Hard Drive Space Is Wrong

[EBK]

I bought a Maxtor 60 gb 7200rpm IDE hard drive, and it only shows up on my system as a 31.4gb drive. Why is this, and what is the solution?

[Shabubu]

Run Scandisk first, nect go to the website and download the hard drive health thingies they have there, it may also be possible that when you installed windoes to it you didn't assign all of the space to a partition so it may be worth running fdisk to get some info on that (BUT DON'T DELETE ANYTHING )

[EBK]

I just installed it a little while ago, I have Windows XP Home Edition, and I installed the hard drive after I installed XP. Where can I even get to Scandisk at in XP?

[Shabubu]

Open My computer, right click the hardisk and select properties. Go to the tools tab.

[d4n13l]

It may be the BIOS not being able to access the drive fully, some older BIOS's can only access dives of a certain size. Check in your motherboard manual.

[EBK]

My motherboard manual doesn't say anything about maximum hard disk space. Should I try downloading new BIOS from the Gigabyte website. Oh, by the way I have a GA-7ZX(Rev. 5.1) with a 1.4 ghz t-bird.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: EBK on 2001-12-18 16:38:21 ]</font>

[Greg12]

run scan disk

[EBK]

I ran Scandisk, and it didn't detect anything, and the drive size is still only 31.4gb. I have it in the NTFS File system, so shoudldn't it be 60mb, according to the quote from the Maxtor website?

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>Windows XP will not allow formatting of a drive larger than 32 GB using the FAT32 file system. To utilize the full capacity of your drive within a single partition, Microsoft recommends formatting your drive using the NTFS file system, which supports partition sizes up to 137 GB (as of this writing). This also assumes that your system BIOS or your third party host adapter is capable of supporting full capacity of the disk drive. </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: EBK on 2001-12-17 17:15:42 ]</font>

[Bud]

If you used the Maxtor Install Uitlity that came with the disk, that may have cause the problem, what I did on a 60 GB Maxtor was.. boot with the windows disk, run Fdisk on the drive, re-set the drive, use WINDOWS to format the drive, do not use the MAXTOR install utility......another way I tried wa on a Western Digital 80 GB, was to do a New Install on the unformatted disk with a Win 98 Set-Up disk (3-1/2)with the Win 98 CD, again I re-formatted the disk, installed Win 98, then ran the XP Upgrade...hope this helps...
Bud

[speedy]

You have a few options. The simplest is make multiple partitions. Example: Drive letters C, D, E, whatever. That way your whole drive will be used. The 32GB limit applies to partitions, not the physical drive.

Got a old boot disk from Win98 or Me handy? Then boot from that, then use Fdisk to create your partition(s) Once done, restart XP. CAUTION: Using Fdisk is destructive! You will lose any data/files on the partition. Good option if you're starting over or fresh.

Better, get a copy of Partition Magic (need newest version for XP) then you can do none destructive formatting. Haven't tried it, so don't know if it gets around the 32GB barrier or not in XP with FAT 32.

Best bet, convert to NTFS. You'll love it. Especially if you do uncompressed AVI, since you'll have no more 4GB ceiling and can make any size files. I've made single video files as large as 48GB so far. Ouch!

[EBK]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>Best bet, convert to NTFS. You'll love it. Especially if you do uncompressed AVI, since you'll have no more 4GB ceiling and can make any size files. I've made single video files as large as 48GB so far. Ouch! </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>
Thanks for all of your responses
It is on NTFS, for the reason that I could make huge .avi files. I don't think I used Maxtor's utilities, I'm sure I just used Windows Disk Managment to format it. This is a secondary hard drive, which shouldn't make a difference, right? Since it is on NTFS, shouldn't it be at the full 60 gb?

[ngnr]

I know you said you checked the properties so bear with me if I am repeating something that you haev already done.

Right click on "my computer" and select "Manage". Select "Disk Management" from the list under "Storage". You should see a list of all available space on the drive hidden or otherwise. Do you see any additional space other than the 32Gb that you already know about? If you do, you can select it on the right (it probably has no drive letter) and format it. You will still end up with 2 partitions but you will have all your space.

If you really want to get to 60Gb after that you have a couple of options. One is re-format the whole thing and the other more civilized option is to get Partition Magic, (latest version!) and merge the 2 partitions.

[speedy]

Interesting. Did you start out with NTFS or did you convert from FAT32? That may be it if your BIOS supports larger drives. I'm just guessing.

Partition Magic is probably your best option. I just hate having to buy a new version every time MS releases a new OS, so I haven't this time. I just bought one for ME last year and I'm not about to pop for another $70 just because I got XP.

[kinneera]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
Windows XP will not allow formatting of a drive larger than 32 GB using the FAT32 file system.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

Sorry, but this is absolute bulls*t. The machine I am typing this message on has a 45 GB hard drive formatted using FAT32 and running WinXP. The largest partition is 36GB, and is FAT32.

I think they intended to refer to the FAT16 (DOS and Win95 prior to OSR2). As I recall, the size limit for FAT32 is something like 4TB.

