HDD partitions incorrectly recognized

[moot]

I have two previously used (formatted and all) hard drives that show up with the small portion of disk space that's used to manage the rest (e.g. 8GB on a 320GB disk) as the usable space.. and the rest of the disk as unallocated.  I used these drives just a month ago... WindowsXP recognized them and installed both but apparently got mixed up. 

How would you fix this?

Thanks...

[Kermit de frog]

If this is the same computer, it sounds like you are only going to make things worse.

If this is the same computer, and you want to use your new SATA 320GB hard drive with a fresh windows installation on it, I'd recommend you use your sata controller drivers on a floppy when Windows Installer asks for them in the very beginning.

Windows will then format your new harddrive correctly.  Then, once you have your computer fully updated and functional, I'd then troubleshoot any other problems you MAY have left.

[moot]

That SATA is fine, working already   These two are two more different drives.. data on them.. All I did is plug them in on this (no change there) windows repair-reinstall. They were working fine just a few hours before, one of the two has a windows install on it and booted fine on its own. I say "they" are fine on assumption - one of the two worked and they both have the same switched paritition error..

[drdeathx]

Do you get the option to reformat in windows? The 2 drives should  be able to be reformated and leave your c drive alone. You may have to delete each drive and then recreate the hard drive and format it. You can do 1 at a time. You never mentioned if you can pull up anything on these unallocated drives but I am assuming u cannot. If you can, save it to a CD. Although it is partitioned, treat each partition like a secondary hardrive and try this. It should work. If you delete them I am assuming you can repartition the hardrive.

Formatting a Secondary Hard Drive
Step1
Right-Click on the “My Computer” icon either on your desktop or in the Start Menu and select “Manage.”
Step2
A new window titled “Computer Management” comes up. Select “Storage” from the left hand side by clicking it once, then select “Disk Management(local)” from the right side by double-clicking it.
Step3
Now in the lower part of the main frame (right side) of the window you should see a nice visual of all your hard drives. Each line is a different drive. Each box on a line (with a colored bar at the top and a size displayed in MB or GB) is a partition on the drive. Partitions are separations of space on a drive. Unless you are doing something specific that requires multiple partitions, you only want one partition per drive.
Step4
First you must delete any existing partitions on the drive you are going to format. Do this by right-clicking on the partition's box and selecting “Delete Partition...” Since you already know that you will be deleting everything on the drive, and have already backed everything up, you can safely say yes to any warning the computer presents you with.
Step5
If there are multiple partitions make sure you have saved everything off them since they might each have different drive letters (i.e. “D:” or “F:”). Then repeat the above step for each of them. If you only want to format one partition that is OK and you can continue to the next step without deleting the other partitions.
Step6
The box for the drive to be formatted should now have a black bar at the top of it and should say “Unallocated” under its size (see picture). Right click on it and select “New Partition...” The New Partition Wizard comes up.
Step7
In the New Partition Wizard click next. On the next page make sure “Primary Partition” is selected and click next. Now make the size equal to the maximum (it should already be set to it), and click next again. On the next page the computer will automatically choose the first available drive letter for the new drive. However, if you like you can choose another drive letter from the drop-down menu, and then click next.
Step8
Finally the New Partition Wizard asks if you would like to format the new partition and if so what format. Choose “NTFS” as it is faster and more secure. Leave the “Allocation unit size” as “Default.” In the “Volume label” field enter whatever name you want the drive to have. Simple is better. Avoid using spaces. Lastly, if the drive is brand new and has never been used before check the “Perform a quick format” box. If the drive has been used before leave this box unchecked. Leave the “Enable file and folder compression” box unchecked and click next. Then on the next page click finish.
Step9
The wizard will now spend a little while formatting the drive. On old or large drives this may take a while. Do not close the “Computer Management” window until it finishes. You will know it is done when the word under the size of the drive changes from “Formatting” to “Healthy” and the name and drive letter you chose for the new drive show up. After it is finished you can proceed to use your newly formatted drive.


Hope this helps,
Death

[moot]

Doc, these are hard drives with half a terabyte of valuable data. I wont format em till I'm sure they aren't just incorrectly recognized as inaccessible.. Pretty sure I'd go have a specialist recover the data manualy from the innards even then.

[Fulmar]

Multiple sources of back up, always.  My brother attached his USB HD when he was formatting a new computer (don't ask why) and he accidently formatted 3 years worth of his work, photos, and music.  I shook my head when he said the words "I figured once I got my external drive, I didn't have to burn back up CD's and DVD's anymore."  Then I lectured him about backing up stuff.

Anyways, GL and I hope you don't lose your data.  I've seen a lot of sad faces over the years.

[Kermit de frog]

That SATA is fine, working already   These two are two more different drives.. data on them.. All I did is plug them in on this (no change there) windows repair-reinstall. They were working fine just a few hours before, one of the two has a windows install on it and booted fine on its own. I say "they" are fine on assumption - one of the two worked and they both have the same switched paritition error..

