New Hard Drive. Not Showing Rated Capacity

[Gary R.]

Just aquired a second hard drive.  A 160 gigabyte Western Digital.  Windows thinks it can only hold 119 gigabytes.  Help.  How do I make windows realize its bigger than that?
Thanks
Gary

[-sam-]

I had this problem with two 200gb HD

[Gary R.]

I have Windows XP Pro.  Original versions.  I don't allow the service pack updates because when they occur I end up loosing data all over.  Especially frusterating if what I loose are panel files that I worked long to modify.  

[congo]

At least get this file. It's Service Pack 2, it's not an auto update, it's the complete and unabridged SP2 file. Save it somewhere safe in case you need it again one day.

You should be able to partition and format the drive correctly from within windows after installing SP2 to your op sys.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/deta ... laylang=en


Here is a link to WD's Data Lifeguard hdd installation tool. (I use the windows version and set the drive up on a PC running WinXP).

http://support.wdc.com/download/index.a ... 999&swid=1

[Fozzer]

Hi Congo....!

These are the magic words which always cause me to roll around the floor laughing my socks off....>>>

File Name:
WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe
Version: SP2
Date Published: 8/10/2004
Language: English
Download Size: 272391 KB
Estimated Download Time: 10 hr 49 min @ 56K

...it's the mention of: Ten hours, fourty-nine minutes, (no mention of seconds), at 56k.... ...!
LOL...!
..not to mention the fact that Uncle Bill always looks at my Win XP Pro registration key, and says....
"Buggar off!"... ...!
LOL...!

Cheers Congo...!

Paul The Scourge of Bill Gates, ...and 56k User... ...!
LOL... ...!

[congo]

That file doesn't require a registration key Fozzer. The file is meant for IT pros to install on existing corporate networks, hence, no validation required.

And it took me 3 nights on my download manager and 6 hour connection limit (dialup) to get it. It was worth it, and the download wasn't at all painful as I slept.

[Gary R.]

Thanks for the tips.  I will try it with get right for I also have 56k dial-up.  I am on my mom's pc at her house now and she has cable. Just out of curiousity I started the download here.  34 estimated minutes.  Unfortunatly there is no burner on this pc or I would just download it here, put it on a cdr and take it home.  The best I currently have in trans[ortable media is a 128k flash drive whcih I use to get larger sim files here on mom's cable. I really oughta get one of those mini hard drives or a portable burner.  One thing I like about get right though is that estimated download times are often longer than what I actually experience.. Maybe I'll get lucky and only require 6 hours myself for it or maybe I can just call my PC shop and they might get it for me on their cable for the cost of the disk media.  Thanks.

Gary

[MWISimmer]

There you are Gary, one Christmas present sorted!
A CDRW drive for your Mum!  ;)
Rob.

[Gary R.]

LOL. My mom can barely surf the web or use email.  She's from the later part of the Great Generation (72 years).  Computers just don't come easily to a lot of folks from her era and earlier.

But seriously though.  I just installed CFS 2 on my new hard drive and with all settings maxed out it was peaking as high as 62 fps.  I hope when I get FS9 running on there I can break into the 40's fps.  I'm sure a clean, higher rpm drive has got to make an overall difference in performance including frame rates.  One thing I'm discovering is that no one part on a PC is an island but all are interdependant on the other and a PC system seems to be only as good as it's weakest component.

Gary

[congo]

True, but don't overestimate the performance boost from a hard disk, it's simply a storage device. Any percieved boost in FPS and gaming in general is more likely due to a fresh install of the op sys and software in question. As we add to and use a system, it can easily bog down over time due to all kinds of factors.

This is one reason I made formatting my friend  

[Gary R.]

Wow, I did run FS9 for the first time on my new hard drive.  10-15fps faster on average than on my old one.  Now, I know its just a storage device but it is a 7200 rpm drive and my old one is only 5600 rpm.  I do believe that data access can improve performance.  Also, my old drive came to me second hand so the data surfaces themselves had to be rather digitally dirty.  Formatting can only clean so much and I have no idea how much use my old drive had on it before it ended up in my system.  I am going to take good care of it though.  It will have a weekly defrag done whether it needs it or not and as soon as I get my old drive reformatted it will be used strictly for file storage.  No programs other than XP, word, internet services and my wife's softwares.  Her stuff needs neither speed or storage capacity but mine does considering that with Fs9, CFS2 and 3, and MSTS my MS games folder alone amounts to nearly 20 gig.  

Gary

[congo]

Believe whatever you like but a hard disk has squat to do with frame rates. Glad you have improvements though.