Braindead time

It's been so long since I did this I can't remember so I'm asking for help....

Just got a new P4 2.5Ghz with 512 DDR ram and a 40GB HDD installed. Partitioning this is no sweat... I think I still can remember how to tie my shoes, but I also bought a WD1200 (120GB HDD) as well, and looking at the initial screen under FDISK, it's showing me only 48904 MB available. (Haven't installed any OS as yet or put anything onto the 1st partition except logical drives D & E).

I vaguely (well, I'm an old man... I'm vague most of the time) remember that there might be a problem with DOS recognizing anything over a teacupful of space on large drives, but daggone if I can find any info on it. Must be me, or the info sees me coming and runs off.

This has me all soggy and hard to light up.

So: I'm left with WD's drive installing overlay system (which creates backup problems with some recovery systems) or.... your suggestions?

I know, I know, ANYONE should know this, but I don't.

Be kind. I cry easy.

Vince the Pudgy

 

I guess it depends what version of fdisk (and DOS) you are using. Supposedly, the fdisk that ships with 98SE only recognizes drives up to 64 gig.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/rhwatson/dos7/u-fdisk.html

What OS are you going to use? It may be easier to partition and format that second drive from within the OS.

 

Thanks, Abraxas

I went to the site and d/l the file which I'll copy over to the startupdisk I'm using.

I'll be putting in W98SE as XP's WPA has me totally bufalloed and not too enchanted, as I am not enchanted by either ME or 2K, but that's another issue.

I was considering using either WD's disk overlay system or perhaps ONTRACK's Disk Manager but think I'll hold off until you have a chance to advise me again.... also, I'd be beholden if you'd expound a bit on that "format the disk from within the OS" comment.... I could always just not format the 120GB and load the OS on the "C" drive, then come back and format the 120GB from Windows, but will it recognize the full size of the drive?

See, now I'm even more than I was afore!

I'll await your further comments before diving into the guts of this thing and probably never being seen or heard from again!

But I'm grateful for the reply and the link to MocroShaft's file!

Vince

 

More Info

Well, I went and copied over the Fdisk change after it had installed to C:\windows\command and put the startup disk back in teh new box.... formatting the first drive went fine but when I switched to the 2nd HDD I got a screen which looks like it's only finding 11440 MB on it....

shows as follows:

///////////// (dots are to preserve spacings)

...............Change Current Fixed Disk Drive

DISK....DRV......Mbytes......Free......Usage
.
...1....................38162...................100%
..............C:..........7006
..............D:........13712
..............E:........17446
.
....2....................11444.....01144.....40..
..............%


////////////

So now I'm totally upt-ge-vonked. I suppose that the extra percentage mark could be a wrap from the line above but I dunno why it would do that or why the screen would show a "40" under usage.

Awaiting someone's cooling and salubrious verbiage telling me I'm not a total idiot.... I should be so lucky?

V

total

 

That was my idea, basically. To install the OS and see if Windows recognizes the drive. If not, you are no further behind.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;255867

But this may be a non-issue. Win98's fdisk is supposed to be able to partition drives up to 512 gigs. So, be sure you have at least a Win98 startup disk:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;280737

Also, the format command apparently reports the disk size incorrectly, but formats the entire disk anyway and reports the correct size when done:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;263045

EDIT----
Looks like we crossed in the mail. In any case, remove all the partitions from that second drive and start over. Don't forget to restart after making changes to the partition and definitely before attempting to format.

Does BIOS recognize the entire drive? What mb?

 

More info

The drive shows in the POST workup as an ATA100 120gb and the master shows as an ATA100 40GB.

Mainboard is a P4VXAD+ which I found here:http://www.ecsusa.com/products/p4vxad_plus.html

AFAIK I didn't put any partitions onto the 2nd drive as yet and the appropriate screen in FDISK shows none available to delete. (???).

I'm tring to wade thru the "knowledge" in the "KB" links but it's like reading noodles. I've seen four-sox horses as were easier to deal with.

I was beginning to doubt my sanity but now I'm convinced I've gone nuts.


I'll slog on thru the rest of the "KB''s and see if they tell me summat.

Vince

 

Univac 1100???

God God.... you're older than I am... I didn't think that was possible!

 

pippopottomus

This may be a stoopid ?tion, but did you make a new 98 startup disk when you replaced the fdisk.exe? The date of the new one is 5/18/00. Old one is 1999.

 

New startup disk

I'd thought of it, but the only file that was changed by the download was (I THINK???) the "Fdisk" file which indeed went from 1999 to 2000 in date. If you think that a fresh start disk would be of use now that that one file is updated I'll give it a shot...


