posted
I recently built my first computer and loaded windows 98. I missed the part where Windows setup ask about formating my new hard drive for large capacity. Needless to say my computer only see 1.99gigs of my 20 gig hard drive. I went into dos and started messing around and ended up partitioning it (I know just enough of dos to make me dangerous to myself). I hate partitions but I could live with it if the new partition wasn't just 959 megs. I figured I proobably changed it when I was fdisking. Help.
-------------------- Laura Butler Vision Graphics & Sign 4479 Welch Rd Attica, Mi 48412 Posts: 2855 | From: Attica, Mi, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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Your hard-drive should have come with software for formating large capacity drives. If you don't have it, just go to the manufacturer's website and download it for free.
posted
you got a problem with the mother board...what processor are you running? if you got an older m/b with an old bios it wont see anything biger then 2 or 4 gig, some older bios wont see any h/d bigger then 512 megs....you need to be more detailed in your question....as for dos fdisk and format...your windows start disk should have those on it.....if you dont you need to make one...
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I just built this computer, so everything is brand new. I called the company where I got most of the hardware and talked with the tech on Fri. He was the one that told me exactly what I did wrong. He told me to go back and re-load windows. But that didn't give me the option again to format for a large capacity harddrive. I was hoping that I could fix it before Monday so I wouldn't have to call him back. I don't know with the software Partition Magic would work as not all the harddrive got formatted the first time. Thats why I need to find someone that knows their way around dos. I HATE partition and would rather straighten it out there. Besides, my computer thinks that C: dir is only 1.99 meg and D: is only 1 gig.
[ November 24, 2001: Message edited by: Laura Butler ]
-------------------- Laura Butler Vision Graphics & Sign 4479 Welch Rd Attica, Mi 48412 Posts: 2855 | From: Attica, Mi, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
again i ask...what is motherboard, what is the cpu, you say you built this computer....then you should have the name and type of mother board, the speed of the cpu....or are you saying that you built this computer from an old motherboard, added ram and a new hard drive?????
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
There's only one way; put in your windows boot disk, run fdisk, enable large disk support, delete your existing partition, create new partition (100% of drive), set partition as active, restart, then format c and reload windows.
-------------------- Dennis Veenema The Sign Shop Dresden, Ont. but what do I know anyway...I've only been doing this for 20 years! Posts: 368 | From: Dresden, Ont.,CAN | Registered: May 1999
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posted
One thing I would add is to make sure your hard drive setting in the bios is set correctly. It should be set to LBA. The bios should have a hard drive detection setting and give you the option there. Windows won't see it if the bios doesn't.
-------------------- Jim Upchurch Artworks Olympia WA Posts: 797 | From: Olympia, WA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Thanks for everyone's help. I should be able to do it from here. Old Paint I bought a ECS motherboard with a AMD 1.2 Thunderbird. The board was really cheap ($79 but you can find them for $64 on the net). EliteGroup (ECS) has a board that is way underrated (k7S5A) and gets high reviews from some board rating web sites. So far so good for me.
-------------------- Laura Butler Vision Graphics & Sign 4479 Welch Rd Attica, Mi 48412 Posts: 2855 | From: Attica, Mi, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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Just want to reinforce the two posts about checking the Bios to see if that reads the correct size of the Hard drive. If that is wron then it doesn't matter what you use it will be wrong.
Next, I would then fdisk the drive, and reformat.
When you fdisk it will then ask you if you want to use all of the HD space on one partition. This is where you want to say yes.
Load windows when you are done formatting and then check your drive specs. Don't worry if it is not exact for Windows sometimes reads a little under what the drive says you have. This is OK.
A good indicator is to watch the formatting process in DOS, if a 30 GIG HD takes 40 seconds to format 100% then don't waste your time loading windows.
If my memory is correct you can view your partition as well after you create it to also double check that fdisk did it's job.
It's been a while since I've had this problem so don't shoot me If I left something out.
-------------------- Bob Rochon Creative Signworks Millbury, MA 508-865-7330
"Life is Like an Echo, what you put out, comes back to you."
Posts: 5149 | From: Millbury, Mass. U.S. | Registered: Nov 1998
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quote:Originally posted by dveenema: There's only one way; put in your windows boot disk, run fdisk, enable large disk support, delete your existing partition, create new partition (100% of drive), set partition as active, restart, then format c and reload windows.
Dennis is right on this one.
There's just no other way around it and if it's a new motherboard and BIOS it's not gonna have any problems reading a larger drive - not when the average drive sold with a new system is now 30 Gigs.
Go back into FDISK and start over. Wipe the drive, setup one primary partition and set it to take the entire drive.
Format the drive, load Win98. It's been a while since I've loaded Win98 but if anywhere along the way it gives you the choice the make the drive Fat32, go ahead and do that as well.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com
Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
I agree 100% with Mike and Dennis, also check the bios first it has to be set right or forget it. Bill
-------------------- Bill & Barbara Biggs Art's Sign Service, Inc. Clute, Texas, USA Home of The Great Texas Mosquito Festival Proud 10 year Supporter of the Letterheads Website www.artssigns.com "MrBill-" on the chat page MailTo:biggsbb@sbcglobal.net Posts: 1020 | From: Lake Jackson,Tx | Registered: Nov 1998
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