250GB HDD only been recognised as 130GB?

Steffano2002 · 08-02-2006 11:46AM #1

Hi there,

Bought this 250GB IDE Maxtor DiamondMax 10 HDD from Komplett for my new PC. Unfortunately, after installing it and booting the PC with the Windows XP CD, the computer was telling me the HDD only had one partition of 130GB!?

How is this possible? I'm pretty sure they sent me the correct HDD as the correct reference number is written on the drive (6L250R0) and Komplett don't even do 130GB HDDs...

What could it be?

TerrorFirmer · 08-02-2006 11:47AM

You need XP sp2

This is a known issue with xp.

shayser · 08-02-2006 11:51AM

This worked for me once:

http://www.maxtor.com/portal/site/Maxtor/menuitem.3c67e325e0a6b1f6294198b091346068/?channelpath=/en_us/Support/Software%20Downloads/All%20Downloads&downloadID=11

daywalker · 08-02-2006 12:12PM

Check if your PC bios supports 48-bit LBA for hard drives as this could prevent it reporting the full size of the HD correctly.

Steffano2002 · 08-02-2006 12:33PM

HavoK wrote:

You need XP sp2

This is a known issue with xp.

That doesn't make sense to me... It was a new install!?

Steffano2002 · 08-02-2006 12:39PM

Thank you daywalker and shayser! I'll check/try both tonight!

Question though: I went ahead with the install anyway last night so will the above work (i.e. PC will sense a partition of 120GB) or will I have to format (please God no!)?

Thanks again!

randomname · 08-02-2006 12:40PM

Once you enable bigLBA in the registry you will see the entire drive.Had this problem myself years ago.

stevenmu · 08-02-2006 12:48PM

Steffano2002 wrote:

Thank you daywalker and shayser! I'll check/try both tonight!

Question though: I went ahead with the install anyway last night so will the above work (i.e. PC will sense a partition of 120GB) or will I have to format (please God no!)?

Thanks again!

You should still have your 120GB partition as your C: drive with windows on it. To get access to the rest of the disk space you'll have to create another partition on it, which will show up as another drive (D:, E: etc). You can do this by right-clicking on 'My Computer', selecting 'Manage' and going to 'Disk Management'. This'll show your disk with the unpartioned space, which you can select and create a new partition in.

Ideally what you should have done was create a small 10/15 gb partition just to hold windows and whatever programs you use, then install SP2 and make the rest as either one big partition for data/music/games etc or a couple of partitions for each. You could also then use cloning software to make a backup of your C: drive to this partition so if you ever have to reinstall windows you can just restore from the cloned image and have all your programs ready to go. It could be still worth doing this if you don't mind having to go through installing XP again, and you don't have anything on the drive you need to keep.

Steffano2002 · 08-02-2006 12:50PM

randomname wrote:

Once you enable bigLBA in the registry you will see the entire drive.Had this problem myself years ago.

And this is what the file shayser posted will do for me automatically right?

tba · 08-02-2006 12:57PM

you need an account for that. can you copy and attach?

Steffano2002 · 08-02-2006 12:59PM

stevenmu wrote:

You should still have your 120GB partition as your C: drive with windows on it. To get access to the rest of the disk space you'll have to create another partition on it, which will show up as another drive (D:, E: etc). You can do this by right-clicking on 'My Computer', selecting 'Manage' and going to 'Disk Management'. This'll show your disk with the unpartioned space, which you can select and create a new partition in.

Delighted to hear that!

stevenmu wrote:

Ideally what you should have done was create a small 10/15 gb partition just to hold windows and whatever programs you use, then install SP2 and make the rest as either one big partition for data/music/games etc or a couple of partitions for each.

That would have been ideal indeed... Might do that next time I format!

stevenmu wrote:

You could also then use cloning software to make a backup of your C: drive to this partition so if you ever have to reinstall windows you can just restore from the cloned image and have all your programs ready to go. It could be still worth doing this if you don't mind having to go through installing XP again, and you don't have anything on the drive you need to keep.

I knew this could be done but I think it is still slightly too advanced for me... But might try doing it next time I format!

