Question 1

How do I get this drive to show up as the full 3TB in Windows XP? 
I bought this drive because it says it's WindowXP SP3 compatible, but I've installed it & my system only reads it as 746GB. I see many people on this site that have bought this drive & many of them say they love the drive, so I assume they were able to see the whole drive.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO GET THIS TO WORK??

Accepted Answer

Some older hard drive controllers (especially those used in external hard drive cases) cannot recognize hard drives larger than 2TB.  I have a few hard drive docks here that are like that...these 3TB drives only appear as 750GB drives.  The solution is a hard drive controller/case that can recognize large drives like these.  If you have a regular desktop PC computer, such a hard drive controller can be purchased cheaply (perhaps $30).  If you are using them externally, then a new case is in order.  I won't name brands, but my favorite brand of case is not sold by NewEgg.

Question 2

Does Toshiba spec this for use in raid 5 arrays?  I've searched & found some people who are using them in raid 5 arrays, but I can't find a word from Toshiba.  Some time ago I made a raid 5 array & a year & a half latter, one of the drives started going into a bad spot recovery mode that took some time.  It recovered the data but the motherboard raid software marked the drive bad because it took too long to respond.  It wasn't fun & I ended up buying raid specified disks.  So my question.

Accepted Answer

It may work in RAID 5 arrays but it isn’t officially supported.
Frankly I don't know why people still use RAID...  It’s a lot of work and has almost no benefit.  Don’t get me wrong.  I used to have RAID Arrays on my systems too (while back).  However with SSDs and External HDDs becoming so cheap, it makes better sense to install OS in SSD (for the speed) and backup your entire system data in to an External HDD (for data protection; you can setup backup software to auto backup and shut down every night).
Here are benefits of non-RAID system:
1.SSDs are much faster than any RAID setup
2.It’s cost effective - None-RAID HDDs are usually more than 15% cheaper (none-RAID Mother-boards are cheaper too).
3.Theoretically HDDs will last longer in non-RAID setup because they will do far less work.
4.In RAID 5, when you have a power surge or other type of problems that cause multiple HDD failure you can kiss your data bye-bye.
Unless you save vital new data constantly and must have RAID array to protect those data, it makes no sense to use RAID IMO.

Question 3

How does this compares to TOSHIBA DT01ACA300 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive?

Accepted Answer

I concur with John W (and cannot imagine why it would have been marked as not a good answer).  It is the same drive, it will show in the BIOS, RAID, OS, etc. as a DT01ACA300, albeit, this is the RETAIL version, that carries with it 1 more year of limited warranty.  Newegg prohibits "bad talk" concerning their services, shipping, etc.  So, I'll go with this approach.  The DT01ACA300 comes in anti-static/ESD bagging and is tossed in a shippers box, maybe with padding, maybe not.  This retail version comes shock padded inside a retail box, then that retail box is then placed in a shippers box, but again, maybe with padding, maybe not (depends on the shipper).  Personally speaking now, I have 10 of these drives running in an unRAID box, running 24/7, have thousands of reads being made to them and they have been running strong for 8 months now.

Question 4

what is "retail kit"?

Accepted Answer

Means retail box, with advertisement - packed to be sold on store 'retail' shelves vs. a drive sent to you in a static bag & misc packing.

Question 5

Why is professional installation recommended?

Accepted Answer

It is because any drive larger than 2TB will not be able to use its full capacity if not installed correctly. What I mean by that is: while you can install any hard drive physically the same way, plug in the power connector and plug in the SATA cable to the motherboard and the drive, (In the words of Microsoft) "the device must be initialized by using the GUID partition table (GPT) partitioning scheme." You can't use the default MBR partitioning which has a mathematical limit (32 bit limitation) of 2TB (2.2TB in HDD specs.) It takes a few extra steps to get the full size available to you. The Professional installation will take all that into account. If you take the extra time to make the needed changes, you too can get the same results as the professional.

Also note that if you want to use a HDD >2TB as a boot drive, you need an UEFI-capable BIOS on your motherboard and at least Windows Vista and it has to be the 64 bit version of Windows. Linux doesn't need the UEFI BIOS to use it as a boot drive.