[speedy]

You can't FORMAT beyond 32GB under XP. It will work fine on larger partitions if they have been PREVIOUSLY formatted under another OS or if you use a previous version boot disk. Saw a detailed explanation in Microsoft's KB as to why, but didn't bookmark it. BTW, the limit for FAT32 is just a puny 2GB, not TB.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: speedy on 2001-12-17 20:25:27 ]</font>

[ngnr]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-12-17 20:22:58, speedy wrote:
BTW, the limit for FAT32 is just a puny 2GB, not TB.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm sure you meant to say something else? TWO Gig?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ngnr on 2001-12-17 20:30:53 ]</font>

[Tommy]

USE THE MAXTOR INSTALL UTILITY!!!! Now that i've said that I feel better. But really use the utility thats what its for. If you don't have it you can download it from the website. All of these suggestions are nice and helpful but its doesn't have to be that hard.

Just for everyones information Kineera is right the Maximum size for Fat 32 is 2TB (as released in win98se, winme.) Follow the link.... http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q154997

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Tommy on 2001-12-17 20:43:45 ]</font>

[speedy]

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: speedy on 2001-12-17 21:48:22 ]</font>

[speedy]

ROTFLMAO! Where did I get that from? I was thinking of the 4GB limit for AVI. Now how in the heck did I manage to post a blank message? I started to give a more detailed reply, then edited it, then simply deleted it, or tried too, could not and ended up with the above.

[eyeofbeholder]

I suggest:
1. Run Check disk as everyone else suggests.
2. Make sure your Bios supports that large of drive.
3. Make sure that the drive is really a 60GB drive. Could be mismarked. Try it on anther computer that you know recognizes a 60GB drive.

[EBK]

I never though installing a simple hard drive would be such a pain in the ass! I installed the hard drive after I installed Windows XP. I formatted it with the NTFS file system, never tried FAT32 because of the 4gb limit on .avi files. I don’t believe that the drive is mismarked since it is a Maxtor, which is a reliable company. Getting back to ngnr, in Windows Disk Management, there isn’t any extra space to make a partition. Would formatting the drive to FAT32, then to NTFS affect anything?

[ngnr]

<quote>
in Windows Disk Management, there isn’t any extra space to make a partition.
/<guote>

OK. Well I believe that means there is no other partition on the drive, certainly no formatted one. Either that or you only have a 32G drive. I'm a little out on a limb here since all my partitions are formatted so even my Win98 partition, which is not visible to XP, shows up in the drive management app that I pointed you to. That's why it's odd that yours doesn't, but as I said, it may just not be formatted.

Either try the Maxtor utility as Tommy suggests, get yourself a copy of Partition Magic or try FDISK. Not sure about the Maxtor utility but PM will allow you to create a partition and format it and FDISK will create the partition then you format. Once you have it formatted you will have two partitions so if that is not acceptable, then you'll have to FDISK the whole thing into one partition, losing anything on it, or use PM to merge them. Also, as speedy indicates, there may be a formatting problem with >32Gb (no experience on my end on that) so if so, PM should fix that too by merging after formatting.

Formatting to FAT32 and then converting to NTFS shouldn't make any problems that I can see. There are actually utilities that do that (PM for example). That's about the limit of my experience on this one but I would be interested in seeing how you make out.

UPDATE: I just did some reading in the Windows help file on this and I am beginning to believe you only have 32G. From what I can tell, even if unformatted, you should have been able to see the unallocated partition and format it from disk management. Check the help file on Disk Management for more info. BTW, you are logged in as an administrator, right?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ngnr on 2001-12-18 20:06:37 ]</font>

[EBK]

Thanks ngnr, I think I have found somthing that may work in the Computer Management help file. The title is "Extend a basic volume"

I'm going to try this:

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
To extend a basic volume
Open Command Prompt.
Type:
diskpart

At the DISKPART prompt, type:
list volume

Make note of the number of the basic volume you want to extend.

At the DISKPART prompt, type:
select volume n

Selects the basic volume, n, you want to extend into contiguous, empty space on the same disk.

At the DISKPART prompt, type:
extend [size=n]

Extends the selected volume by size=n megabytes (MB).
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

[ngnr]

How did it work out?

[EBK]

No, grr, it said "DiskPart failed to extend the volume.
Please make sure the volume is valid for extending."

[ngnr]

Run DISKPART again and select the disk (SELECT DISK 1 assuming it is the second physical drive) and type DETAIL DISK. Does it identify the drive correctly as per the drive manual? Does it identify more than one volume ie. the 32G partition plus other space? Type SELECT VOLUME # where # is the number of one of the volumes on the disk. Type DETAIL VOLUME and see if it tells you the size is 60G. If not, then that is the root of the problem.

Verify that the drive is marked as a 60G. If it is, verify your bios identifies the drive correctly and flash if not.

I really recommend you acquire a copy of Partition Magic for XP since it will be a lot easier to manage that way.

Good luck.