[Surferdude]

Hopefully someone can help me here. One of our resident tech heads, @CraigB , @Shambles , @AlanHo , @Dazzler, maybe @The Gonz  or anyone else who might know something.

Recently I bought a 1TB Internal HDD to add to my desktop PC.

The intention was to clone the OS.

Anyway, using AOMEI I did so successfully. I've since redone that same task onto an external HDD and wanted to restore the internal one to useable condition. I deleted the clone info but it seems that in the process of cloning AOMEI has re-sized the capacity to 500GB.  Apparently this is "normal" but I can't resize it back to 1TB. There's a process within W10 which supposedly does it but the operation fails. I searched online for an option and found one but it was full of nasties (thanks to Windows Defender, disaster was averted).

Anyway, am I stuck with it or is there some way to safely restore the original capacity? It's not a big issue. I just would prefer it in original condition.

It's a Western Digital and I check the capacity after installation but before the cloning process. It's actually the same model as my main drive.

[CraigB]

Trev, you should be able to expand the drive within Windows disk manager but if that’s what is failing you I’m short on ideas bar wiping/formatting and starting again

[Surferdude]

Trev, you should be able to expand the drive within Windows disk manager but if that’s what is failing you I’m short on ideas bar wiping/formatting and starting again

Yeah Disk Manager failed twice.
I will try again.
And I did format after wiping.

[Surferdude]

Formatted.
Disk manager gives me an unhighlighted option to "extend volume"
What about if I "delete volume" and go through the process of activating it again? Can that hurt anything?

[druggist]

That sounds right, I remember doing something similar when I put in a new HDD a couple of years ago or try Free partition manager software to resize partitions - EaseUS Partition Master Free

[CraigB]

Yep, delete everything.

You might only have to make the drive discoverable again, formatting should have removed everything previously 

[tw2005]

Formatted.
Disk manager gives me an unhighlighted option to "extend volume"
What about if I "delete volume" and go through the process of activating it again? Can that hurt anything?

Should work or that partitionmanager or there is a process within CMD Prompt. NotFamiliar with 10, I stick to W7

[Surferdude]

Ive left it for the day.
Windows defender doesn't like partition manager.
Windows also now wont recognize the drive at all. I'll have to find the process to go through to fix that first.

[The Gonz]

One of the greatest reasons to have Lucid Puppy Linux on a boot USB is to fix problems Windows can't.
Seriously, Boot and run Linux from a USB flash memory stick | USB Pen Drive Linux is how get started.
Then you'll have a full operating system on your keyring loaded with tools such as a partition manager.

[CraigB]

Ive left it for the day.
Windows defender doesn't like partition manager.
Windows also now wont recognize the drive at all. I'll have to find the process to go through to fix that first.

Is the drive viewable in Disk Manager? if it is you will have to allocate the drive a letter, if it's not viewable then you'll have to try and access it via Bios...it's been so long since I've had any similar issues and I cant remember the process

[CraigB]

One of the greatest reasons to have Lucid Puppy Linux on a boot USB is to fix problems Windows can't.
Seriously, Boot and run Linux from a USB flash memory stick | USB Pen Drive Linux is how get started.
Then you'll have a full operating system on your keyring loaded with tools such as a partition manager.

Gonz, Trevor's Windows is working on new drive, it's the previously reformatted drive that is no longer discoverable.

[The Gonz]

Precisely. Throw it in as a drive, any drive, fitted or via USB, and the boot USB will see it and manage it into health.

[xiziz]

I've always used gparted for this kind of work. Should be able to find, partition/expand as you please.

GParted -- A free application for graphically managing disk device partitions

No need for an entire new OS to boot from a usb. (Although I do agree that its a very good idea to have one to fix things, I usually just make a new one when needed and use my USB as storage inbetween)

[The Gonz]

I usually just make a new one when needed and use my USB as storage inbetween

Yes, I'm doing that too.

[Surferdude]

Quick update.

None of the above suggestions worked.
So I parked the thing.
In it's last reading it was down to 500MB. Yep. MB!

Recently as part of another project I created a USB connection for external use by internal HDDs. Dismantled on old powered external HDD and changed the drive.
Using this I was able to resize the offending drive back to 1TB.

It now works fine either in the external cradle or if I refit it in the desktop. 

[Dazzler]

 

[Bighvm]

I used to fdisk its an ultra wipe out...
That will for certain clear anything and everything....

[Surferdude]

I used to fdisk its an ultra wipe out...
That will for certain clear anything and everything....

It wasn't a matter of clearing anything. It was a matter of recovering the missing space. Nothing would recognize it as more than 500MB.

And it's now diskpart which also wouldn't work its magic.