Partitioning Large HDD

[Splic]

Okay this is getting kind of frustrating.

I've been using an 80GB hard drive with no problems for a long time. I just bought a 250GB WD one, and plan on replacing my old drive with this new one. I set it up as a slave drive, partitioned it via disk management, and then attempted to install Windows on the first partition.

The Windows installer didn't recognize the whole hard drive - it only recognized 131 of the 232(binary) gigabytes.

I tried deleting the partitions (through the originaly drive) and installing Windows on the blank new drive, but that didn't work. I tried using FDISK (from a Win98 floppy) and it only recognized about 41 gigs that way.

The weird thing is that when it's hooked up as a slave drive, Windows (on my old [master] hard drive) recognizes the entire 232 gigs.

How can I install Windows on this new hard drive and have it recognize the full size?

 

[belvdr]

Google... Google... Google...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/303013

 

[Splic]

Hah, I looked around Microsoft's support for a while but didn't see that.

To clarify, now: if I install WinXP on the hard drive (without SP1, so it won't recognize the whole thing) and partition part of it... can I then download SP1 and then it will recognize the rest of the hard drive after I'd already installed Windows on it?

 

[PCcashCow]

Diskpart works as well. Your can mount all volumes there by default.

 

[belvdr]

Hah, I looked around Microsoft's support for a while but didn't see that.

To clarify, now: if I install WinXP on the hard drive (without SP1, so it won't recognize the whole thing) and partition part of it... can I then download SP1 and then it will recognize the rest of the hard drive after I'd already installed Windows on it?

I find Google to be more accurate at finding MS articles than the MS search engine itself... Go figure

 

[fredgiblet]

Hah, I looked around Microsoft's support for a while but didn't see that.

To clarify, now: if I install WinXP on the hard drive (without SP1, so it won't recognize the whole thing) and partition part of it... can I then download SP1 and then it will recognize the rest of the hard drive after I'd already installed Windows on it?

Install XP SP1 on the small partition, download nLite, download the SP2 redistributable package, use nLite to slipstream SP2 into your copy of SP1, burn a new XP SP2 cd, re-install Windows. While you are at it you might as well slipstream all the current updates and any drivers for your computer in too.

 

[belvdr]

Install XP SP1 on the small partition, download nLite, download the SP2 redistributable package, use nLite to slipstream SP2 into your copy of SP1, burn a new XP SP2 cd, re-install Windows. While you are at it you might as well slipstream all the current updates and any drivers for your computer in too.

Ugh, for one install, I think I would just patch it once it is installed, then resize the partition. Of course, your method makes reinstallation a lot simpler.

 

[fredgiblet]

Install XP SP1 on the small partition, download nLite, download the SP2 redistributable package, use nLite to slipstream SP2 into your copy of SP1, burn a new XP SP2 cd, re-install Windows. While you are at it you might as well slipstream all the current updates and any drivers for your computer in too.

Ugh, for one install, I think I would just patch it once it is installed, then resize the partition. Of course, your method makes reinstallation a lot simpler.

That's pretty much the point, it's more work now so that there's less work later, plus by having a much more updated install from the start there is less chance of an early infection while he's downloading the updates.

If I didn't have an SP2 CD I'd be doing this myself, and I've been thinking about it for my SP2 CD because of how damn many patches have come out.

Hey Microsoft, how's about an SP3? Even if it's just the current patches all rolled up having it on CD would be SOOOOOOO nice.

EDIT: Also, this method means that he doesn't need to buy/pirate/find a free copy of a partition program

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I always partition my drives for performance anyway and do it with Partition Magic before even opening the Windows OS package. Looking at the 500 GB WD Model for example, DTR at the outer edge is 73.8 Mbps and at the inner edge is 42.7 Mbps. So where do you want ya "speed sensitive" stuff ? Well with a 73% speed difference between outer edge and inner edge, I'm going for the outer edge.

I like to put windows on the outer edge on its own small partition. Tends to make replacing an OS partition a breeze from a single bootable optical media. Next I'll place a D partition for swap and temp files, forever keeping my swap and temp files file at the fastest end of the drive. Formatting this one as FAT saves a bot of overhead and piscks up a few % speed increase also. If gaming is ya thing, a games partition is next, followed by whatever else in whatever order works for you.

I save the back end (the 42 DTR area) for backups, music files and other stuff that isn't hamperd by the slower disk speed.