Thank you Stevenmu! *Thumbs Up*

Steffano2002 · 08-02-2006 01:01PM

tba wrote:

you need an account for that. can you copy and attach?

Sh!t... Link was working earlier but now it's asking to log in...

I'll create an account (if it's free of course) and post the description of the file

Steffano2002 · 08-02-2006 01:04PM

Steffano2002 wrote:

Sh!t... Link was working earlier but now it's asking to log in...

I'll create an account (if it's free of course) and post the description of the file

Actually, just click on the link posted in shayser's post. It works.

* File Name: big_drive_enabler.exe
* File Download Size: 64 KB
* File Version: 1.0.3.1
* Revision Date: 04/02/03
* Compatible Operating Systems: Windows 2000 ,Windows XP Home Edition ,Windows XP Professional

Maxtor's Big Drive Enabler is a one step executable that enables support for drives larger than 137 Gigabytes in Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 and XP Service Pack 1. This utility takes the guess work out of editing the Windows registry. The Big Drive Enabler fixes an operating system limitation. This utility is needed anytime a Hard Disk Drive larger than 137 GB is connected to the motherboard's ATA bus, regardless of any system BIOS that supports 48-bit LBA.

Note: Failure to install the required service packs and install the Enable Big LBA patch can result in data loss when accessing the hard disk beyond 137 Gigabytes. For more information regarding Windows limitations and the 137 Gigabyte barrier please read Maxtor Knowledge Base Answer ID 960 and Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 303013.

To use the Maxtor Big Drive Enabler, download big_drive_enabler.exe from this Web site then double-click on the downloaded file to begin installation.

TerrorFirmer · 08-02-2006 01:13PM

Note: Failure to install the required service packs and install the Enable Big LBA patch can result in data loss when accessing the hard disk beyond 137 Gigabytes. For more information regarding Windows limitations and the 137 Gigabyte barrier please read Maxtor Knowledge Base Answer ID 960 and Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 303013

That's what I was trying to say in my first post, I thought sp2 fixed the problem, didn't realise there was a simple patch :cool:

astrofool · 08-02-2006 01:19PM

SP1 fixed the problem back in 2002.

Will_hendrix · 08-02-2006 01:22PM

This is a known problem with windows xp installations priour to the Service Pack 1 edition, where as using the Big Drive enabler will allow to to have windows access partitions and memory beyond the current installation you cannot expand the first partition within windows itself.

I found as i got xp when it came out that the best workaround is to use a partition editing program such as "Partition Commander" to allocate the first partition to use all the space on the hard drive.

This will not affect the current windows installation of any files on the system but it is recomended to have a backup incase of any failure while resizing the partition. to save time in future and repeating this again get hold of a more recent edition of xp

Mutant_Fruit · 08-02-2006 01:47PM

WARNING
Make sure your motherboard supports 48bit LBA. If it doesn't, and you set windows to access the full 250GB you won't actually be able to write past the 137gb mark on the drive, it will just "wrap around" and overwrite sector 0 instead of sector 137GB + 1 (if you know what i mean).

If it's a motherboard made in the last 3-4 years you should be grand, if its older, double check first.

Steffano2002 · 08-02-2006 02:12PM

Right, I have an "Asus P4P800-E Deluxe MotheBoard" and I'm running Windows XP Pro SP2. I shouldn't have any problems right?

Do I have to change something in the BIOS Settings before enabling bigLBA in the registry (i.e. before running that Maxtor Utility)?

Gurgle · 08-02-2006 04:13PM

Quick workaround - Install Win 98 SE, which recognizes and formats a 250Gb hard disk straight off the bat. Boot to DOS prompt, delete everything, insert your XP CD and it will install with no problem.
(Yet another function they've 'improved' to the point that it stopped working)

Steffano2002 · 08-02-2006 04:24PM

Gurgle wrote:

Quick workaround - Install Win 98 SE, which recognizes and formats a 250Gb hard disk straight off the bat. Boot to DOS prompt, delete everything, insert your XP CD and it will install with no problem.
(Yet another function they've 'improved' to the point that it stopped working)

Not really an option as I:

a) Don't have Windows 98 SE
b) Couldn't be bothered just to get an extra 120GB of space

But I do thank you for this clever workaround!

