How to get Partition Assistant Pro to partition and format external SSD

GGraz

I just purchased a 6TB external SSD to archive audio and video.  It was having difficulty staying connected long enough to be read by Win 11.  The manufacturer's info said it might need to be formatted, so I tried to do that--several times, in fact.  When I look at the drive in Partition Assistant, it shows a small MBR area and a 5.76 TB "unallocated."  I try "create partition" on that unallocated area and it claims to have succeeded, yet after formatting as either NTFS or exFAT it shows a little error symbol and reverts back to unallocated.  What am I not doing correctly here?

aiArtisan

Thank you GGraz. I understand you are attempting to prepare an SSD for use with Windows 11.

"small MBR area"

The system disk containing Windows 11 cannot use MBR partition table type, it can only use GPT. If your 6TB SSD is external data disk without Windows, it is still highly recommended to prepare it with the GPT type.

If you create new partition table, it will erase all data on disk.

There are some cases where Windows 11 installation USB cannot detect a very new disk, and you may need to to go your disk manufacturer website, download disk model driver, and click "Load Driver" in Windows 11 installation USB utility.

Confirm you are using the latest Partition Assistant 10.4.2

If you are still having problems, please include a screenshot in your reply, thank you.

https://www.diskpart.com/changelog.html

Partition Assistant General Help Topics
https://www.diskpart.com/help/index.html

Partition Assistant Manual
https://www.diskpart.com/download/UserManual.pdf

admin

@GGraz Please offer us some screenshots of the SSD in Partition Assistant and in Windows Disk Management so we will check this issue and give you further instructions.

GGraz

Sorry, A. I'm having difficulty pasting screenshots, and B. I bailed out of Partition Assistant without taking any screenshots.  After PA failed I tried the Command Line and Diskpart, and seemed to get a little further.  See attached image.  I'll try Partition Assistant later today and take some screenshots.

GGraz

OK.  Here is what happens with the drive in Partition Assistant.  AOEMI 1 is when the program opens and sees the drive.  I tell it to create partition D as NTFS, and it indicates it has done so.  I then tell it to format D as NTFS, it initially congratulates me on success, then fails with the loading phase and reverts to the original state in AOEMI 1.  Any idea what's going on here?

GGraz

I've decided t throw in the towel and return this drive for a refund.  I switched back to the Command Line and/or Disk Management, and got an error message I was able to track down.  The drive is damaged and cannot be formatted.  This is the second large capacity, cheap SSD I bought through Walmart.  I've learned my lesson.  I've never had these problems with Toshiba so I've ordered a 2 TB for more money.  At least I know it will work out of the box!

aiArtisan

"I then tell it to format D as NTFS"

Please do the task in Disk Management, and reply with a screenshot from that application.

"cheap SSD"

I personally recommend the Crucial X9 external NVMe, if you are looking for an extremely fast, durable, large, affordable SSD.

GGraz

I first used diskpart to create a primary partition, and assigned it drive letter D.  I opened Disk Management and took this screenshot: (see DM1)

Then I told Disk Manangement to quick format as NTFS.  It showed as "formatting" for about 60 seconds and then dropped off the screen.  I unplugged it and plugged it back in, and this is what Disk Management saw: (see DM2)

GGraz

Also, I appreciate the suggestion regarding Crucial SSD's.  I priced them and found them to be too expensive for my budget.  I settled for a 2TB Toshiba Canvio HDD for $49.  I've had great luck with Toshiba drives (and laptops) over the years.  I just got suckered by an offer tor a 6TB SSD for $39 (no brand name so I assume CCP, Inc.).  As I said before, the event log showed an error indicating a damaged drive when I tried formatting from the Command Line, so I really did not expect Disk Management to succeed either.

aiArtisan

You could use free 3rd party tool not from Aomei, to detect bad and fake USB drives.

Validrive - Detect Fake USB Sticks
https://www.grc.com/validrive.htm

GGraz

I don't know whether to be overjoyed or embarrassed, but I fixed it.  I had it all boxed up to go back to Walmart, and decided to try to obtain the abovementioned screenshots.  Here's the embarrassing part:  the previously unread note on the box said the drive could only function if formatted as exFAT.  Then I remembered another discussion I was having elsewhere, the upshot of which was that 3rd party antivirus software could affect this kind of thing.  So I disconnected from the Internet, disabled Vipre, ant tried formatting in Partition Assistant as exFAT.  It worked like a charm.  I'm copying large amounts of video to it as I write this.  File this one under:  Real Men DO Need To Read The Instructions!