Can't format hard drive to NTFS

[weeber]

I have a 160GB Seagate ATA hard drive in my HTPC with a 20GB partition for OS and programs and the remaining space for videos. My video partition went crazy, and crashed. All of the sudden it said that the partion was 0GB in size. I was able to use a file recovery program for the videos, so there's no loss there.

I'm now trying to get the drive back on it's feet. The Seagate disk check tools says that the drive is OK except for the file system which says it fails with critical errors (this was only on the video partition, the main partition was OK). I tried checkdisk and all that to no avail. I then decided to start over, even doing a low level format first. Now I'm trying to recreate my 20GB partition again formatting with NTFS. However, now that won't even pass Seagate's file system checker. The strange thing is, when I format with FAT32, the file system checks out fine. I'm not sure if this is normal, but when I format with NTFS, it tells me that there's 65MB of used space, even when there's nothing on the drive at all. This doesn't happen with FAT32.

Just for grins, I did try to create a NTFS partition for my videos again. The Seagate file system checker failed it, and it did fail relatively quickly

I'm all out of ideas. Seagate tells me the drive is fine physically, but I can't seem to put a good NTFS partition on it. Can anyone help me out?

Thanks.

 

[MobiusPizza]

Did you use the Windows XP NTFS format tools?
Did full format instead of quick?

If Windows say it's fine then it should be fine. I wondors does the Segate file system checker even supports NTFS.

 

[weeber]

AnnihilatorX,

Good questions. I've tried WinXP's format tools for NTFS and Seagates. I've also done both quick and full format.

I think Seagates file checker tool does recognize NTFS because before I went through this full format, it told me that the 20GB NTFS partition was good, just the video partion was not.

After I did I low-level format, I went to recreate the 20GB NTFS partition, and I can no longer get a good NTFS partition.

It's weird I tell ya.

 

[MobiusPizza]

Yes I agree it's weird
If the disk surface scan reveals no problems and low-level formatted there should be no way that the drive cannot be formatted properly.
Any weird noises from the HDD?

Could you identify the 65MB of hidden data?

 

[weeber]

Originally posted by: AnnihilatorX
Yes I agree it's weird
If the disk surface scan reveals no problems and low-level formatted there should be no way that the drive cannot be formatted properly.
Any weird noises from the HDD?

Could you identify the 65MB of hidden data?

Disk surface scans (both windows and Seagate's) report no problems. There have been no unusual noises. I am also unable to determine what the 65MB of data is. After a NTFS format, the only thing that shows up on the drive is "System Volume Information" and Windows says this is empty.

When I get back home, I'm going to try and run chkdsk from the Safe Mode command prompt instead of Windows and see what that reports.

 

[wchou]

Originally posted by: weeber

Originally posted by: AnnihilatorX
Yes I agree it's weird
If the disk surface scan reveals no problems and low-level formatted there should be no way that the drive cannot be formatted properly.
Any weird noises from the HDD?

Could you identify the 65MB of hidden data?

Disk surface scans (both windows and Seagate's) report no problems. There have been no unusual noises. I am also unable to determine what the 65MB of data is. After a NTFS format, the only thing that shows up on the drive is "System Volume Information" and Windows says this is empty.

When I get back home, I'm going to try and run chkdsk from the Safe Mode command prompt instead of Windows and see what that reports.

Its not hidden data, its what NTFS use it for, it reserves this for partition table

 

[qbek]

Are you sure that the 65MB isn't reserved for the Master File Table (MFT)?

How NTFS Reserves Space for its Master File Table (MFT).