*HELP* - Hard disk - incorrect CAPACITY

Hi, i’m using Western Digital Caviar 500GB (WDC5000AACS-00ZUB0).

The label on the hard disk cover, the bios, as well as WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic

confirms that this is a 500 GB hard disk.

It correctly reports the hard disk capacity, as well as the free spaces

However in my Windows XP Home Sp3,

only 465 GB free space is reported !!!

35 GB is unaccountable or MISSING !!!

My drive is brand new and partitioned with only 1 primary partition formated with NTFS.

No harddisk recovery software (like deepfreeze) is ever installed, no linux is ever installed.

My Winxp Home Sp3’s device manager didn’t report any hardware errors.

I’d like to know if the info at hand rules out firmware problems, driver problems

And whether this could be caused by something more sinister like a malware creating a hidden partition in my harddisk.

Please help me fix this,

WD’s Lifeguard clearly reports the correct hard disk capacity, as well as the free spaces.

I want to use the full capacity  (493.45 GB) of my hard disk.

Please help out. Thanks!

465 GB is the correct one.
The capacity reported by Windows is the actual size.

1 kilobyte is 1024 bytes, not 1000.

500 * (1000*1000*1000) / (1024*1024*1024) = 465.66

I’ve read that before, but notice this screenshot

Notice the CAPACITY and FREE SPACE reported under COMPUTER MANAGEMENT, and the capacity reported by the disk properties is different?

Furthermore:

Command line CLEARY RECOGNIZES that there are 493 GB of FREE SPACE !!!

Does that mean if i copy files using command prompt, i can use up the full capacity?

Here’s the different capacity report

  • Local Disk Properties

    Capacity: 500.11 GB          Free Space:  493.45 GB

  But it is “rounded up” to

    Capacity: 465 GB                Free Space: 459 GB

  • Computer Management

    Capacity 465.76 GB           Free Space: 459.55 GB

  • Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic

    Capacity: 500.11 GB          Free Space:  493.45 GB

  • Bios info

    Capacity: 500 GB

  • Command Prompt

    Capacity: 500 GB                Free Space: 493 GB

Clearly Windows XP is able to see the correct capacity under command prompt.

But for some reason, it reports the  wrong capacity under windows explorer.

Isn’t this strange?

At the command prompt, the unit of capacity is the Gigabyte. In Explorer it is the Gibibyte. Sometimes Gigabyte is used interchangeably for both units. In such cases the context determines the meaning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigabyte
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibibyte

You are wrong and need to refresh your math calculation. 
The WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool seems to have misled you with wrong info and conceptual formula.> The Windows command prompt is reporting 459 GB free space, not 493 GB.

There is no difference whether you check it from command line, computer management or Windows explorer.> The command line never recognizes 493 GB. 
The command line reports 493,439,340,544 bytes free (which is 459 GB)> 493,439,340,544 bytes is 459 GB, not 493 GB> 493,439,340,544 bytes free = 493,439,340,544 / (1024*1024*1024) GB free = 459.55 GB> * * *
wd123 wrote:

 

Command line CLEARY RECOGNIZES that there are 493 GB of FREE SPACE !!!

Does that mean if i copy files using command prompt, i can use up the full capacity?

 

Here’s the different capacity report

 

  • Local Disk Properties

    Capacity: 500.11 GB          Free Space:  493.45 GB

  But it is “rounded up” to

    Capacity: 465 GB                Free Space: 459 GB

 

  • Computer Management

    Capacity 465.76 GB           Free Space: 459.55 GB

 

  • Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic

    Capacity: 500.11 GB          Free Space:  493.45 GB

 

  • Bios info

    Capacity: 500 GB

 

  • Command Prompt

    Capacity: 500 GB                Free Space: 493 GB

 

 

Clearly Windows XP is able to see the correct capacity under command prompt.

But for some reason, it reports the  wrong capacity under windows explorer.

 

Isn’t this strange?

 

 

 

 

 

Simple guide to formated  capacity:

FormattedSize = Size * .93

So

40 * .93 = 37.2

200 * .93 = 186

500 * .93 = 465

1000 * .93 = 930

2000 * .93 = 1860

As you can see, this rule is pretty close to fact.

When the 7tb drive is released, it will format to 6510gb.

Thanks for posting this question. I have the same drive with the same problem–35GB missing.

pintubigfoot wrote:

 

465 GB is the correct one.
The capacity reported by Windows is the actual size.

 

1 kilobyte is 1024 bytes, not 1000.

 

500 * (1000*1000*1000) / (1024*1024*1024) = 465.66

 

 

 

 

Drive capacity on box is 500GB, not 500,000,000,000 bytes.