GPT Protective Partition - cannot assign drive letter or access it

I have an external two drive Firewire 800 chassis populated with two
identical 300GB hard drives. I have been using one of the hard drives to
back up the data drive on my Dell 1600 server (with one Xeon 2800GHz CPU)
running Windows 2003 Server, Enterprise Edition. The other hard drive is
empty.

This afternoon, I tried to restore some of the data to another computer,
running Windows XP Professional, SP2. The XP system can read the empty 300GB
hard drive, but cannot access the other hard drive. I cannot assign a drive
letter to the drive with my data. It says it is a GPT Protective Partition.
My initial research discloses that this type of partition is associated with
the 64 bit version of Windows, but I am running just standard stuff, as
outlined above. Query: how can I access my data? How did this hard drive end
up having a GPT Protective Partition? I certainly did nothing deliberately
to cause this to occur. I have worked on hundreds of systems and have never
previously run across this issue. Anyone?

Hello,
With Windows Server 2003 SP1, x86 also supports GPT disks. These are only
supported as data disks, not as boot or system disks.
You would configure them in Disk Management. Windows XP SP2 does not
support GPT disks. The disks would have be configured as MBR disks, which
would mean backing up all the data, converting the disk to MBR( the convert
process erases all the data), then restoring the data.
Thanks,
Darrell Gorter[MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights
--------------------
<From: "Z Man" <z1z@hotmail.com>
<Subject: GPT Protective Partition - cannot assign drive letter or access it
<Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2006 21:45:55 -0500
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<Xref: TK2MSFTNGXA02.phx.gbl microsoft.public.windows.server.general:87439
<X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.windows.server.general
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<I have an external two drive Firewire 800 chassis populated with two
<identical 300GB hard drives. I have been using one of the hard drives to
<back up the data drive on my Dell 1600 server (with one Xeon 2800GHz CPU)
<running Windows 2003 Server, Enterprise Edition. The other hard drive is
<empty.
<
<This afternoon, I tried to restore some of the data to another computer,
<running Windows XP Professional, SP2. The XP system can read the empty
300GB
<hard drive, but cannot access the other hard drive. I cannot assign a
drive
<letter to the drive with my data. It says it is a GPT Protective
Partition.
<My initial research discloses that this type of partition is associated
with
<the 64 bit version of Windows, but I am running just standard stuff, as
<outlined above. Query: how can I access my data? How did this hard drive
end
<up having a GPT Protective Partition? I certainly did nothing deliberately
<to cause this to occur. I have worked on hundreds of systems and have
never
<previously run across this issue. Anyone?
<
<
<

""Darrell Gorter[MSFT]"" <Darrellg@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:b9iilKeJGHA.1236@TK2MSFTNGXA02.phx.gbl...
> Hello,
> With Windows Server 2003 SP1, x86 also supports GPT disks. These are only
> supported as data disks, not as boot or system disks.
> You would configure them in Disk Management. Windows XP SP2 does not
> support GPT disks. The disks would have be configured as MBR disks, which
> would mean backing up all the data, converting the disk to MBR( the
convert
> process erases all the data), then restoring the data.

Interesting. When I got to the the office today I attached the external
Firewire 800 unit (with two 300GB hard drives) to my server and was indeed
able to access both drives. When I clicked right on My Computer and clicked
on Manage, I saw both drives and both had drive letters. Both looked
absolutely identical. Nowhere did it inform me that one disk is a GPT disk,
and the other is not. I am right now backing up my system to the one drive
that I know XP can read, and when that has been completed, I will format the
other disk on an XP system (to make certain I can read it).

Hello,
So while in Disk management, right click on the drive(not the volume, the
drive)
Under the the option to Convert to Dynamic Disk, there should be an option>
If the disk is GPT the option would be convert to MBR
Is the disk is MBR the option would be to convert to GPT.
In either case the option is greyed out as long as there are partition on
the drive. You have to remove all partitions from the drive before you can
convert, thus the reason I for backing up first.
I have Windows Installed on both disks so neither can be GPT so I do not
recall where it shows it in the UI other than device manager.
goto the disk drives in device manager:
right click on the drive and choose properties
then choose the volumes tab
hit the populate button
Note what is under partition style. This should tell you whether it's GPT
or MBR.
Thanks,
Darrell Gorter[MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights
--------------------
<From: "Z Man" <z1z@hotmail.com>
<References: <OdRIYdUJGHA.2696@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl>
<b9iilKeJGHA.1236@TK2MSFTNGXA02.phx.gbl>
<Subject: Re: GPT Protective Partition - cannot assign drive letter or
access it
<Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 19:04:11 -0500
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<Xref: TK2MSFTNGXA02.phx.gbl microsoft.public.windows.server.general:87533
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<
<
<""Darrell Gorter[MSFT]"" <Darrellg@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
<news:b9iilKeJGHA.1236@TK2MSFTNGXA02.phx.gbl...
<> Hello,
<> With Windows Server 2003 SP1, x86 also supports GPT disks. These are
only
<> supported as data disks, not as boot or system disks.
<> You would configure them in Disk Management. Windows XP SP2 does not
<> support GPT disks. The disks would have be configured as MBR disks,
which
<> would mean backing up all the data, converting the disk to MBR( the
<convert
<> process erases all the data), then restoring the data.
<
<Interesting. When I got to the the office today I attached the external
<Firewire 800 unit (with two 300GB hard drives) to my server and was indeed
<able to access both drives. When I clicked right on My Computer and clicked
<on Manage, I saw both drives and both had drive letters. Both looked
<absolutely identical. Nowhere did it inform me that one disk is a GPT disk,
<and the other is not. I am right now backing up my system to the one drive
<that I know XP can read, and when that has been completed, I will format
the
<other disk on an XP system (to make certain I can read it).
<
<
<