be for an earlier version.  The 340.52 version has no headings for Performance, Dynamic BIOS, Storage, etc.  Only menu items are: 3D Settings, Display, Stereoscopic 3D and Video.  This may reflect the hardware on my system detected by the driver installer.

I'm not sure this even concerns NVIDIA at all.  According to the System Requirements on the box, the Seagate 6TB disk is supposed to be compatible with Windows 7, especially for my 64-bit installation.  But in the BIOS and Windows Control Panel, it only sees 1.5TB.  Shouldn't I be able to install the disk with Win 7's own Disk Management, without Seagate's app? 

Memory is not a constraint, either: I upgraded to 16gb beforehand.  All of it is operational.  Everything else on the system is working fine.

My BIOS is v5.13.  The HP download site shows 5.16 is available, but it only solves a crash problem acc. to the documentation.  I can download and install it if it might help.

Thanks for all the info & quick responses, but I'm still baffled.

Dave

[beatgr · Accepted solution]

Paul suggested NFORCE DRIVER VERSION 15.56 (Windows 7, 64-bit)
http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverResults.aspx/30520/en-us