300gb sata drive showing as 120g?

JimBowen · 29-11-2005, 07:30 PM

hi,

just finished building a new sytem but have come across a strange probelm, i bought a 300gb maxtor hdd ( Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 10 NCQ 300GB 6L300S0 SATA 16MB Cache) and everything installed fine.
But if i go into "my computer" and right click on c: and select properties it tells me that i only have 127gb free space with 3gb used space.

could anyone tell me why this could be? thank you

amd 4000+
xfx 7800gtx extreme edition
2gb ddr400
hiper type r sli psu
abit fatality mobo
hyundai 19" tft
300gb maxtor hd ( masquerading as a 130 gb hd!!!

)

pelvis_3 · 29-11-2005, 07:22 PM

Your not using the Original Windows XP are you?

JimBowen · 29-11-2005, 07:29 PM

hi,

yes i am, i am using windows xp pro, which i bought in 2003, and i have installed service pack 1 and 2.

pelvis_3 · 29-11-2005, 07:36 PM

The original windows can only see a maximum of 120GB, so there is a good chance that when you installed windows, it made a single 120GB partition. I assure you that the rest is there just not visible. The Ultimate Boot CD has some good partion tools on it so you can create a second partition and recover your lost space

Impotence · 29-11-2005, 07:37 PM

*edit* I dont think this is your problem, but i will leave it here for anyoen else [your reply to pelvis's post was no there when i started typing] *edit*

Most high capacity hard drive's can have a 'capped' so that they can be used with a motherboard/operating system that cant cope with the size of the storage device. The 'cap' is set by a jumper on the hard disc, the intructions on how to set it are normally printed on the top of that hard disc.

I would make sure that the 'cap' is not enabled, If it is then you will have to backup all of your documents as you will need to reformat the disc after you have removed the cap.

JimBowen · 29-11-2005, 07:41 PM

right

so windows does not recognise the actual size of my hd. does this mean that i cannot exceed 120gb, or once i get to 120gb will windows think that its full, or will i still be able to use the other 180gb of space.

i will also check to see if there is a jumper on the hd, but the prob is i bought it oem, so have no instruction manuel.

idealy i do not want two partitions,

thank you for your help

pelvis_3 · 29-11-2005, 07:46 PM

Good info there publicenemy, i forgot about the Caps.
Yes, see where the 'Max Cap' jumper is located

JimBowen · 14-12-2005, 11:58 AM

just to clarify, if it is not capped, and is still only showing 120gb, i will still be able to use the full 300gb as one drive?

Impotence · 14-12-2005, 01:15 PM

Unless you can create a partition that uses the FULL capacity of the drive, you will have to use multiple partitions... so the space on the hdd will be divided into diffrent 'drives' [C:\ , D:\ etc]

I would reccomed The ultimate boot cd mentioned above, you could also try using partition magic to redifine the partition size.

Not being funny or anything, but it does say 300 GB on the disk doesnt it

(ie did they send the right one?)

You could also try getting your hands on a windoze XP SP1 or SP2 disk (the windows installer that allready has sp1/sp2) and installing that using your serial, it should work....

JimBowen · 05-01-2006, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Impotence

Unless you can create a partition that uses the FULL capacity of the drive, you will have to use multiple partitions... so the space on the hdd will be divided into diffrent 'drives' [C:\ , D:\ etc]

I would reccomed The ultimate boot cd mentioned above, you could also try using partition magic to redifine the partition size.

Not being funny or anything, but it does say 300 GB on the disk doesnt it

(ie did they send the right one?)

You could also try getting your hands on a windoze XP SP1 or SP2 disk (the windows installer that allready has sp1/sp2) and installing that using your serial, it should work....

yes it is def a 300gb hdd

cybergiest · 11-01-2006, 08:53 AM

i once put an 80 gig drive in my amd k6-II machine and when i fdisked it, it only showed 20 gig. somewhere i read that the fdisk program shows what it couldn't read in size, it showed 20 gig because it could read upto 60 gig. i got a new fdisk program and it partioned it to 80 gig. is this the same thing that early windows xp does?? the last computer that i built i put a 200 gig drive in it and i bought the newest version of windows xp pro and it formatted the harddrive as 1 drive. i went back before i finished the install and changed it to 2 partions.
also does your motherboard have issues with going over 127 gig, i am assuming that your motherboard has on board sata?? what is the limit of the onboard sata?? if that is the limit, can you change it with a bios flash??

