@marchello 

The Archer C7 v5 supports the NTFS format, so the max supported size most likely depends on whether TP-Link has included support for GPT (a newer type of partition table) when they compiled the Linux kernel for your router's firmware.

If they didn't, then the maximum would be 2TB, because that is the limit of the older type of MBR partition table.

If your firmware version does support GPT, then theoretically any size of storage you can buy today should be possible.

@woozle 

How do I find out if my Archer C7 V2's firmware supports GPT? Firmware 3.15.1 Build 160719 Rel.57530n

@BruceCH 

I guess the sole reliable way to find out would be to take an empty, preferably surplus/discarded, USB disk (can be anything like HDD, Flash drive, SD card in USB SD card reader), convert its partition table from MBR to GPT, put a couple of files on it and then plug it into your Archer C7 V2.

If you can see and read the files via your clients, then your router obviously supports GPT. Otherwise it doesn't.

@woozle 

woozle wrote

@BruceCH 

 

I guess the sole reliable way to find out would be to take an empty, preferably surplus/discarded, USB disk (can be anything like HDD, Flash drive, SD card in USB SD card reader), convert its partition table from MBR to GPT, put a couple of files on it and then plug it into your Archer C7 V2.

If you can see and read the files via your clients, then your router obviously supports GPT. Otherwise it doesn't.

 

I did that, and it recognized the GPT flash drive. So it does recognize GPT. But now I have a different problem.

I cloned the original 2TB drive to a 4 TB drive. Both are recognized by my computer. But the 4TB is not recognized on the C7. It doesn't even recognize the original drive that's been working for years. Any idea what happened?

@BruceCH 

Hi,

So, the content of your original 2TB drive was copied to another 4TB drive and now the 2TB drive is not recognized by the router anymore?

If rebooting the router doesn't solve the problem, then I don't what else it could be.

Was some special software used to clone the drive or did you just copy the files and folders over?