hard drive not reading correctly

[Guest]

i'm not sure if this is even the right place to ask, but hey, i need help so
i'll try anything.

i just built a new computer, with a deskstar 250gb hard drive. i've been
trying to install xp pro on it, but it only reads the drive as 32280 MB. i
tried everything i could think of, i checked the bios, i flashed the bios,
everything, but it still only reads it as 32280 MB.

anyone know what's going on or how to fix it?
thanks
-tyler

 

[Nepatsfan]

i'm not sure if this is even the right place to ask, but
hey, i need help so i'll try anything.

i just built a new computer, with a deskstar 250gb hard
drive. i've been trying to install xp pro on it, but it only
reads the drive as 32280 MB. i tried everything i could
think of, i checked the bios, i flashed the bios,
everything, but it still only reads it as 32280 MB.

anyone know what's going on or how to fix it?
thanks
-tyler

It sounds as if you're trying to format the drive as FAT32.
Windows XP cannot format a FAT32 drive greater than 32 GB.
There is no such limit with NTFS. Take a look here for more
info:

Limitations of the FAT32 File System in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q314463

If that's not the problem, post back with more details about
how you're trying to install XP and when you encounter the
drive size issue.

Nepatsfan

 

[Guest]

well, i boot from the xp pro disc, then it loads the setup and all that, then
i agree to the EULA, and then it asks me to create a partition, and lists the
existing partions or unpartioned space. at this screen, it says
'unpartitioned space' and next to that, it says 32240 or something close to
that.

what should i do?

 

[Guest]

How big is the "partitioned" space?

Just means you have "unpartitoned" space og 32 mb!!

 

[Guest]

but above that it says the disk is 32280 MB too. and the bios recognize the
drive as that big too.

when i actually installed windows, it was 32gb.

 

[Nepatsfan]

This doesn't sound like a Windows XP issue. It sounds like a
hardware issue.

If the BIOS is showing the drive as only being 32 GB, you'll
need to check if you have 48 bit LBA enabled. Check with the
motherboard manufacturer to see if this board even supports
large drives.

48 bit Bios Support
http://www.largeharddrivesupport.windowsreinstall.com/winxp.htm

You've got to get the entire drive recognized by your computer
before installing Windows XP. Once that happens, you're going
to need to be using an installation CD that contains either SP1
or SP2. 48 bit LBA support is not available using a CD that
installs the original version of Windows XP.

Here are a couple of other articles that you may find helpful:

How to enable 48-bit Logical Block Addressing support for ATAPI
disk drives in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;303013

48 Bit LBA FAQ
http://www.48bitlba.com/faq.htm#FAQ2

Finally, when you installed XP, did you take a look in Disk
Management (Start -> Run -> diskmgmt.msc) to see what Windows
info displays for this hard drive?

Nepatsfan

 

[Guest]

So what format is file system?

FAT or NTFS?
If formatted FAT, there is a 32 mb limitation.

Is there other unallocated space?
There is also an issue with HD > 137 gig.
How to enable 48-bit Logical Block Addressing support for ATAPI disk drives
in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;303013#137hd

Google Search for "137 gb limit".
Plenty to read.