External Hard Drive - Files Not Displaying


Balahkay

New member
Local time
9:09 AM
Posts
3
OS
Windows 11
Hi,

I have an issue I'm having trouble figuring out. I have a 3TB external hard drive that shows just fine on a Windows 10 machine. However, on Windows 11, the drive shows but it doesn't show any of the files except $RECYLE.BIN and Temp. The total capacity it shows is 99.9MB. However, when I scan the drive using a data recovery app, it shows all the files but they are not in the original folder structure, it's all random and identifies the source as a Lost Partition. I've made myself the owner of the drive. How can I get the folders and files in this drive to display normally on Windows 11?

Drive as shown in Windows 11:
1650134667860.png

Data Recovery Results:
1650134768207.png
 
Windows Build/Version
Windows 11/Version 21H2/Build 22000.593

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision 3561
    Memory
    24GB
Welcome to ElevenForum!

Is it possible that you simply don't have a drive letter assigned to that partition in Windows 11?

If you could provide a screenshot from disk management, that would be very helpful.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
Follow-up:

As an example, if you look at the screenshot below, note that the large partition on the single drive in this laptop has a drive letter C: assigned to it.

My bet is that the large partition on the drive in question has no letter assigned. To correct this, simply right click the graphical representation of that partition and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths".

Image1.jpg
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
So, when I look at the Disk Management, it actually shows 746.42 to be unallocated, which isn't at all accurate. I tried reassigned the drive letter but it everything looks the same.

1650136115674.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision 3561
    Memory
    24GB
Okay, unallocated is not correct. I was expecteing to see a partition there that simply didn't have a drive letter unassigned, not unallocated space.

Since this is an external drive, any chance you could simply reconnect to the Windows 10 system and show me what disk management sees there? I'm hoping that you still have the Win 10 system :).

EDIT: Are we sure the drive is in the same enclosure when connected to both the Win 10 and 11 systems? You said that this was a 3 TB drive. If that is true, whey is only 700 some odd GB of space being shown unallocated? Something is off base here.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
Just a thought. I don't know enough about this topic to speak to all the details. But it almost sounds like it might have to do with an issue of newer drives that have 4k advanced formatting. Could you tell me a little bit about the Win 10 and 11 systems? How old are they, do you exact model numbers, if home-built systems, what motherboard models?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
A note: the External USB HDDs I've worked with that seemingly failed were still good but the USB interface in their case had failed. The formatting wasn't NTFS but something else, maybe exFAT and the interface interpreted from which type OS was in use, my 2 x 4TB WD My Book HDDs came as exFAT and the package said it was for PC and Mac OS.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
Something is off base here.
Yeah, the numbers don't compute to 3 gb. Something else that doesn't add up is you selected F: partition in the tree which is a 100 mb reserved partition. Reserved partitions of that size haven't been around in a long time. I would be willing to bet you deleted the partition where the data resided. Recovery software can still find files as long as they have not been overwritten. However, you can not open the files from the drive from within Windows itself.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
Thank you for the help everyone! I feel like at this point it's worth just exporting the files to another drive instead of trying to figure out a solution with Windows 11. The files are all there, just unorganized.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision 3561
    Memory
    24GB
By unorganized do you mean File Explorer sees the file but they are not listed in any particular order? The columns in the right-hand panel have a title at the top such as Name, Size, Date, Type, etc. Each of those names can be clicked to reorganize as desired, alphabetically or numerically.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
Hi,

I have an issue I'm having trouble figuring out. I have a 3TB external hard drive that shows just fine on a Windows 10 machine. However, on Windows 11, the drive shows but it doesn't show any of the files except $RECYLE.BIN and Temp. The total capacity it shows is 99.9MB. However, when I scan the drive using a data recovery app, it shows all the files but they are not in the original folder structure, it's all random and identifies the source as a Lost Partition. I've made myself the owner of the drive. How can I get the folders and files in this drive to display normally on Windows 11?

Drive as shown in Windows 11:
View attachment 27015

Data Recovery Results:
View attachment 27017
System Reserved tells me that's part of your Windows installation, not an external drive; IOW, when Windows (10 or 11) is installed, a couple or three extra small partitions are created on Drive 0 to hold Microsoft stuff.

I would think that for some odd reason, your external 3 TB Drive isn't showing up. I see no indication of a drive that large on your system.

After looking again, I see that there's a large amount of unallocated space, but not nearly enough for that to be the external drive you're referring to.

