It took me DAYS to get to the bottom of this. (sigh)
64 bit machines and OS’s should not have this issue - and if they do it can be handled in the OS.
32 Bit machines are - quite frankly screwed.
This is because of inherant hard and soft limitations. The MBR partitoning table used with the NTFS 32 bit file system is the real deal breaker, you need a GUID partitioning table to run these new big drives properly.
See the WD report here for more detail.
http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2754
However, there is a third party (driver) solution for this very issue. It works just fine. The only limitation is that the 3tb drive can not be your boot disk, it must be the 2nd disk used for storage. This is not an issue for most people.
http://www.paragon-software.com/technologies/components/gpt-loader/
WD will not point people to (or reccomend) 3rd party software. (silly in this case since Paragon is a partner!)
However, they should get a bulk license for this one, and include it with every new 3tb drive.
I say this because WD has indeed partnered with Paragon before, such as with their “align utility”.
-W
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Hello Clams,
This is really good information.
Thanks for sharing.
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If you have a Hitachi drive, then Paragon’d GPT driver is available to you as a free download:
http://www.paragon-software.com/hgst/
WD owns Hitachi Global Storage, so one would think that WD could extend the existing arrangement.
Anyway, if you don’t mind voiding your warranty, you may be able to use HDDHackr to make your WD drive look like a Hitachi …
fzabkar wrote:
If you have a Hitachi drive, then Paragon’d GPT driver is available to you as a free download:
http://www.paragon-software.com/hgst/
WD owns Hitachi Global Storage, so one would think that WD could extend the existing arrangement.
Anyway, if you don’t mind voiding your warranty, you may be able to use HDDHackr to make your WD drive look like a Hitachi …
That’s just plain sad… 
To me that (unfortunately) only makes this look much worse for WD’s level of care.
It appears that the one hand (cust. support) does not even know what the other hands of the company are doing at all.
WD support did (verbally) suggest that I Google some software (some partition utility that could never have worked), but they were totally in the dark as to the real problem here - and of their Paragon partner’s solutution.
This board itself is an arm of WD tech support.
I wonder how long until this information (ie the only correct solution) shows up in the database over at WD phone support? (sigh)
I’m watching the very WD article I quoted earlier to see if and when the solution is amended to it as well.
http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2754
-W
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So, we have a (not accessable) program - WD Align - that is supposed to help with installing the WD30EFRX on a Win XP Pro (32 bit) system. As many before have commented, the link does NOT work! This is not a new problem. Where is the support? If you go to Paragon, they are only too happy to sell you the program for $19.95. This program should be available (free) to registered users. Meanwhile, there are various threads on this problem dating back quite awhile. Why has this not been solved, WD? I have been using your hard drives since “back in the day” when 20MB was a BIG drive. 
This is not the way customers should be treated.
Come on WD - get it together!
Well, apparently my prayer to the data gods reached the right one. Today I went back to the WD Align download link and tried it again - after asking me sign in (again), strangely enough it now takes me to the WD download page (through Akamai). Anyway, it did finally download - thank you (whoever).
* remember, if you have pop-ups blocked it will not work.
Will try the pgm and see if it actually does solve my problem. . .
WD Align will not address this - you need the GPT loader to do it.
I’ll note that WD support STILL does not seem to reflect this solution.
I’m refering to the SOLUTION section under this WD official “knowledge base” FAQ.
http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2754
How much longer guys??? The knowledge is here!!!
-W (using all 3tb for a month now - XP-Pro 32 bit)
And I note that now… MONTHS LATER; The FAQ is still not updated.
Is ANYBODY HOME at WD???
-W
It has been requested.
I will research on this and provide any updates on this thread.
