1 Topic by ibundoubuntu

  • ibundoubuntu
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Topic: msftdata flag missing from manage flags menu

I have a 4TB external drive that is not readable by a windows machine. The disk management utility in windows can see the drive but says it has no label and no file system.

In Linux, GParted is able to see that it is an ntfs file system but it is missing the msftdata flag (comparing this to a 3TB external drive I have of the exact same brand that windows can read).

I had already tried copying the System Volume Information folder from the readable drive to the unreadable one, but to no avail.

I am trying to avoid backing all the data up and reformatting the drive and am hoping that by restoring the msftdata flag to the 4TB drive that the windows system will be able to read it.

Unfortunately, when selecting manage flags, I have a slightly smaller than normal menu that is missing any of the msft flags.

Does anyone know how to fix this or how I can restore the necessary flag? Or even a proposed way that I can get windows to see the drive without backing up the data and reformatting?

Thank you.

2 Reply by class413

  • class413
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Re: msftdata flag missing from manage flags menu

I'm not sure that you could find a solution to this problem, since it is probably related to the internals of the microsoft proprietary nfts filesystem.
I understand that the partition table is valid. To work with such big drives, you need UEFI BIOS computer and GUID partition table, otherwise the operating system sees something like 2 or 2.3 TiB disk space. 

The msftdata flag is related to the boot and msftres flags. Furthermore, the order of the various partitions in the hard drive space (EFI system, OEM service partitions, Microsoft reserved, bootable, primary, ... ) can be important for mswindows.

I agree that a 4TB hard drive isn't very easy to backup without a high-speed USB3 connection, however such manipulations can be risky for the data safety.

*** It is highly recommended to backup any important files before doing resize/move operations. ***

3 Reply by ibundoubuntu

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Re: msftdata flag missing from manage flags menu

Thanks, I have a desktop I could set up to run the backup. At this point it would be less work than further troubleshooting to try and figure out an alternative solution, especially given the information you just provided me.

4 Reply by class413

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Re: msftdata flag missing from manage flags menu

I think the info there is related to this problem.

*** It is highly recommended to backup any important files before doing resize/move operations. ***

5 Reply by gedakc

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Re: msftdata flag missing from manage flags menu

As Class413 mentioned, it is important to use a GUID Partition Table (gpt) with disks larger then 2 TB.  If the drive has an msdos/mbr partition table then the flag you are seeking is not available, and you will not have access the drive beyond 2 TB.

In GParted you can view partition information using "View -> Device Information".