How did you fix your previous problem with installing Windows and recognizing the correct size on that sata drive?



Seems like a device driver issue.
Out of curiousity, does your BIOS recognize the correct sizes for the 2 hard drives in question?

1)Make sure you installed your motherboard drivers from the CD it gave you.
If you decide not to install a few, please let us know which ones you do not install.

2)Try updating your hard drive drivers.
Go to your Device manger and find your two hard drives in question.  Update those drivers using the update driver button.

3)Update your firmware for the hard drives by using tools from the hard drives manufacturer website.

4)Updating your windows XP to the lastest Service Pack 3.

5)Then try updating your BIOS.

If you want more detailed help, we'll need your correct motherboard model number.
I just put out a few solutions to your related problem.  Feel free to update us after each option, if you run into an option that does not solve your problem.  I'll check on this thread frequently.

[drdeathx]

Yes Moot I agree good luck.

[FLOTSOM]

moot

i by no means am in expert in anything, especially computers. but i had a hard drive that had pictures on it that i wanted to save and couldnt get the computer to properly recognize it.

so i went to best buy and picked up a conversion kit to turn a standard hdd into a portable one. it has a case you screw the hdd into and it then plugs into your comp as a removable drive. do not run the hdd set up disk that comes with it! this will format the drive.

it will then plug into your usb port. once you plug it in windows should locate it and ask you what you want to do. there is an option to open/read the files on it, pick that option. all of your files are right there intact and can be run from the hdd just by clicking on them (some may have to rerun there exe files to reinstal required files into your c drive) but you can also copy them to your on board hdd/sata drives.

i know this doesnt cure your problem of using the drives on the computer, but it should allow you to retrieve all the data off them. at least with the files saved to another drive then you can reformat the hdd if that is what it takes to fix your problem.

good luck

FLOTSOM

[moot]

The sata drive worked after windows popped up a device detected/drivers installed notice out of the blue, on the fifth reset or so. No apparent reason at all!... I was sorting out some stuff, like anti virus etc, that I needed while I figured out whether to stick with this repaired Windows or if I could get my hands on a floppy for a clean install on the sata.
Now that I've got SP2 installed, I hooked up these last two drives and they got the same hardware found/installing drivers pop-ups, but their hardware reports are almost completely blank. F: and L: below:




I did install the mobo drivers etc. Doing an install-repair works pretty much the same as a fresh install, same sequence from blue DOS screen setup, to pre-windows basic settings (keyboard, locale etc), although I think directx might have already been installed. The registry already had stuff from the previous install like Photoshop and AH. Some of the 3D apps are pretty screwy so the previous graphics drivers are prolly (just checked, yep) still there too. So there might be some stuff from the previous motherboard... I guess I'm going to have to do a fresh install after all, no doubts that way...

I'll try and see if the portable solution is doable without any risks..

[Kermit de frog]

Repairing an installation based on a fubar format is something that should not be done.

Fresh install with sata controller files ready on a floppy disk is the right way to fix your problem.

Need help with the sata controller files, again, simply post your model of motherboard.

Office depot should have disks for cheap.

Good luck m00t and keep us posted.

[Ghosth]

I have a 15$ adapter that I got from Mwave that lets me power and plug into usb port any IDE or SATA drive. Yes including 3.5" floppy if I need one.

Reads them as mass storage drives. No opening the case, plug into an existing working drive, copy, transfer etc.

Comes as a externally powered 110v power supply with adapters for sata, floppy, or ide HD.
The other piece has a plastic block with IDE ribbon connections on 2 sides, and SATA connection on the back, the other end is a USB plug.

I don't use it all that often, but possibly the best 15$ I ever spent. Its the easiest possible way to work on old hard drives, floppies, cd's, DVD's, etc.

[moot]

I have enough space on the sata and ide channels to hook up all the drives.. I'm pretty sure I can snag a floppy drive from either one of the labs or IT shops on campus tomorrow.  So that's covered, I think.
Connecting the drives thru usb sounds good, but something tells me they won't be recognized any better than they are now. Which would go with the windows install being at fault.. Which I can get around once I have a floppy.. I'll get back to you if I somehow can't manage to find one   I never have gotten one of those because the one USB external HDD I've had and one USB adapter I've used both arced everytime I connected them, either at the computer USB socket, or at the drive's end. Seemed too risky.

The motherboard is an M2N-SLI.. I would have ditched the repaired install if I had any other options. I have maybe 700GB of stuff over 4 drives that I need to sort through asap, before classes start again. That mess of scattered files accumulated because of the constant computer failures and windows installations trying to keep up with new hardware, over the last couple of years. Monday I'll find that floppy, and if those controller files work during the fresh install I'll do then, I think everything should be perfect.

Thanks

[FLOTSOM]

the best thing about the usb/external drive option is that it is plug and play. you dont need to plug it in until windows is up and running already. i guess that is why it makes it such a good option. it uses the windows plug and play to locate and initialize the hdd and not the boot or start cycle.

again good luck

FLOTSOM

[drdeathx]

What is Kermit talking about????