Big B · 12-01-2006, 02:03 PM

You can see the full drive, including unformatted and unpartitioned space by doing this:

Right-click 'My Computer'. Go to Manage. Go to Disk Management. Here you'll see all your drives with all the space available.

Oh, and partitions are your friend. Seriously. Yes, it's true that you will need to reinstall all your programs, but the data there remains. So instead of having to backup your games and other stuff right before a format (although you should be backing up periodically to begin with), you can just format the Windows partition, while retaining your games, videos and music on a different drive. It's a real time saver. That, and it takes a lot less time to format, say 30GB instead of 300, especially if you decide to do a full format during the Windows install (which takes quite awhile). It probably doesn't make a whole load of difference with a quick format (for the record), but I don't own any hard drives over 60GB as of right now.

megamaced · 12-01-2006, 02:52 PM

Nicely put Big B, put you've probably wasted your time as Jimbo ain't coming back:

http://www.hardwareforums.com/differ...tel-help-9704/

beretta9m2f · 12-01-2006, 07:52 PM

I don't know if SATA is behaviorally different from a standard HD in windows, but i have a maxtor 200gb hard drive and it came with sofware that allowed windows to recognize all fo the space b/c windows can't detect more than 137gb or something like that. The program was MaxBlast4. You can use it in windows to make partitions or you can use it as a bootdisc and format your hard drive and install the files that force windows to recognize the full HD capacity. Again this wasn't SATA so it may be different. Check to see if this type of software came with your HD.

Big B · 12-01-2006, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by megamaced

Nicely put Big B, put you've probably wasted your time as Jimbo ain't coming back:

http://www.hardwareforums.com/differ...tel-help-9704/

I get paid the same ($0). Personally, if I've got 4 hours to have a presentation finished, I'm not going to rely on waiting for some answers in any message forum, as you just don't know when you'll get a reply. He didn't like the responses, fine, it's out of my hands. I just happen to be critical of people who wait for answers on a message board with a few hours to go. It's just not a smart move. HWF is a free message board, with the staff giving time because they want to. We're here to help, but this is not a place where you can come in and demand answers pronto. I don't know why he waited as long as he did, but that his problem, not ours. We're not [H]ard|Forums or Anandtech with a huge number of members, and therefore, we may not have someone that sees your question and has an answer for you.

I put in an answer as it answered the problem. Weather he reads it or not is inconsequential. Other people can glean from the info and possibly fix an issue instead of having to wait for a reply.

29-11-2005, 07:30 PM	#1 (permalink) Top
JimBowen Geek Join Date: Sep 2005 Age: 26 Male Posts: 90 Times Helpful: 8 Status: Offline My Computer	300gb sata drive showing as 120g? hi, just finished building a new sytem but have come across a strange probelm, i bought a 300gb maxtor hdd ( Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 10 NCQ 300GB 6L300S0 SATA 16MB Cache) and everything installed fine. But if i go into "my computer" and right click on c: and select properties it tells me that i only have 127gb free space with 3gb used space. could anyone tell me why this could be? thank you amd 4000+ xfx 7800gtx extreme edition 2gb ddr400 hiper type r sli psu abit fatality mobo hyundai 19" tft 300gb maxtor hd ( masquerading as a 130 gb hd!!! )

29-11-2005, 07:22 PM	#2 (permalink) Top
pelvis_3 HWF Member For Life Join Date: Jul 2005 Age: 22 Male Posts: 2,336 Times Helpful: 265 My Mood: Happy Status: Offline My Computer	Your not using the Original Windows XP are you? __________________ Adopt an unanswered thread. \| Who's Online \| vB Code Some people are alive only because it’s illegal to kill them! Support bacteria, it's the only culture some people have!

