SanDisk Woes

[M M Marty]

Brian, I have a multitude of files I use, mostly textures, that I wanted to back up.  I purchased a SanDisk 2TB SSD with that creepy vault component.  I don't want a super secret vault for which I have to sacrifice my firstborn in order to open; I just want a place to access my files on a regular basis.  I don't keep any of these on my PC, only on an external hard drive.  My issue is that I absolutely detest the way the files are displayed, and it's almost impossible for me to even find them sometimes, as they aren't laid out as they are in Explorer.  I attached a screen print of what I'm getting; their website and "help" is useless.  

My question is this:  can I just format the whole thing, erasing everything, including their dank vault, and use the drive for regular storage?  Or, would this corrupt everything on it and not let me add files?  I didn't realize how ugly a 2TB hard drive could be.  Thank you in advance.  

[Brian]

2 hours ago, M M Marty said:

My question is this:  can I just format the whole thing, erasing everything, including their dank vault, and use the drive for regular storage? 

YES.

What I would do first, is to get any files out of that stupid vault program, then delete the whole partition...create a new one and format it. I can help you with this if needed.

[Brian]

2 hours ago, M M Marty said:

I didn't realize how ugly a 2TB hard drive could be.

It's not the HD per se, they always have been pretty straightforward. it's just the stupid freakin' software that gets included with the drives that trips people up. This has been happening for as long as I remember; in fact, I can share similar stories from Hard Drives in the early 1990's and that's 30 years ago. LOL!!

[M M Marty]

Thanks much, Brian; I knew you would have the info.  I deleted all the files.  When you say "delete the whole partition", do you mean delete what's left showing in the attachment below?  And yes, I would very much appreciate your walking me through creating a new one and formatting it.  Thanks again.  

[Brian]

I'm going to move this to the Windows Forum since it's really not a "Gear" question. I will post the instructions on how to delete / create a partition in the next comment box.

[Brian]

Deleting a Windows Partition and creating a new one is pretty straightforward, and just takes a few minutes to complete. No special software is needed, especially software from the Hard Drive Manufactures; all that is required is built into the Windows Operating System. So let's begin!

1. Right-Click on the Start Button and select Disk Management:
   
   
    
2. This will bring up the main Disk Management Utility Window. Make note of which hard drives are currently mounted:
   
   
    
3. Now insert the EHD into your USB port and allow it to mount/spin up. It should appear in the list. In this example, note "Disk 1" that appeared in the list. This will be the drive that I will modifying; your Disk Number might be different. There is no difference, it's just another number in the list. It could be listed as "Disk 3" or even "Disk 5," THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT WE CHOOSE THE CORRECT DRIVE!
   
   
    
4. Select the Partition that you would like to Delete. The box will go from a plain white background to one that has slashes in it and should be highlighted. This is Windows' way of letting you know which Partition you have chosen:
   
   
    
5. Now Right-Click on that Partition and select Delete Volume. It should go without saying, that you really-really-really want to be sure that this is the correct Partition to delete.
   
   
    
6. A Warning Message will appear asking for permission to delete. If the Partition was created on another type of OS, such as a Mac, this error message will appear differently. This is completely normal, just click "Yes" and wait a few seconds.
   
   Error Warning with a Windows-Created Partition:
   
   
   
   Error Warning with a Macintosh-Created Partition:
   
   
    
7. Now your Disk Management should have your EHD as a large, solid/continuous black line:
   
   
    
8. At this point, if your HD is 2TB or smaller, we can continue with the Wizard to create a new Partition. If your EHD is 3TB or Larger, then we will need to covert the Drive from a MBR Disk to a GPT Disk. This step ONLY affects those with EHDs that are 3TB or larger. GPT is meant to create a single partition that is larger than 3TB since MBR has a 2TB maximum limit. Make sense? To convert it to a GPT Disk, right click on the Disk # in the left column you are modifying and select "Convert to GPT Disk" and follow the prompts. (Click OK, OK, etc., etc.)
   
   Note: I do not have a 3TB Drive hooked up for this document, and am using this next example as a guide. Your 3TB HD will be larger in capacity than my smaller one that I'm using in this tutorial. The important thing is to right-click on the Drive # box that you want to convert to a GPT Disk:
   
   
   
   After Right-Clicking on the Drive # square in the left column, select "Convert to GPT Disk" and follow the prompts.
   
   
   
   Again, this is only for the folks who have 3TB or larger Hard Drives!
    
9. Now for the fun part, creating a new Partition! Right click on the area that has a black stripe and select, "New Simple Volume."
   
   
    
10. The Wizard should appear, click Next: 
    
    
     
11. Specify the Volume Size. For the majority and this example, we will leave it at the default, which is the maximum capacity of the drive. If you are going to create multiple partitions on this Hard Drive at different sizes, I'd use an online calculator tool to create the size you need. For example, if you wanted to create a 6TB partition, you would enter 6,291,456. But to keep things simple, leave it at the default and click next. 
    
    
     
12. Assign a Drive Letter. This is the spot that you can assign a drive letter if you choose. For example, if this EHD is one that will contain personal files. we could change the Drive Letter to P:\ for "Personal Drive." Again, this is completely up to you to decide. There is no right or wrong answer. If you'd like all of your EHDs to be the "E Drive" (i.e. E:\ ) then change the default to E by clicking the Down Arrow next to the Drive Letter and selecting E.
    
    
    
    After making your choice, click Next. We will leave it at "D" for this example.
     
13. The next screen is very important. It's the "Format Partition" selections. For today's modern Windows Computers' hard drives that are meant for permanent storage, you want to use NTFS. Some devices like Thumb Drives, you would want to use FAT32. Again, for this example we will leave it at the default of NTFS. The Allocation Size should be left at the default and it is highly recommended that you give your HD a name, to keep things organized. "Data," "Photos," "EHD #2," etc. are all examples. Keep is short and simple.
    
    
    
    Before clicking Next, be sure to click the check-box next to "Perform a quick format!" Otherwise it will take HOURS to format your HD!
    Leave the "Enable file and folder compression" UN-CHECKED.
    
    Click Next.
     
14. A Summary Window should appear with your selections. Confirm them if you'd like and click Finish.
    
    
     
15. The Hard Drive will begin the process and Windows will assign it a letter and name. This process should take less than 30 seconds, but this depends on the speed of your computer and Hard Drive. Some complete this task in as little as 5-7 seconds, others take longer. When completed, the Disk Manger should have the drive in the list, along with the name that you chose for the drive:
    
    
     
16. Exit out of the Disk Manger and either use "This PC" or the "Windows Explorer" to use the new Drive.
    
    
     
17. With any new Hard Drive, now is the time to think of a Directory Structure on how you want to organize your Hard Drive. This is completely up to you, but I would take the time and think of how you are going to store stuff, rather than it becoome a dumping ground for your files/images. Here is one example:
    
    
    
    You could also keep things very simple, and have folders that are just the year:
    
    
    
    The sky's the limit! So make your Directory Structure a good one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[M M Marty]

Holy Hannah, Brian, thank you!  Following your instructions was so easy, and the process was so smooth; you made my day (which needed considerable help, I might add).  Whatever Damien pays you, it isn’t enough.    I will hasten to the “donate” button, and seriously, I can’t thank you enough.  

[Brian]

Thank You! He forwarded me the donation.
 

Those instructions are fresh off the press. I’m glad they worked out for you.