Maxtor 200GB only 34 GB Is it a fake, defective, other?

[Codesmith]

The label and Maxtor Powermax 4.22 both show
Serial number Y69DSZHE
Model Number 6Y200P0

The label says the drive is 200 GB, but all the computers I connect it two show it a 34 GB disc, as does Maxtors own software.

Both systems have hard drive installed over 200 GB in size, so its not a BIOS limitation.

The drive is unformatted, and in fact I wiped the entire drive to eliminate any overlay software which may have been added.

No jumper is being used to limit its capacity.

The drive passes all diagnostics.

I also ran Max Blast to see if the drive supported a firmware based capacity limit in addition to the jumper setting.

A warranty check revealed the serial number belongs to a drive of that model whose warranty expired in 4/2006.

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The owner thinks he got the drive off of eBay, but didn't try to install it until now.

Is this drive a fake? Or is something wrong with it.







I run Maxtor's Utilities and diganostic software.


Serial number Y69DSZHE TLA number C62811 Out of warranty 04/26/2006

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Definitely something wrong with the drive, but probably only Maxtor could tell you what.

Only thing you might do to try to gain more information is format it and test the transfer rate with HD Tach or HD Tune. See if the transfer rate profile looks like the first part of a 200GB (starts at 55-60MB/sec, would end after 34GB still near 50-55MB/sec), or if the profile looks more like a small drive (starts at 40MB/sec, decreases to 20MB/sec). That might tell you if it's just a messed up 200GB, or whether the eBay seller tried to pull a fast one by placing a 6Y200P0 control board and label on a 40GB drive.

 

[Codesmith]

I didn't think of using HDTach, good suggestion!

I ran HD Tach then compared the results to the same model which is in the library.

Its a perfect match, only down shifted by about 1 MBps.

Oh and its actually just a tad under 32 GB. The higher number was with "metric" prefixes.

I can't find any Maxtor tools which will set limit a drives capacity via firmware. I checked both their diagnostic and installation utilities.

I think maybe the jumper is set "stuck" on the capacity limiting setting, even though the drive currently is a slave and has no jumpers in place.

It was probably purchased by accident about a year and a half ago when the owner was trying to buy 10 used notebook hard drives, and then forgotten about.

Too bad the drive was still under warranty when he bought it.