Steffano2002 · 08-02-2006 05:56PM

Well guys, that Maxtor utility shayser pointed me towards worked a charm! I now have a C:\ drive of 128GB and a secondary drive of 105GB! Not exactly perfect but it will do for now!

I do have a question though: does anybody know where these missing 17GB disappear to? Same happened to my other 250GB HDD (external). I never expect the full 250GB but 17GB is quite a chunk! What happens to it?

Thanks again for all your help lads!

Gurgle · 08-02-2006 06:38PM

Steffano2002 wrote:

Well guys, that Maxtor utility shayser pointed me towards worked a charm! I now have a C:\ drive of 128GB and a secondary drive of 105GB! Not exactly perfect but it will do for now!

I do have a question though: does anybody know where these missing 17GB disappear to? Same happened to my other 250GB HDD (external). I never expect the full 250GB but 17GB is quite a chunk! What happens to it?

Thanks again for all your help lads!

1073741824 bytes in a logical Gigabyte.
Manufacturers quote as though there was 1000000000, i.e. a decimal Gigabyte.

1073741824 X 232 = 250181844992 = 250 decimal Gb

Drapper · 08-02-2006 06:43PM

Steffano2002 wrote:

Well guys, that Maxtor utility shayser pointed me towards worked a charm! I now have a C:\ drive of 128GB and a secondary drive of 105GB! Not exactly perfect but it will do for now!

I do have a question though: does anybody know where these missing 17GB disappear to? Same happened to my other 250GB HDD (external). I never expect the full 250GB but 17GB is quite a chunk! What happens to it?

Thanks again for all your help lads!

you can take the partition out steph!

Steffano2002 · 08-02-2006 07:55PM

Gurgle wrote:

1073741824 bytes in a logical Gigabyte.
Manufacturers quote as though there was 1000000000, i.e. a decimal Gigabyte.

1073741824 X 232 = 250181844992 = 250 decimal Gb

Ohhhhh! Now I get it! So basically manufacturers are lying! lolllll

Thanks for the explanation Gurgle!

Steffano2002 · 08-02-2006 07:55PM

Drapper wrote:

you can take the partition out steph!

Why would I do that Drap?

RuggieBear · 09-02-2006 12:31PM

i'm having this problem this very moment....

just got the western digital 320GB

I've installed all the service packs but when i went to my regestry i don't seem to have a bigLBA at all.

Will i suffer this "wrap around" effect.

If i just create three 100 mb partuions will i get around this problem?

Khannie · 09-02-2006 12:52PM

Add the bigLBA key ruggie. It's no biggie.

You can download a .reg file (I may have it) to do it for you if you're nervous.

edit: I suggest not making the 3 partitions.

RuggieBear · 09-02-2006 12:56PM

Khannie wrote:

Add the bigLBA key ruggie. It's no biggie.

You can download a .reg file (I may have it) to do it for you if you're nervous.

i'm so nervous that my hands are shaking as i type this....lol

while i like fiddling with pc's i only ever really mess with the reg to make sure my programs automatically go to my "programs" partition.

Not really sure what's required.

Khannie · 09-02-2006 01:06PM

Ok, no worries. I'll have a look for the .reg file. You'll just need to double click that.

edit:

copy this:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\atapi\Parameters]
"EnableBigLba"=dword:00000001

paste it into a file. Save that file as "enablebiglba.reg" (make sure it doesn't have .txt on the end), then double click on it. Bingo bango! 48bit lba!

It'll require a reboot but you should see the proper amount of disk space in the disk management tool.

Khannie(TM) accepts no responsibility for any loss incurred by using this fix.

RuggieBear · 09-02-2006 01:19PM

i kinda did it manually....i edited in

a new DWORD value: EnableBigLba

and set the value to 1

which looked something like
[PHP]
EnableBigLba dword_ 0x000000001[/PHP]

Khannie · 09-02-2006 02:11PM

Boxed off!

250GB HDD only been recognised as 130GB?

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