IDE-->Firewire external formatting problem

[baritony]

Ok. I have an Acomdata external firewird drive with a gig IDE hard drive in it.
bought a Western Digital 120Gig IDE .
Replaced the 40 gig with the 120 gig. When I go to format it, it gets 82% done and then stops.
I am using WIN XP home
Pent 4 1 gig ram.

I've used the western digital software to format it and WIN XP doesnt recognize it as formatted. It read 'RAW" uinder the properties.
Ive used WIN XP format command and like I said, it stops 82% way through.

QUestion.... Is there a limitation on different firewire enclosures specific to drive size?

ANd, is there a way to get around this problem?
Im thinking putting this 120 Gig INSIDE and formatting it then putting in the external Firewire, but Id rathe rnot do that.


Thanks

[thayne]

May be related, I have a 160 GB SATA drive that stops at 84% when doing a normal format, but when I choose quick format it works, no problems with the drive either.

[baritony]

Well I've tried the quick format and it tries, but it cant start that process either.

Thanks

[gmatov]

I don't have XPerience, but just maybe you have to do an fdisk before you format, make a logical drive first?

My own 120 gig WD external, under 98 needed a DL from WD to use, not under Win2k. However, it was and is preformatted.

Of course, you put a 120 into an enclosure, so maybe not relevant.

Cheers,

George

[baritony]

Wedll I can not find fdisk under WIN XP. I tried to look around with no luck. So if anyone can tell me if there is FDISK under XP.....

[gmatov]

fdisk would be on a boot disk, and I understand you can DL a set of boot disk files, like 6 disks, is it, someone.

fdisk has to be done from DOS, so, unless it is in Command.com, or somewhere, you'd need it on a boot disk.

If you have a 98 boot disk, I do believe it would work. You would set your partition or partitions, then, when finished, convert to NTFS, if you use it with the converter tool under XP.

Good luck,

George

BTW, just for the hell of it, since so many have said to DL boot sets, can XP not make them from Add/Remove tab in Device Manager? Anyone?

Remember, no XPerience.