The volume size is too big, Diskpart Virtual Disk Service Error

Some users have reported facing an error where when they try to format an internal or external HDD using the diskpart command, they get an error message that says, “The volume size is too big.”

What is Virtual Disk Service (VDS)?

Virtual Disk Service, short for VDS, is a one-stop shop for you to manage all your disk and volume needs. It comprises several APIs all directed at making disk management more convenient. Users primarily face this error when they try to format a hard drive larger than 32 GB to the FAT32 file system. Both NTFS and FAT32 are popular file management systems likened to computer users across different operating systems, and since they both cater to specific purposes, users may feel the need to change their file systems accordingly.

Fix Diskpart Virtual Disk Service Error, The volume size is too big

There are 2 ways in which you can overcome this problem, both of which are going to be discussed below.

Format with DiskPart using the NTFS file system
Use AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard

1] Format with DiskPart using the NTFS file system

If it is not a necessity for you to format your drive with the FAT32 system, you can format it using the NTFS system with DiskPart. Since Windows allows you to format partitions or drives larger than 32 GB while using the NTFS file system, doing so shouldn’t trigger the error in question. Here’s what you need to do:

Open the Run command prompt by pressing the Windows + ‘R’ key. Here, enter ‘cmd’ and enter Ctrl+Shift+Enter to open the elevated Command Prompt
Connect the drive that you want to format and wait till it is initialized
Enter the following command to open the DiskPart utility

diskpart

Enter the following to get a list of all the available drives on your computer

list disk

Now, you have to figure out which drive you want to clean. Disk 0 is the one that contains your OS files, so you are recommended not to interfere with it
Once decided, enter the following command to select the particular drive. Replace X with the drive number

select disk X

Once the disk is selected, type ‘clean’ and press Enter to initiate the process
Create a fresh partition and select it by entering the following commands, one after the other

create partition primary

select partition 1

Type ‘active’ and press Enter to activate this newly created partition
Enter the following command to create a partition using the NTFS system and assign a name to it

format FS=NTFS label=*Your Name* quick

Wait till it is fully done and then, enter ‘exit’ to complete the process

If it is a necessity for you to go through with the drive formatting of a size larger than 32GB using the FAT32 system, you’re going to have to use a third-party utility for it. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will be using the freeware version of AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard.

2] Use AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard

You can download AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. Once you’ve downloaded and installed it, follow the steps below to format your drive to the FAT32 system.

Launch the AOMEI Partition Assistant app and locate the disk that you want to format
Having followed the aforementioned process of creating a NTFS partition for your drive, you’ll now see one for the drive that you want to be formatted as per the FAT32 system.
Right-click on this NTFS Partition and select ‘Format Partition’
This will open a separate dialog box. From the File System drop-down, select ‘FAT32’ and click on OK
Preview this new formatting and then select Apply > Proceed

Once the process is complete, you’ll see a new drive partition with FAT32, having successfully avoided the “The volume size is too big” Virtual Disk Service error.

Can I disable Virtual Disk Service?

If you find yourself not interfering with your disks and wish to disable the Virtual Disk Service altogether, there is a process in place for you to do so.

Press Ctrl + ‘R’ and enter ‘services.msc’
Scroll down till you find Virtual Disk
Right-click on it and select Stop.
The process may take a while but once done, your built-in Virtual Disk Service will be disabled

Related:

Diskpart Virtual Disk Service error, The operation timed out
Diskpart Virtual Disk Service Error: The service failed to initialize
Diskpart Virtual Disk Service error, There is not enough usable space
Diskpart Virtual Disk Service error. Delete is not allowed on the current boot, system, pagefile, crashdump or hibernation volume
Diskpart Virtual Disk Service error, The operation is not supported by the object
Diskpart Virtual Disk Service error, The specified disk is not convertible
Diskpart Virtual Disk Service Error: Clean is not allowed on this disk

Can I restart Virtual Disk Service?

Sometimes, users may experience glitches running the Virtual Disk Service, and a workaround it may be to restart the utility. Here’s how you can do that.