Question 1

what does bulk bare mean?

Accepted Answer

Bulk drives (bare) or any bulk bare PC components are sold without retail box, accessories or manuals.

This drive I received in a brown shipping box with the drive in a pouch with packing, nothing else.

Question 2

Can this drive be used as a secondary hard drive?

Accepted Answer

In what sense? 
It will happily coexist with other drives in the same system.
The system I'm using these in has a 500GB SSD, 2 4TB magnetic drives, another 3TB magnetic drive, and 3 optical drives. The system boots from the SSD (I guess you'd call that "primary") for speed, and the OS and software live on the SSD. The other drives store data.

Question 3

Does this drive need a 64 bit system to see the full 4tb? I have an older media player (tvisto) running linux, I've got a 2tb HD running now with no problems, I was wondering if I might get lucky with a 4tb?

Accepted Answer

This may help sort out the confusion, I believe it's correct, but someone else can respond and correct it, if it isn't:

A 32-bit operating system runs out of address spaces that can be used for RAM memory locations at around 4 gigabytes. That's a system-level limitation imposed by the CPU.

When it comes to long term storage: hard drives, SSD's, optical disks, etc., there is a 2-terrabyte limit that comes into play if the storage unit is formatted as a MBR disk. The limit is very similar in nature to what happens with the CPU/RAM thingy above, but the limitation is imposed by the disk partitioning system being used, not the ability of the CPU to create memory address locations. The MBR system was designed with a maximum 2-TB storage capacity, because it creates a data address table on the storage medium itself using a 41-bit / 512 byte scheme, and partitions the storage device into that number of storage block sectors.

But the 2-TB MBR limit has nothing to do with the computer's operating system or the CPU's 32-bit architecture.

In both cases, the designers of these systems were being practical-minded. At the time, the state of technological development was such that the ability of a computer to expand beyond these limits was unthinkably cost prohibitive. As the cost/price of both RAM and long-term storage dropped and these limits became annoying, the GPT disk storage system was developed using a different, much larger self-imposed math limit. In the future, if present-day society lasts long enough, computer data storage will one day begin to exceed the GPT system, and something else will have to take its place.

Question 4

What sata cable is needed for this hard drive?

Accepted Answer

Any SATA power cable is suitable and any SATA data cable will work also...but given the modest cost, buy one rated for SATA III, even though it is unlikely to ever affect throughput in any way.

While backwards compatible, this drive will work optimally with more modern class SATA.

As an aside there are other, and perhaps more pressing, issues with a drive of this size.  Drives over 2 TB need one or more of the following and can be: 
1. seen as a network drive by just about any computer.
2. only used in a WIN computers with a 64 bit OS (not 64 bit XP)
3. bootable on a computer that has UEFI (latest BIOS-like setup)

Question 5

is this drive 7200 rpms?

Accepted Answer

Its a hybrid 5400 rpm 7200 rpm drive. Under low utilization and idle it runs at 5400 rpm. Under high use it runs at 7200 rpm. The drive is relatively slow compared to a fixed 7200 rpm drive so do not use this as your primary.

Question 6

Does this drive require UEFI, or can it be installed on a system with BIOS?

Accepted Answer

No it should not require UEFI, your OS should be able to handle it, as long as it can support/handle GPT drives...which most modern OS' do

Question 7

will it work with Windows 7 Pro?

Accepted Answer

Yes.  These drives are not formatted,  so they will work in any system after you format the drive in your computer.

Question 8

Hi,

Would this work for a Server that runs 24/7, and is it compatible with Windows 8.1?

Accepted Answer

Sure.   I've been using these in a mirrored raid PVR running non-stop for the last few years.

These drives should work with any modern OS (including Windows 8.1).

Question 9

can a window 7 64bit system is accessible to a 4tb have drive?

Accepted Answer

Yes I managed after 3 tries to get it to see all 4 tb.  Don't remember the details but had to research it on Google.

Question 10

Hi... what are the dimensions (in its shipping package) of this item?  Im trying to figure out trvaeling with it after giving it as a xmas present?

Accepted Answer

It was a while ago, but it seems that it came in a box maybe 8" x 8" x 4". Inside it was in a bubble wrap sleeve which of course is considerably smaller. Hope this helps.

Questions & Answers