• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

HD isn't showing full capacity.

H

Hyonie

Senior member
just got a 160gb sata drive, but only shows up as a 137gb drive. how do i resolve this problem? i'm sure this has been asked before, but i can't find it. i would appreciate some help. thanks.
 
I believe this is because you are using Windows XP without SP1. You need to get a CD with SP1 and then format and re-install, or you can install SP1 on your current installation and then go to Disk Management and add another partition. This would mean that you would have both a C and D drive though. Otherwise, you can get Partition Magic to make it one parition of the full 160GB. Partition Magic is expensive though, so it is a limitation.
 
Also, many hard drive manufacturers label the size of their hard drives on the premise of actual scientific math. Meaning a Gig equals 1000 Megs, and 1 Meg equals 1000 Ks, and 1 K equals 1000 bytes. However, math is for losers and lower life-forms, and in the COMPUTER world (the one that matters), a Gig equals 1024 Megs, and a Meg is 1024 Ks and so on. So any prefix is 1024 units of the prefix below it.

So what that means is that 160 Gigabytes may actually equate to a smidge over 156 Gigabytes. Which doesn't exactly make up for a 19 Gig absence, but that could be due to a partition you don't know about, Windows XP often makes them during installation without really telling you. And perhaps the drive was actually calibrated wrong in the factory.
 
No, I dont think so mobobuff 🙂. Unless it is some strange coincidence, it is the SP1 problem. The reason I think this is because Windows XP (Non SP1) cannot correctly calculate hard drives bigger then 137GB, so they max out there. SP1 and beyond supports higher hard drives. No offense to you though, mobobuff!
 
Oh oh oooooh, well yes that seems much more likely 🙂. I do remember reading about that somewhere too, completely slipped my mind.
 
Originally posted by: mobobuff
Also, many hard drive manufacturers label the size of their hard drives on the premise of actual scientific math. Meaning a Gig equals 1000 Megs, and 1 Meg equals 1000 Ks, and 1 K equals 1000 bytes. However, math is for losers and lower life-forms, and in the COMPUTER world (the one that matters), a Gig equals 1024 Megs, and a Meg is 1024 Ks and so on. So any prefix is 1024 units of the prefix below it.

So what that means is that 160 Gigabytes may actually equate to a smidge over 156 Gigabytes. Which doesn't exactly make up for a 19 Gig absence, but that could be due to a partition you don't know about, Windows XP often makes them during installation without really telling you. And perhaps the drive was actually calibrated wrong in the factory.
Click to expand...

1024 megs per gig is math based too. Or math base 2. Ok that was REALLY bad...

😛

Definitely check out sp1.
 
Either that or your bios doesn't recognize. I bought a Seagate 200GB and it has been sitting unused for over a month because the SuperSocket 7 system I was going to setup with Linux for a file server does not recognize a HD that big. It sucks. I have the most recent BIOS and it isn't recent enough. I was hoping since it was an Asus board they would have updated the BIOS.
 
Originally posted by: haze03
Either that or your bios doesn't recognize. I bought a Seagate 200GB and it has been sitting unused for over a month because the SuperSocket 7 system I was going to setup with Linux for a file server does not recognize a HD that big. It sucks. I have the most recent BIOS and it isn't recent enough. I was hoping since it was an Asus board they would have updated the BIOS.
Click to expand...

An IDE PCI card should solve that problem.
 
i really wish that hdd manufactors would stop selling drives on the falsity of 200gigs when they arnt... we all know its 1024megs to make a gig... why can't they use the same standard as everyone else
 
Originally posted by: MikePanic
i really wish that hdd manufactors would stop selling drives on the falsity of 200gigs when they arnt... we all know its 1024megs to make a gig... why can't they use the same standard as everyone else
Click to expand...

Because the bigger number sells better.

And the marketing department doesn't understand the math.
 
I'm no expert, but the filesystem iteself uses space just storing the paths to each file in it's internal file tables and stuff. Doesn't it? I agree that the mfgrs are spinning off high numbers to help sell, but there are other reasons for max partition size being smaller than the advertised size.
 
Originally posted by: howdyduty
I think 137-138gb is max per partition. Just make a second partition and have 2 drives in windows.
Click to expand...

Nope. The maximum partition size is much larger than 137GB.
 
The fdisk command that came with the orig XP is limited to 137GB. You need to download a newer version from MS. Which by the way is included on the SP1.
 
I would say that before you reformat or anything, check the size of the hard drive in windows computer management console from control panel under administrative tools, i believe, and see if you can figure anything out from there. what did you use to format the hard drive with?

-Mel

 
thanks all, sp1 fixed it. 🙂

but, do i have to reformat to get it to use it as one big drive intead of 2 separate partitions without using any expensive software that i don't have any money to buy with.
 
This site explains more about the 137 GB barrier.
And yes, Windows does support larger than 137 GB.
I have a 160 Gb that is not partitioned, & it's all there.
SP1 is the easiest, cheapest way to fix the problem.

Good to hear that you got it working, Hyonie 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top