Windows XP and 3TB MBR Barracuda in a NAS??

[BadOmen]

Hi. Seagate says that its DiskWizard (Acronis) can partition a 3TB disk in MBR and a Windows XP computer would be able to access it, provided it has a Seagate product installed on it.
(from DiskWizard's manual: "Note: if you move such a disc to another system, you need at least one Seagate product installed on that system to be able to use Extended Capacity Discs.)"

I bought one of these drives (ST3000DM001, the Barracuda 3TB), and my network has a Windows 7, a Windows XP and a Linux computers. I'm going to buy a NAS soon.

My question: if I initialize that disk as MBR with DiskWizard,
then install DiskWizard in my XP computer,
then insert this disk on a NAS

Would the XP computer be able to access the 3TB HD???

I'm trying to understand what exactly DiskWizard does here.

Thank you so much for any input you may provide.

 

[Nothinman]

I don't think XP has any issues with >2TB volumes via the network, it's the lack of GUID partition tables that's the problem and that's not applicable to SMB/CIFS.

However, I'm not sure the NAS would be able to use it properly with whatever hacks Seagate does to make the disk work in XP. If you're going to put it in a NAS, I would wait and setup the disk in that NAS. Although, I wouldn't try to use decade old software with new hardware in the first place...

 

[BadOmen]

I don't think XP has any issues with >2TB volumes via the network, it's the lack of GUID partition tables that's the problem and that's not applicable to SMB/CIFS.

What worries me is that the ~800gb over the 2TB maximum allowed by MBR are allocated through DiskWizard and recognized only by this driver it's supposed to install. Even on Windows 7. That's what they say, at least, and indeed, it sounds really shaky.

I wonder how the NAS would deal with that. Any computer that has the driver can see the HD in the NAS normally, or the NAS would need to carry that driver as well?

My knowledge of NASs is still minimal, so I apologize if it makes no sense.

And you are right about the decade old software, but when we talk about the wife's computer, software are dictatorships, they last forever and only fall after a lot of fight.

 

[Nothinman]

What worries me is that the ~800gb over the 2TB maximum allowed by MBR are allocated through DiskWizard and recognized only by this driver it's supposed to install. Even on Windows 7. That's what they say, at least, and indeed, it sounds really shaky.

I wonder how the NAS would deal with that. Any computer that has the driver can see the HD in the NAS normally, or the NAS would need to carry that driver as well?

My knowledge of NASs is still minimal, so I apologize if it makes no sense.

And you are right about the decade old software, but when we talk about the wife's computer, software are dictatorships, they last forever and only fall after a lot of fight.

That's what I'm saying, the NAS may need the driver too depending on how their software works. And AFAIK most of the little, personal/SOHO NASes don't run Windows so you won't be able to install their driver on it.

 

[BadOmen]

Thanks a lot for your help.

Would the other way around make sense? If the NAS system can handle GPT disks, a Windows XP machine, when dealing with the NAS, could be able to access the drive normally?

Sorry about all the questions, won't bug you again after that.

 

[Nothinman]

I believe only 64-bit XP can use GPT drives, Google can probably provide a more definitive answer. And if the NAS doesn't run Windows it also won't be formatting the volume as NTFS so it's probably a moot point anyway.

I understand your conundrum with the wife and all, but it's just going to get more and more difficult to make things work with XP for her and it looks like Win8 is going to be a bust so it would really behoove you to move her to Win7 sooner rather than later.