[simpits-tech] harddrive problems

[Steve Wilson]

Jason, there's no reason you should have a problem with that drive, IMHO. 

First of all, don't install Windows until you get the drive sorted out.

Second of all, what you really want to do here is manage your storage by dividing that 40 gig wonder into smaller, more manageable virtual drives.  Every system I have is set up this way.  You seldom need continuous storage of more than a couple of gigs anyway, unless you're doing heavy video editing.  Using smaller drives also means that you can keep your scandisk and defrag times down to sane levels.

Here's a battleplan:

1. Run FDISK and remove all partions.

2. Create a primary DOS partion by telling FDISK you want to use 25% of the drive for that purpose.

3. Then use FDISK to go into the secondary partion and divvy that up into three more "virtual drives." Drives D, E, and F can be 33%, 33% and 34% of the available space.

The key to 2 & 3 is to use percentages.  If you give it a specific size, that's what it's gonna use.  It's easy to get the math wrong with numbers as big as we're playing with here.

4. Format all four drives - they should all be roughly 10gb each.  Don't play with the math, it will drive you nuts.  There's a bit of rounding going on, and don't expect to see drive sizes of exactly 10000000.

FDISK is funky and you have to pay attention to it because it words things oddly sometimes.  Just take it slow. 
    
If you can't do this, I would sort of expect it to be a problem with the BIOS.  If the system POSTs okay, the drives themselves are jumpered okay.  It may be a good idea to dig into the owner's manual for your mobo if you have it, but chances are very, very good that if it can handle a 650mhz processor, drive size is not your problem.  I mean this in no way to offend, but 9 times out of 10, when I have a problem integrating a system, the key issue is almost always the ugly mug I see staring back at me out of the mirror.

Steve W.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Justin Messenger 
  To: Simpits-tech at simpits.org 
  Sent: Saturday, March 20, 2004 10:35 PM
  Subject: [simpits-tech] harddrive problems


  I just bought a 40 gig drive. I am useing a win 98 SE boot disk and when I give it a primary dos partition it shows it as only a 5 gig drive. can Win 98 not handle 40 gig?

   Can it be that it is because it is on an old Athlon 650? Or is that evan a factor. 

  Windows installs on the drive but it bites only being able to 5 gig on a 40 gig drive.

  The drive wont show up at all on a k62 350, which is my internet machine until I get another motherboard for it.



  Thanks for any ideas.
  Justin
  Do you Yahoo!?
  Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time.



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