Is there a chance this machine is being dual booted?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy TE01-1xxx
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10700 CPU @ 2.90GHz 2.90 GHz
    Motherboard
    16.0GB Dual-Channel Unknown @ 1463MHz (21-21-21-47)
    Memory
    16384 MBytes
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Monitor 1 - Acer 27" Monitor 2 - Acer 27"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WDC PC SN530 SDBPNPZ-512G-1006 (SSD)
    Seagate ST1000DM003-1SB102
    Seagate BUP Slim SCSI Disk Device (SSD)
    PSU
    HP
    Case
    HP
    Cooling
    Standard
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wave K350
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's all Folks!
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 (10th gen) 10700
    Motherboard
    Intel
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Built-in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 27" & Samsung 24"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x
    Hard Drives
    SSD (512 GB)
    HDD (1 TB)
    Seagate
    PSU
    Intel i7 10th Generation
    Case
    HP
    Cooling
    HP/Intel?
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wave K350
    Internet Speed
    50 mbps
    Browser
    Firefox 90.2
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Headphone/Microphone Combo
    SuperSpeed USB Type-A (4 on front)
    HP 3-in-One Card Readr
    SuperSpeed USB Type-C
    DVD Writer
Something is really not right here. There is no sign of a 3TB drive.

Also to see all of a 3TB drive, it needs to be formatted as UEFI not mbr.



Many people do not realise some pre-built external usb use a proprietary os on drive (usually linux) based, and usb interface electronics convert to ntfs.



If drive 2 is supposed to 3 TB, I suspect something has failed in interface electronics, and corrupted mbr big time. I know ot is mbr as prsence of system reserved partition.

Only option is to put drive in s new caddy and see if it reads ok but odds are very low.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
Maybe someone can clear up my thinking on this. IMO, the presence of a 100 MB partition on this drive marked as system reserved makes me think the drive is an old Windows 7 MBR installation drive.
I have not seen Windows 10-11 install with a partition marked 'system reserved.' They install with a 100 mb partition marked 'system partition'.
I think he has taken an old installation drive that had windows 7 on it, put it in an enclosure as was, and then deleted the old OS partition resulting in the unallocated space.

That drive plugged into any machine is not going to be readable (except with recovery software)and it was never a 3 tb drive.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
Maybe someone can clear up my thinking on this. IMO, the presence of a 100 MB partition on this drive marked as system reserved makes me think the drive is an old Windows 7 MBR installation drive.
I have not seen Windows 10-11 install with a partition marked 'system reserved.' They install with a 100 mb partition marked 'system partition'.
I think he has taken an old installation drive that had windows 7 on it, put it in an enclosure as was, and then deleted the old OS partition resulting in the unallocated space.
I think you're right, the 100MB on mine from '15 that came with Win8 Pro then Upgraded to Win10 Pro is an EFI System Partition.
 

Attachments

  • Partition.png
    Partition.png
    15.5 KB · Views: 3

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
Hi @Balahkay

Here is another user who had the same problem 3TB HDD showing only 746 GB Unallocated in Windows 11 He took the easy way out. He simply downgraded to Windows 10

I am not going to say that but here is the easy way you can try. Do not run any data recovery program that will not show your folder and file structure in Windows 11 and copy that nameless files.

Was the disk a system disk on another PC earlier and you put it inside an enclosure and made it a USB drive? That may be the root cause to your problem. The following suggested solution will apply only in that case.

Plugin your 3TB external into a Windows 10 PC (which shows your drive normal as 3TB), copy all folders and files to another external disk. Keep aside this external disk.

Check whether your 3TB external is an MBR drive or GPT drive. If it is a GPT drive, run a diskpart cleanall on the 3TB disk (that was a system disk earlier) on your Windows 10 PC..

