New 160GB drive won't completely format

[CyberCowboy]

Just bought a maxtor 160GB drive.
Each time I try to create a partition the drive will format itself and hang at around 127GB.
I've also tried creating different size partitions, (i.e. 3 partitions less than 60GB in size), and it still hangs at around the same spot.

Do you think it's a bad drive? I thought it was the 137MB limit that the manual suggests, but this is no where near it.

 

[slpaulson]

You could try it in another computer.

But I had the same experience, which turned out to be a dead deathstar harddrive.

 

[CyberCowboy]

I think i'll try it out on my work computer. If still the same problem, then I'll exchange for a new one....

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: CyberCowboy
Just bought a maxtor 160GB drive.
Each time I try to create a partition the drive will format itself and hang at around 127GB.
I've also tried creating different size partitions, (i.e. 3 partitions less than 60GB in size), and it still hangs at around the same spot.

Do you think it's a bad drive? I thought it was the 137MB limit that the manual suggests, but this is no where near it.

Slipstream SP1 (or better yet, SP2) into your XP CD, and then redo the installation. It will work fine. (I'm assuming you're talking about XP. If not, post and let us know what OS. I'm also assuming your BIOS is fairly modern and can support 127+GB drives.)

I suspect the HDD is just fine.

 

[CyberCowboy]

I have xp. But my os is also on a 160GB Raid 0 array( 2x80GB though). So I didn't think that the service pack would make any difference.
But I guess I'll have to install sp1.

 

[dclive]

Better yet, install SP2 (and all other updates available to you) and then let's see what happens when you try to format the drive.

 

[CyberCowboy]

I installed sp1. Still the same problem. I don't want to install sp2, since I've heard it causes many problems.
I will install it on my work computer tomorrow, (which already has a 250GB drive I installed about a month ago).
If it doesn't work, then I will just walk across the street to fry's and exchange it.

 

[jamesey]

does your hard drive make different sounds when it hits the 80% mark? if it makes long loud unnatural sounds, its about to die.

 

[capricorn]

Is is possible that your motherboard BIOS doesn't support drives that big? If not, it might be reaching the BIOS limit and going stupid on you. (Check for a updated BIOS maybe?)

 

[fireontheway]

after installing sp1 did you look in disk management to see if the remaining 33gb was there?i think with all pre sp1 xp you are pretty much forced to have more than one partition if your hdd exceeds 137gb.

 

[CyberCowboy]

Solved the problem.
My RAID controller just needed a bios & driver update.
I have a highpoint technologies RAID controller just in case anyone was wondering.

 

[mindblogg]

I had a problem strangely similar to this. When deleted the files disappear but just SOMETIMES dont really get deleted. I could identify this bcos the partition properties did not display a corresponding reduction in size. The files mysteriously show up when I look up files to add to my DVD-burn folder.
My 160GB WD is connected using USB which runs at 1.1 & not 2.0. I am myself quite clueless. :roll: