External HDD Unrecognised Partition & Formatting Issue

Ephidel-10540EC9-5AAC-4A2A-88C5-B8B3408B1F01 · Sep 26, 2015

Hello,

I've recently purchased a 5TB Seagate External HDD for £120. I've created a partition in the drive separating 4TB for Xbox One content and the rest for Media/Music. If my External HDD is connected when I turn on my Xbox One console, it is not recognised
as a viable device for being formatted for Xbox One memory. I have to unplug and reconnect the External HDD whenever I want my Xbox One to give me the option to format it for Xbox One saves.

However, that is background information. My main issue being that in the Xbox One Media Player, it recognises the External HDD partition that I've set up. When given the option to format the External HDD in order to prepare it for Xbox One content, it lists
the ENTIRE External HDD as needing to be formatted for this purpose. It does not give me the option to select the very specific 4TB partitioned part of my External HDD to format. My Xbox One either wants to format the whole thing or nothing at all, and I really
don't want to lose all of my Media/Music behind the partition.

So, the question is this : How do I get the Xbox One to recognise the partition when preparing the External HDD for Xbox One Storage and only format the part of the External HDD that I want it to? Failing that, should I just backup my Media/Music on my PC,
format the entire External HDD for Xbox One storage and then partition the External HDD afterwards and use it that way? As far as I can imagine, the Xbox One will know it's been tampered with if I do that, so that could very well put my Xbox One save data
in jeopardy.

I hope you see the dilemma and can help me with this issue. Ultimately, I guess I need to know if a single External HDD can be simultaneously used for both Xbox One storage and Media/Music (if partitioned), and if not, why?

I'll greatly appreciate any assistance you can provide in this matter.

:)

OCRyzen · Sep 26, 2015

Xbox 360 tech question

Yes, I did customise the partitions & not elect to delete data on the other partitions... The partition with Music files were there & recognised, until I connected the 1TB external HDD to the console & configured the HDD partition to Xbox etc.. When I connected
the HDD to the computer again, the data was gone & not retrievable, because the sectors have been deleted & re-written...

I don't just say things, for the fun of it... I've had a computer for over 25 years... So I know my way around a computer...

VisageOfAnAngel · Sep 26, 2015

xbox original games

If the 320 GB HDD played them before and will not now then somehow that HDD became damaged or lost data. Xbox Originals require a specific partition on the HDD in order to function--this partition cannot be emulated which is why people who buy aftermarket
drives can't play Originals--and it seems like for whatever reason your HDD lost that partition.

Since it's a dedicated partition on the drive formatting the HDD should not effect it. In the end I'd say your HDD--or at least that partition--is failing. If you know anyone with an Xbox who has a HDD you can try on yours that would solve
if it's a HDD issue or a console issue.

P.S.

Xbox Originals are run on code emulating the original Xbox. Visual settings or output cables should not effect gameplay in the slightest.

GrowlingYapper · Sep 26, 2015

Sorry you cannot have media files on the same HDD as games,

As to why not, I haven't heard an official reason, But believe its down to security and make it harder for the bad guys ruining things for the honest gamer

Ephidel-10540EC9-5AAC-4A2A-88C5-B8B3408B1F01 · Oct 31, 2018

For as much as that may be true, this Forum is pretty much the only support option I have, seeing as I have found no official support e-mail address. As a result, whilst I appreciate your response, I would like to officially receive word from Microsoft or
a Microsoft representative regarding this issue.

Failing any such response on these Forums, I would therefore also like to inquire as to where I may receive or locate such a response.

Thank you for your time.

Ephidel-10540EC9-5AA

For as much as that may be true, this Forum is pretty much the only support option I have, seeing as I have found no official support e-mail address. As a result, whilst I appreciate your response, I would like to officially receive word from Microsoft or
a Microsoft representative regarding this issue.

Failing any such response on these Forums, I would therefore also like to inquire as to where I may receive or locate such a response.

