Need help: 2TB Caviar Green in USB enclosure to XP (32bit)

WD Internal Drives Desktop & Mobile Drives
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Hi all, this sure is more complicated vs. the last time I needed more storage!

I use an old XP box (32 bit) as a home server on my LAN. I need to increase the storage capacity, and I need to use USB2 for now. However, I expcet at some point I’ll finally replace the old XP box (so I’m guessing the next would have USB3 and/or esata).

My understanding is that, for simplicity’s sake, I’m limited to 2TB, correct? (that’s ok if so)

I’ve been looking at drives like Caviar Green, Samsung’s EcoGreen, and Hitachi’s Deskstar 5k3000 – under the assumption that I don’t need to maximize performance – rather, my main concerns are stability and noise (and, related, heat). If I’m on the wrong track, pelase let me know.

But now I also have to worry about “Advanced Format” – eg, 4k rather than 512 size sectors – and I have to “do something” to ensure Caviar Green (and, I gather, Samsung’s EcoGreen) will work. However, I gather the Deskstar 5k3000 still uses 512 size sectors, and so that should “just work.”

What do I actually need to do to get the Caviar Green to work via USB to an old 32bit XP? And, fwiw, I’d like whatever that is to be “future friendly” for when I replace the XP box. Also, assuming I set it up correctly, would I still be better off with a 512 sector drive?

Thanks, much appreciate your help!

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To key here is check the specifications of the USB enclosure you are planning to buy and see the capacities and drive types it support.  If a drive is compatible with the enclosure, it will be handled by the Windows without issues, with the exception of XP and drives larger than 2TB.

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Vadir wrote:

To key here is check the specifications of the USB enclosure you are planning to buy and see the capacities and drive types it support.  If a drive is compatible with the enclosure, it will be handled by the Windows without issues, with the exception of XP and drives larger than 2TB.

Thank you, but my current understanding is that the Caviar Green (and Samsung EcoGreen) may still have issues on XP, even if I stick to 2TB max.

Meaning, yes, one concern is with greater-than 2TB drives (which I can resolve by getting a drive no bigger than 2TB) – but there is also an issue with 4k sector drives, such as Caviar Green and Samsung EcoGreen.

I could get a Hitachi (which has 512 sectors), but from what I can tell, people prefer the Caviar Green and Samsung EcoGreen – so I’m still trying to make sense of this.

Thanks!