29-11-2005, 07:36 PM	#4 (permalink) Top
pelvis_3 HWF Member For Life Join Date: Jul 2005 Age: 22 Male Posts: 2,336 Times Helpful: 265 My Mood: Happy Status: Offline My Computer	The original windows can only see a maximum of 120GB, so there is a good chance that when you installed windows, it made a single 120GB partition. I assure you that the rest is there just not visible. The Ultimate Boot CD has some good partion tools on it so you can create a second partition and recover your lost space __________________ Adopt an unanswered thread. \| Who's Online \| vB Code Some people are alive only because it’s illegal to kill them! Support bacteria, it's the only culture some people have!

29-11-2005, 07:37 PM	#5 (permalink) Top
Impotence May the source be with u! Join Date: Dec 2004 Age: 19 Male Posts: 1,878 Times Helpful: 126 My Mood: Stressed Status: Offline My Computer	edit I dont think this is your problem, but i will leave it here for anyoen else [your reply to pelvis's post was no there when i started typing] edit Most high capacity hard drive's can have a 'capped' so that they can be used with a motherboard/operating system that cant cope with the size of the storage device. The 'cap' is set by a jumper on the hard disc, the intructions on how to set it are normally printed on the top of that hard disc. I would make sure that the 'cap' is not enabled, If it is then you will have to backup all of your documents as you will need to reformat the disc after you have removed the cap. __________________ Dear intel,Already Made My Decision Never trust a computer you can't repair yourself. Windows Vista - Viruses Intruders Spyware Trojans Adware Why Linux is Better!\|Pastafairianism\|Say no to National ID\|Firefox Extensions Guide scientology has been getting alot of attention recently When the rich wage war, it is the poor who die. Where are the WMD's that our governments used to justify the war? Last edited by Impotence; 29-11-2005 at 07:40 PM.

29-11-2005, 07:41 PM	#6 (permalink) Top
JimBowen Geek Join Date: Sep 2005 Age: 26 Male Posts: 90 Times Helpful: 8 Status: Offline My Computer	right so windows does not recognise the actual size of my hd. does this mean that i cannot exceed 120gb, or once i get to 120gb will windows think that its full, or will i still be able to use the other 180gb of space. i will also check to see if there is a jumper on the hd, but the prob is i bought it oem, so have no instruction manuel. idealy i do not want two partitions, thank you for your help Last edited by JimBowen; 29-11-2005 at 07:46 PM.

29-11-2005, 07:29 PM	#3 (permalink) Top
JimBowen Geek Join Date: Sep 2005 Age: 26 Male Posts: 90 Times Helpful: 8 Status: Offline My Computer	hi, yes i am, i am using windows xp pro, which i bought in 2003, and i have installed service pack 1 and 2.

29-11-2005, 07:46 PM	#7 (permalink) Top
pelvis_3 HWF Member For Life Join Date: Jul 2005 Age: 22 Male Posts: 2,336 Times Helpful: 265 My Mood: Happy Status: Offline My Computer	Good info there publicenemy, i forgot about the Caps. Yes, see where the 'Max Cap' jumper is located __________________ Adopt an unanswered thread. \| Who's Online \| vB Code Some people are alive only because it’s illegal to kill them! Support bacteria, it's the only culture some people have!

14-12-2005, 11:58 AM	#8 (permalink) Top
JimBowen Geek Join Date: Sep 2005 Age: 26 Male Posts: 90 Times Helpful: 8 Status: Offline My Computer	just to clarify, if it is not capped, and is still only showing 120gb, i will still be able to use the full 300gb as one drive?

14-12-2005, 01:15 PM	#9 (permalink) Top
Impotence May the source be with u! Join Date: Dec 2004 Age: 19 Male Posts: 1,878 Times Helpful: 126 My Mood: Stressed Status: Offline My Computer	Unless you can create a partition that uses the FULL capacity of the drive, you will have to use multiple partitions... so the space on the hdd will be divided into diffrent 'drives' [C:\ , D:\ etc] I would reccomed The ultimate boot cd mentioned above, you could also try using partition magic to redifine the partition size. Not being funny or anything, but it does say 300 GB on the disk doesnt it (ie did they send the right one?) You could also try getting your hands on a windoze XP SP1 or SP2 disk (the windows installer that allready has sp1/sp2) and installing that using your serial, it should work.... __________________ Dear intel,Already Made My Decision Never trust a computer you can't repair yourself. Windows Vista - Viruses Intruders Spyware Trojans Adware Why Linux is Better!\|Pastafairianism\|Say no to National ID\|Firefox Extensions Guide scientology has been getting alot of attention recently When the rich wage war, it is the poor who die. Where are the WMD's that our governments used to justify the war?

11-01-2006, 08:53 AM	#11 (permalink) Top
cybergiest Geek Trainee Join Date: Dec 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 15 Status: Offline	i once put an 80 gig drive in my amd k6-II machine and when i fdisked it, it only showed 20 gig. somewhere i read that the fdisk program shows what it couldn't read in size, it showed 20 gig because it could read upto 60 gig. i got a new fdisk program and it partioned it to 80 gig. is this the same thing that early windows xp does?? the last computer that i built i put a 200 gig drive in it and i bought the newest version of windows xp pro and it formatted the harddrive as 1 drive. i went back before i finished the install and changed it to 2 partions. also does your motherboard have issues with going over 127 gig, i am assuming that your motherboard has on board sata?? what is the limit of the onboard sata?? if that is the limit, can you change it with a bios flash??

12-01-2006, 02:03 PM	#12 (permalink) Top
Big B HWF Godfather Join Date: Dec 2001 Age: 28 Male Posts: 9,640 Times Helpful: 585 My Mood: Devilish Status: Offline My Computer	You can see the full drive, including unformatted and unpartitioned space by doing this: Right-click 'My Computer'. Go to Manage. Go to Disk Management. Here you'll see all your drives with all the space available. Oh, and partitions are your friend. Seriously. Yes, it's true that you will need to reinstall all your programs, but the data there remains. So instead of having to backup your games and other stuff right before a format (although you should be backing up periodically to begin with), you can just format the Windows partition, while retaining your games, videos and music on a different drive. It's a real time saver. That, and it takes a lot less time to format, say 30GB instead of 300, especially if you decide to do a full format during the Windows install (which takes quite awhile). It probably doesn't make a whole load of difference with a quick format (for the record), but I don't own any hard drives over 60GB as of right now. __________________ Hardware Forums\|HWF Rules\|My DVD's\|PSU FAQ\|HWF Folding Team\|2CPU

12-01-2006, 02:52 PM	#13 (permalink) Top
megamaced Geek Geek Geek! Join Date: Nov 2005 Age: 24 Male Posts: 3,467 Times Helpful: 352 My Mood: Fine Status: Offline My Computer	Nicely put Big B, put you've probably wasted your time as Jimbo ain't coming back: http://www.hardwareforums.com/differ...tel-help-9704/ __________________ "A computer is like air conditioning: it becomes useless when you open windows". ~Linus Torvalds

12-01-2006, 07:52 PM	#14 (permalink) Top
beretta9m2f Karate-Chop Action Gabe Join Date: Feb 2004 Age: 24 Male Posts: 320 Times Helpful: 11 My Mood: Pumped Status: Offline My Computer	I don't know if SATA is behaviorally different from a standard HD in windows, but i have a maxtor 200gb hard drive and it came with sofware that allowed windows to recognize all fo the space b/c windows can't detect more than 137gb or something like that. The program was MaxBlast4. You can use it in windows to make partitions or you can use it as a bootdisc and format your hard drive and install the files that force windows to recognize the full HD capacity. Again this wasn't SATA so it may be different. Check to see if this type of software came with your HD.

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