Thank you for your time.

GrowlingYapper

Sorry you cannot have media files on the same HDD as games,

As to why not, I haven't heard an official reason, But believe its down to security and make it harder for the bad guys ruining things for the honest gamer

Frathos

The Format Hard Drive function is also there so that you can format external USB 3.0 HDD's with the appropriate Xbox partition for saving games etc. By default, a new external HDD would come with a FAT or NTFS partition which cannot be used for installing
Xbox games. A NTFS partitioned external hard drive can be used however for extended Game DVR clips.

Internet Expert

If you have a Windows PC, connect the external hard drive to it and give it a reformat. Sometimes, people need to give a hard drive an extra reformat on the computer because it's currently in a format that the Xbox cannot change (for some reason).

- Connect the external HDD to the PC.

- Go to "My Computer" (Win+E)

- Right click the external hard drive, and select "Format..."

- Ensure it formats to "NTFS", leave all other settings the way they are.

- After it finishes, attempt to format the drive on the Xbox again.

NOTE: If your external hard drive came pre-formatted with more than one partition, you will need to reformat the entire drive so it has one and only one NTFS partition. You can manage disk partitions via "Disk Management" in Windows.

Hope this helps!

itsonlyacomputa

READ THIS BEFORE GIVING UP (QUALIFIED TECHNICIAN)

All USB 3.0 Ext HDD including SATAII are formatted to NTFS unless specified by manufacturer.

This is windows standard format for use on PC. If you buy an external drive even one that is formatted for Mac you plug this new external HDD into either a PC or Mac as formatted for, then go to the formatting features in that device to reformat this external
HDD to Xbox parameters.

Select the formatting code Fat32 (only) and quick format the new external without partitions. Choosing to check every block in long formatting is not necessary as this drive is new.

Once the drive is formatted to Fat32 remove it from PC/Mac and then connect it to your Xbox (whatever version) and turn on that device.

A window will appear before login, asking you to select the type of use for this external drive.

Select the games option for storage of game content and do not make it the preferred storage of new content. It is a library backup not a main drive for game play. If you intend to use this new storage for music and videos it requires different formatting
to the games option. You cannot have both on the same drive.

Let your Xbox do its thing and then check the drive by going into 'settings' and selecting 'storage' to see the drive in your system settings.

You will notice that your formatted external drive loses a lot of Gb, as in 4Tb will be 3.6Tb. This is because the formatted drive is in large blocks probably 128Kb shrinking the drive space to Fat32 128Kb not NTFS.

Don't use a program to change this external to Xbox format (AOMEI Partition Pro allows multi layer HDD formatting for technicians). Changing the format parameters in Fat32 will render your format to no longer work on Xbox and you will need to redo the entire
format procedure.

On partitioning, you can have a single external drive with 2 partitions connected to your Xbox but these partitions cannot serve different purpose. E.g., you cannot have 1 partition for games and the 2nd for music and photos. You can have 2 partitions for
game storage on one device but why bother. Separate partitions on the same external must have the same formatting. Hence, don't partition, just add another external drive.

You can have up to 2 external drives on an Xbox One upwards. But note, the external should be used for storage of games, not a drive for play.
It is necessary to extend one specific option here
- if you intend to play from an external drive, buy a powered SATAII external drive as it will not break easily. This is far more reliable than an SSD of similar and these USB 3.2 SATAII drives start at 4Tb storage size and get very large
at 20Tb of saved data on one drive. SATAII is not cheap but it will outlast all other external options.

A faster drive does not transfer at a faster speed than the set parameters of the Operating System settings. Most people don't read the technical information on how their device functions as a stable unit, especially Xbox users. Xbox One upwards runs 5400rpm
and no higher. It is why you can buy very good external HDDs at a fraction of price to extend your units onboard storage and not be at a loss for exaggerated hype that serves only to confuse the real terminology herein. Learn from an expert.

External HDD Unrecognised Partition & Formatting Issue