Plugin the disk now on your Windows 11 PC initialise as GPT, create a simple volume and format it as NTFS. Check whether it works now on Windows 11 ( try copying and deleting some files).
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro Version:23H2 OS Build: 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC Model: SEi12
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel core i5-1235U(Alder
    Motherboard
    SEi (manufactured by AZW)
    Memory
    16*2 (32 GB) DDR 4-3200(1600MHz) Crucial Technology
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics (Internal)
    Sound Card
    Internal
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ GW2283
    Screen Resolution
    1920*1080
    Hard Drives
    500GB NVME (Kingston SNV2S500G)
    1TB (Crucial CT1000BX500SSD1)
    PSU
    Power Brick 19V-6.32A , 120.08W
    Keyboard
    Dell KB3322Wi (Wireless)
    Mouse
    Dell WM118t (Wireless)
    Internet Speed
    4G/5G
    Browser
    MS Edge, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium - Subscription
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home Version 23H2 Build 22631. 3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3280 AIO 22"
    CPU
    Intel Core i3 8145U
    Motherboard
    Dell inc. 027W48
    Memory
    Intel Optane 16GB module + DDR 4 16GB (Optane disabled.)
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Sound Card
    Internal
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell Monitor 22"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial CT1000BX500SSD1 ; 1000,2 GB
    PSU
    Power Brick
    Case
    All-in one
    Mouse
    Dell Wireless KM 636
    Keyboard
    Dell Wireless KM636
    Internet Speed
    4G
    Browser
    Edge, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    Upgraded from Windows 10 Home to Windows 11 Home on 28 Oct 2023
I kinda remember reading somewhere that the maximum size for an MBR drive is 2TB. I have 2 x 4TB USB drives attached that are GPT and 1 x 1TB USB drive that is MBR. All are single partition formatted as NTFS.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
I kinda remember reading somewhere that the maximum size for an MBR drive is 2TB. I have 2 x 4TB USB drives attached that are GPT and 1 x 1TB USB drive that is MBR. All are single partition formatted as NTFS.
True that MBR drives can only address and access upto 2TB. That is the MBR limitation.

If one had used a larger than 2TB external drive ( say a 3TB or 4TB or higher external drive) with Windows XP, then it is an Advance Formatted MBR drive.

In advance formatting eight native 512 bytes/sector is combined into a 4096 byte (8X 512 bytes) physical sector. That way MBR can access upto 2TB X 8 = 16TB drives. Such advanced formatted drives that were used with XP and later in Windows 7 also, use a special drive translation circuit in the SATA to USB bridge circuit which converts the 512 byte incoming stream into, into 4096 byte stream and writes it to the 4096 byte /sectror physical sectors into the HDD. While reading, the 4096 byte stream coming out of the HDD is reconverted into 512 byte stream and presented to the OS. When Windows XP reached EOL, manufacturers stopped producing these advance formatted high capacity external drives and transitioned into GPT. The story here
Transition to Advanced Format 4K Sector Hard Drives | Seagate US

Transition to GPT: Expansion drives switching to GPT | Seagate Support US

The Advance Formatted High capacity external drives are still being used by many users ( especially those who transitioned from Windows XP and Windows 7,.8) and when it comes to data recovery,, it is imperative to ascertain whether it is an MBR drive or GPT drive.

Here is a data recovery story from an Advanced Formatted 3TB WD Elements MBR drive Hard Drive seems corrupt. 1 Partition now showing as 3 Partitions? - Windows 10 Help Forums (The OP contacted Tech Support Partition Wizard and as per their advice converted it from MBR to GPT. I chided the OP , asked him to reconvert it to MBR and use TestDisk to perform the software drive translation from 4096 byte stream to 512 byte stream and he successfully recovered all data)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro Version:23H2 OS Build: 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC Model: SEi12
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel core i5-1235U(Alder
    Motherboard
    SEi (manufactured by AZW)
    Memory
    16*2 (32 GB) DDR 4-3200(1600MHz) Crucial Technology
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics (Internal)
    Sound Card
    Internal
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ GW2283
    Screen Resolution
    1920*1080
    Hard Drives
    500GB NVME (Kingston SNV2S500G)
    1TB (Crucial CT1000BX500SSD1)
    PSU
    Power Brick 19V-6.32A , 120.08W
    Keyboard
    Dell KB3322Wi (Wireless)
    Mouse
    Dell WM118t (Wireless)
    Internet Speed
    4G/5G
    Browser
    MS Edge, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium - Subscription
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home Version 23H2 Build 22631. 3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3280 AIO 22"
    CPU
    Intel Core i3 8145U
    Motherboard
    Dell inc. 027W48
    Memory
    Intel Optane 16GB module + DDR 4 16GB (Optane disabled.)
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Sound Card
    Internal
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell Monitor 22"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial CT1000BX500SSD1 ; 1000,2 GB
    PSU
    Power Brick
    Case
    All-in one
    Mouse
    Dell Wireless KM 636
    Keyboard
    Dell Wireless KM636
    Internet Speed
    4G
    Browser
    Edge, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    Upgraded from Windows 10 Home to Windows 11 Home on 28 Oct 2023

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