Windows/ OS software to help format

Guys I am at my wits end here, I am in the process of swapping out 3TB WD Reds out of my 4bay NAS for used 4TB red, and I was going to use the 3TB as backup to my data on the drive. So everything goes ok, till I format the drive in windows and now no matter whether I used gparted/ easeus/ mini tool in windows or as live disks I cannot format the drive to accept 3TB as its full capacity. (In a USB enclosure, that I have used with drives as large as 4TB)

No matter whether I use GPT/MBR I cannot get it to format/extend beyond a 746GB partition
I have tried diskpart to no avail
I have tried gparted that is showing my drives total capacity as 3TB, but I cannot format or do anything to it as it says the drive is in use
Mini tool live disk does absolutely nothing
I have even tried the acronis extend my drive to use 3TB (from acronis/SEAGATE/WD ) to no avail

Can any one help me out, please?

I am not Linux/ CLI savvy, but can do stuff through GUI, BUT could follow text lines if some one writes it out, so if there is any software I'd be grateful if I can do this.

 

In Windows the format is 2.72 not 3 you will never get that because of some funny tricks they used to say 3tb unformatted and formatted is 2.72tb in GPT format. You don't use MBR for drivers bigger then 2tb it should be GPT format. Also make sure that the drives are connect separately could be your computer thinks they are part of the system still that is why it doesn't format-that's what it sounds like.

 

Why are you messing with used hard drives anyway? WD reds are $99 or less on newegg now for 3TB.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I found this. maybe it's a firmware issue?

 

@Alex hawker, I'm in AU the 4TB Reds go for 256AUD and 3's go for 160Aud

 

Gotcha, didn't see you were in Oz. Sorry about that.