Question 6

hello i have existing motherboard asus P6T DELUXE (intel x58 chipset) and my main hard drive is wd1001fals.
Is this hard drive compatible as a second hard drive for storage?
Thanks

Accepted Answer

This is a normal sata hard drive you may not have support for the faster speed on that mother board but the drives will be backwards compatible all the way back to the first SATA spec.

Question 7

Is 49 deg.C. operating Temp. to high for continuous Operations? 
After Pwr-ON, the "PH3300U-1I72" steadily ramps up to 49deg.C. in ~1hr.  The HDD runs at that temp with or W/O disk activity.
Are my concerns justified? -- Also, when first powered-ON, I hear 2-clicks AND finally, I can notice some rotational-vibration as in out of balance.  Is this one "a defect"?  thnx

Accepted Answer

I recommend having some airflow over your drives. If they are in a tower, add fans, and if they are in a nas enclosure, get one with fans. Some HDDs tolerate higher temperatures without a significant increase in errors and perform well. Some heat up when they are dying (and it helps them die), but assuming your hdd is new, then it should be fine. I'm installing one after I receive it, and I'll get back to you on what my temps are. My HDDs receive a nice amount of airflow from my case.

Question 8

Is this drive compatible with a HP Compaq DX 24000?  how do I determine which drives are compatible with my HP Compaq DX 2400?

Accepted Answer

Yes. But your PC supports only up to 3.0-Gb/s, you won't get the theoretical 6.0 gp/s, but will certainly work. The SATA 3 standard is backwards compatible.  I checked the specs on your PC, you can put a total of 8 gigs of memory into it. If you have 2 gigs or less, you'd see a big speed increase by going to a minimum of 4 gigs of memory.

Question 9

I have an older (5 years) Dell desk top computer that was given to me (used in an office that shut down).  It is currently running WIN 7 professional, but already reserved WIN 10 upgrade.  Plan to keep operating system on the current small hard drive and add this HD (unless comments suggest otherwise).
How do I check to see if this unit will fit, and if it work (SATA?)?  All comments are welcome.  Thanks.
Note: I am not a computer geek, but have basic knowledge and have upgraded computers in the past.

Accepted Answer

I would check the following:
1. make sure you have a 5.25 bay for the extra HD to fit in (area near the main HD or it can be installed near the DVD). Just make sure you have room for it (many different configurations so hard to know, without seeing ur PC).
2.  Make sure you have an extra sata connection on the motherboard.  Just follow the cable from the main HD to the motherboard...it should be pluged into a SATA port and there should be more next to it.

Note: I believe the specs on the sata is 3g/s and this one is 6g/s.... It will work, but not as fast as stated in the specs.

Question 10

This is my first time installing an HDD in a desktop. I screwed the drive into the removable tray for my case (using the case's "anti-vibration" screws"), but the whole drive seems to wobble significantly and has me worried that I've done something wrong. Is there an enclosure or something that I need to buy separately to ensure that it rests securely?

Accepted Answer

Jacob, allcomputer cases have a place where you can slide your HDD and secure it with 4 screws (2 on each side). Now depending on your case you purchased find out if it is a tool-free case (meaning it has extra components to help you install all your hardware without any screw driver). The HDD has a place to push it in the case and lock it, or the case comes with tracks to mount to the HDD and push it into the case and you are done. 
It all depends on what kind of a case you have. In short, the case has a provided place where to push it and secure it with 4 screws, or the case has tools provided for the HDD, which you just use to slightly push your HDD in place and have it immediately locked and secured.

I wish youthe best.

Brand	TOSHIBA
Model	PH3300U-1I72
Packaging	Retail Kit

Form Factor	3.5"
Height (maximum)	26.16mm
Width (maximum)	101.60mm
Length (maximum)	147.07mm

TOSHIBA PH3300U-1I72 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Retail Kit

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Interface	SATA 6.0Gb/s
Capacity	3TB
RPM	7200 RPM
Cache	64MB
Average Seek Time	14ms

Item#: N82E16822149396