Ssd isnt formatted right..and wont resize

Troubleshooting
1

my 4tb ssd is formatting to 1.7tb and im confused..i installed the os to the 4tb ssd and i have a second ssd that is the same size and mmodel but it formatted to 4tb fine.

Creating a bug report/issue

I have searched the existing open and closed issues

Required Information

  • DietPi version | G_DIETPI_VERSION_CORE=10
    G_DIETPI_VERSION_SUB=6
    G_DIETPI_VERSION_RC=2
    G_GITBRANCH=‘master’
    G_GITOWNER=‘MichaIng’
  • Distro version | trixie 0
  • Kernel version | Linux dietpipi 6.18.39+rpt-rpi-2712 #1 SMP PREEMPT Debian 1:6.18.39-1+rpt1 (2026-07-29) aarch64 GNU/Linux
  • Architecture | arm64
  • SBC model | RPi 5 Model B (aarch64) or (EG: RPi3)
  • Power supply used | (EG: 5V 5A rastech
  • SD card used | 4tb teamgroup nvme ssd

2

How did you format the SSD?

3

MBR partition tables are limited to 2 TiB disk size. For 4 TiB, you need to partition the drive with a GPT partition table, which is also the default in dietpi-drive_manager.

Our RPi images however ship with MBR partition table, as RPis do not (reliably) support booting from GPT. There are ways via hybrid MBR/GPT, and the RPi 5 SPI bootloader might support GPT natively, but also with constraints regarding compatibility with how e.g. Windows reads it, thus the ability to access the FAT partition from other OSes. Overall, it causes more issues than that it helps.

So as system drive, max 2 TiB minus boot partition minus metadata is usable. Additional drives can be formatted with GPT to access their full size.

4

i formatted in gpt in microsoft disk management when i flashed the dietpi image to my ssd like the last 100 times. its never done this. ill just reformat it one more time and see what happens i guess..it takes like 5 mins to get back to what i was doing..

EDIT: so it was this way the whole time? i dont remember being only able to use 2tb of a 4tb drive b4..hmm…lame i guess this means i need to use a 4x hat and a smaller ssd to use for the main drive..

EDIT2: im guessing i didnt notice it because x86 doesn’t have that limitation.

5

Our images do contain the partition table as well, otherwise this wouldn’t work at all. So whatever you format the disk in Windows, it is overwritten by the image, and it must be.

The BIOS images do, the UEFI images not. Most other SBC images are MBR as well.

6

well i got a few ribbon cables from china a couple days ago an i just tried out my 4x hat and it seems to work. so I guess i’m going just install dietpi on a smaller ssd and use my two 4tb as extra drives instead of one as a system drive. i need to find a longer set of breadboard wires and a longer ribbon cable so i can use a metal case with it. i’ll take a pic of the clown job after i set it up. thanks for all the info :wink: