Ok - My sister computer was on the fritz from so many errors and crap that I broke down and decided to reformat it for her to get rid of everything and a fresh new install of XP. After partitioning anf formating with FDISK, I noticed that the Available memory was only 31GB... so I ignored it and went on installing XP. After XP finished and I set it all up, I checked the HDD in the MyCoputer section and yep, only 31GB of space on a 60GB HDD... now how in the hell did I do that? Did I do something wrong with FDISk or did half of the drive crash on me? If I were to go back and format and partition it again will I be able to get the other 29GB back?
I want to know what I can do before she puts too much stuff on there where I have to back up everything again on MY PC in the next room over. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks in advance!
_____________ Got Boost?
02:03 pm, Wednesday, October 06, 2004 (5 years ago)
You probably created a partition with half of the space. So you probably have the rest of the drive sitting there as unallocated space (is that the correct term?).
Scenario 1: You reformatted the HDD to remove all the info. You then partitioned it with FDISK and created a 31GB primary partition then made a clean OS install. Problems: You forgot to create and extended partition.
Scenario 2: You reformatted the HDD to remove the info. You ran Fdisk and assigned all available space, did a clean OS install, and the OS only recognizes 31 GB. Problem: Your HDD may be corrupted(damaged) and only 31GB are available for use.
Scenario 3: You reformatted the HDD. Partitioned it with Fdisk, did an OS install and can only access 31GB on the HD. Problem: No extended partition. If ext. partition does exist, then there are no defined logical drives. If logical drives exist, then they are not formatted.
Tip 1: Run Fdisk, select the "display partition information" and make sure that there is an extended partition. Make sure the extended partition has at least one logical drive and that it is formatted.
Tip 2: Whenever you plan on doing a clean OS install, make sure you format all partitions and logical drives. Then run fdisk and remove all partitions, restart, then repartition the HDD.
I hope this advise is useful.
=============================== If I am a nobody, and nobody's perfect, then I am perfect.
The Windows XP setup includes its own partitioning protocols (when you run the setup on boot from the CD)... In the past i have had problems with FDISK and Windows XP, and therefore avoid using it... You can most probably revover the lost space by using Partition Magic or some other partition management software NOTE: windows XP also has intelligent Hard Disk cluster management, and if it detects a bad cluster on the disk, it allocates it as unusable... if your hard disk is damaged, you my be seeing only the useable sectors of the drive....
advent fat32 can and does support partitions larger than 32gb, I'm infact using a 60gb fat32 atm.
control panel -> administrative tools -> computer management -> disk managment
if you run that snap in you'll find out everything you need to know about all the drives on your system. if you do simply have a 32gb partition w/ remaining space it will allow you to create a new partition and let you use it right after formating it to ntfs.
why you would use fdisk though is abit beyond me. let this be a lesson, fdisk bad.
Some older motherboards only supported up to 32GB drives, and special software from the drive manufacturer was necessary to "trick" the system into utilizing a larger drive. When you wiped the drive, you most likely wiped this software out too.
Go to the manufacturer's website and check out their utility downloads and/or read their FAQ.
Alternately, search on google for "32GB clip" or "32GB limit"
this should point you in the right direction.
_______________ "To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." ---Theodore Roosevelt
Fat32 does support partitions larger than 32GB. See: http://www.project9.com/fat32/ for more information. If your MOBO is so old that it only supports a 32GB drive, I would suggest you get a newer one...
=============================== If I am a nobody, and nobody's perfect, then I am perfect.
