Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Resolved Question

Seagate 2TB external hard drive - space available

May 6, 2012 12:24PM PDT

I am using Windows XP on a three year old lap top and purchased a Seagate 2TB external hard drive a few weeks ago. I began storing 'photos' across to the external hard drive, but it is coming up saying that it has "66.2gb or 104gb free". Being a 2TB external, I would have thought that the space would have been much bigger. Any ideas on how to fix it???

Discussion is locked

AMMCP has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

- Collapse -
XP has issues with large drives.
May 7, 2012 7:23AM PDT

These issues are not limited to just XP but even after SP3 and such is installed.

Rather than repeat all this let's start with this drive is NOT STORAGE! This forum has too many sad stories where folk put their last copy on an external to be lost forever.

AFTER you have made a backup copy and after you have your backup to your backup done, we can discuss partitions and more.
Bob

- Collapse -
2TB
May 7, 2012 10:37AM PDT

Thank you for your response. I have CD back ups of all my photos, so I am not using this entirely as a safe haven for my photos. You mentioned that XP has issues with large drives... what does this mean? You also mentioned SP3 and I am unfamiliar with what this is. Are you able to clarify? Thanks

- Collapse -
Sorry but XP is very old.
May 7, 2012 10:42AM PDT

I don't want to upset you but SP3 is short for Service Pack 3 or the last big update MSFT issued.

When XP shipped we have to be very careful about versions of XP since it had 24 bit LBA so about 127GB drive size limitations. More on the web and sites like http://www.largeharddrivesupport.windowsreinstall.com/

So with that out of the way your numbers seem to tell us that you do have XP and have that limitation.
Bob

- Collapse -
Answer
Known issue
May 9, 2012 12:06AM PDT

You should at least visit the laptop website and see if they provide any fix. because, of the very nature of the OS and being a laptop it rests on them to provide continuing if any in this are of huge storage HD. I find it rather hard that anyone didn't mention you could have problems. Worse, since this is a laptop the "controller" or I/F of the HD itself has to be capable of supporting a huge HD as well as the OS. As already pointed out to you having MS SP3 installed ia must to include any outside LBA supplied s/w patch/fix. The HD maker may provide insight as well for your query, that's worth a visist as well, otherwise, it maybe best to return that new HD as nothing may help or continued problems. XP supports when all is well a 2.2Tb max. of storage.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/139796-32-windows-disk-size-limit

tada -----Willy Happy

- Collapse -
XP (mind you I did write just XP?)
May 11, 2012 6:17AM PDT

XP arrived with support for 127GB drives. Later this was expanded and now we see issues with SSD drives as there is no support for trim, etc.

I have to be very careful about drive support discussions with XP because changes when we apply SP1, 2 and 3 mean the answer changes.
Bob