Just looked at the C:\windows\command and that's the only one which has a 2000 date... all others are 1999. Is there somewhere I can D/L a fresher copy of the WIN98SE startdisk?


Confused in Cucamonga....

V

 

The one you make on your computer is as fresh as they get. Just go to add/remove programs and pick windows tab. Make a new one from there.

 

You'll definitely have the recent fdisk if you make an ME EBD:

http://utils.skull-tech.com/bootdisks/bootme.exe

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question. "
-- Charles Babbage (1791-1871)

 

Abraxas

MOST Excellent quotation! Imagine if Babbage had had a sense of humor!

Making the EBD disk... will advise.

V

 

Boot Diskations

Aha. Now the drive shows as 11444 MB . Which, unless I'm losing my mind (quite possible) is 114.44GB which should be correct working on the way that HDD mfr's advertize their drives vs how DOS sees a megabyte.

I'm tired and my brane functioneth not well.... sanity check on the above?

If it's kosher, then the revised bootdisk done it's work. If not, I'm gonna get shot when the Mrs. gets home and finds computer spread all over the kitchen table.


PLEASE tell me I ain't gonna die in the kitchen?

V

 

Looks good, but----are all the digits there? Looks more like 11 gigs to me. Those manufacturer's aren't too good with megabytes and all that. They always sell them larger than they are. (Or--maybe they are very good.)

If you are running 98 at this moment, this fix is supposed to remove the limitations of the Win98 fdisk in recognizing drives larger than 64 gigs correctly.

After applying the patch, try making another 98 boot disk and try that (until you fall asleep):
http://download.microsoft.com/download/Win98/Update/8266R/W98/EN-US/263044USA8.EXE
(This basically replaces the 98 fdisk with the May, 2000 version which may be what you have, anyway).

I'm beginning to wonder about the drive.

 

Nertz!

You're right...which is why I asked for the sanity checque... (just make it out to me....)

It should actually read 111758 (or 759) Mbytes, shouldn't it?

Sheesh... this is gettin' me tired out.

SO:

We tried to update the Fdisk on WIN98SE's Boot Disk (blerrrt!)
We D/L and used the Fdisk on WINME's boot Disk (blerrrt!)

And we're still showing only 10% (appx) of the capacity of the HDD. (BIG blerrrrt!)


So... next step, anyone? Off to Disk Manager or Western Digital's disk utility (whose name I can't remember at the moment)? I sure is seeming like those are the only options left.

Discouraging, innit?

BUT: sure am grateful for all the replies and for Abraxas' stickin' with this insanity.

V

 

WD claims that the problems with MS fdisk don't exist with their Data Lifeguard Tools being used to partition and format.

http://support.wdc.com/download/

Let us know if they are right.

(You DO have the jumpers set correctly, right? Occasionally, the jumper on the master needs to be in a different position if there is a slave attached.)

 

WD software

Well, that seems to be where I'm heading next, except that I found this post by REBOOT from the end of March this year:

Comments before I go and use the Western Drivilege Software?

I just LOVE this board! Whatever it is, you can usually find at least three opinions on it and ALL are likely to be correct!

V

 

Hey, can't hurt to try. Did you have a 100% option? You won't work up too stiff a sweat fdisk-ing and formatting to see what you get. You can always undo it.

(And you better buy flowers, too )

The trouble is in the arithmetic. MS says that a 70 gig drive will show in fdisk as 70-64=6 gig drive. But they don't mention anything as large as 120.

But then 120/1.024=117
and 117-64-64=-11 (in the ballpark of absolute value of what you are getting).

So--maybe fdisk is lying through its teeth and after a format, all will be well (crosses fingers), or I'll be a reincarnated numerologist.

 

I have been led to believe that the above is what is supposed to be used to set up a new WD drive anyway.

If I remember correctly it does more than just FDISK. I believe it also checks for and marks any bad sections. And sets up the cache etc.

BTW. Windows 98 fdisk would not see the full 40gig on my WD until I did ran the WD tools on it. The BIOS would but nothing else would.

Even Partition Magic would not see the full 40gig.

BillyBob

 

Well, BillyBob, my experience has been a little different. I had only a shadowy awareness of the existence of these tools on the manufacturers' sites. Since the first drives I put in were used, I assumed I was on my own.

The biggest I ever installed was a 100 gig, and that went OK with XP's partitioning and formatting tools.

But, now that I do know about these tools, I went to WD and other sites to download as many of them as I could find before they start costing money. There is no doubt that the manufacturer's tools would work better than anyone else's---they made the drives.