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    320 Gig HDD only reading 283 Gig? Help!

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by FXguru777, Nov 1, 2008.

  1. FXguru777

    FXguru777 Notebook Consultant

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    Ok guys, this has really been puzzling me ever since i got my laptop. Its a gateway 6860FX and comes with a 320 GB 5400 RPM hard drive, but it says i only have 283 Gigs. What's the deal here? Thanks in advance.


    btw: post # 100!
     
    FXguru777, Nov 1, 2008
    #1
  2. nizzy1115

    nizzy1115 Notebook Prophet

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    part is bits vs bytes and the other is because of recovery partitions.
     
    nizzy1115, Nov 1, 2008
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  3. whizzo

    whizzo Notebook Prophet

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    yep. might be deducting the OS from that as well.
     
    whizzo, Nov 1, 2008
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  4. Dragunov-21

    Dragunov-21 Notebook Evangelist

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    Dragunov-21, Nov 1, 2008
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  5. Xseries4ever

    Xseries4ever Notebook Geek

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    Marketing treats 1000MB as 1GB, but in binary computing, 1024MB is 1GB.
     
    Xseries4ever, Nov 1, 2008
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  6. K-TRON

    K-TRON Hi, I'm Jimmy Diesel ^_^

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    A 320gb drive formats to 298GB.
    Their is most likely a 15gb partition allocated to recovery files.

    You can check this in you go to the disc management folder.

    K-TRON
     
    K-TRON, Nov 1, 2008
    #6
  7. Michel.K

    Michel.K 167WAISIQ

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    Only windows that's confusing it more with naming it GB.
    1000MB is 1GB, 1024MB is 1GiB, windows should be renaming their GB to GiB, as it's shown in GiB and not GB. Linux for example will show XXX GiB and not GB.
     
    Michel.K, Nov 1, 2008
    #7
  8. akg7091

    akg7091 Notebook Consultant

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    Like Ktron said, you have a hidden partition of around 15GB on the disk, most probably containing the recovery image.
     
    akg7091, Nov 1, 2008
    #8
  9. jisaac

    jisaac Notebook Deity

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    to find actual disk size in GiB just multiply the stated capacity by 1000/1024 (0.977). Although recently some disk manufacturers have started stating their drives in terms of GiB not GB (for example the OCZ Core V2).
     
    jisaac, Nov 1, 2008
    #9
  10. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    Unless I am mistaken, the correct factor is (1000/1024)^3 (ie 0.931).

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Nov 2, 2008
    #10
  11. jisaac

    jisaac Notebook Deity

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    sorry yes you're right
     
    jisaac, Nov 2, 2008
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  12. powerpack

    powerpack Notebook Prophet

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    As far as the naming convention of space as GB or GiB? I think people should learn to understand the converter. Windows is base 2 and therefor 1024 is the standard. Why? Well what about memory which is sold based on the binary definition. Should we start selling RAM as 1.024GB sticks? Thought not. Easier to learn the nomenclature than the alternative. No one ever complains they got more than they paid for with RAM? Always I got less with HDD? Learn, really not hard, why all the fuss including class action law suits I have never understood?
     
    powerpack, Nov 2, 2008
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  13. nizzy1115

    nizzy1115 Notebook Prophet

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    No hard drive manufacturers should report it as the common way it is used. 1gb memory is 1024 which is proper. 1gb hard drive is 1000. They should change it.
     
    nizzy1115, Nov 2, 2008
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  14. powerpack

    powerpack Notebook Prophet

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    You and I disagree which is cool. And some courts have agreed with you. I don't, if some MFG used different terms? Sure, but all use the same.

    You know what, and funny it just struck me on this point. Funny all these years and I missed the asininity of the entire discussion. HDD manufacturers are using what is considered the correct/naming convention. Why you who are so against the HDD chose to go after HDD MFG vs Windows is arbitrary and self advantages. There is no reason you did not go after Windows for calling KB, MB, GB 1024 of the smaller. The group that sets the standards agrees 1000MB is 1GB.

    How or why you could or would think they should use a different naming convention? Also remember telecommunications use base 2 but use base 10 naming conventions.

    As I said not real complicated. Learn it and understand it.
     
    powerpack, Nov 2, 2008
    #14