Member Avatar for jemz

Hi,

I need some help,here is the scenario my samsung 320GB sata mobile hard drive cannot install anymore the operating system so i bought a new one which is seagate sata hdd and now my laptop is working properly,the problem is that i bought an enclosure for my samsung hdd,because i am planning this to use as external drive just like flash drive...so when i put now my samsung hdd in the enclosure and plug it to my computer at the back.and i went to disk management to delete the partition.but after deleting including the system hdd mobile samsung is having only 298.9GB instead of 320GB.how to get back in 320gb?and i make partition which is only 298.9gb then after that i formatted the partition in the disk management,but it says that it cannot be format...can you help me on this how to format and to get back the size to that i can use now my external drive

Thank you in advance.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by trackpadnotwork

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A few clarifying points and a short, safe CLI workflow that answers 's request and follows up on and .

As noted, the smaller figure shown by Windows is normal (manufacturer decimal GB vs Windows binary reporting). That does not mean bytes are missing. If Disk Management would not finish the format, the Windows DiskPart utility often succeeds and gives more control. If the drive is to be wiped, the following DiskPart session (run from an elevated Command Prompt) will remove all partitions and create a single NTFS volume:

diskpart
list disk
select disk X      <- replace X with the target disk number (double-check)
clean               <- removes partition table (data lost)
create partition primary
format fs=ntfs label="External" quick
assign letter=E
exit

Notes and cautions: double-check the disk number before clean — that command erases everything on the selected disk. Use format fs=ntfs label="External" without quick for a full surface format (much slower but does a basic sector check). clean all zeroes every sector (very slow) and is usually unnecessary.

If the reported capacity still looks reduced after cleaning, test for enclosure/bridge issues or hidden areas: connect the drive inside a desktop to a SATA port (or try a different enclosure/cable). If the direct SATA connection also reports a reduced size, run the drive-maker’s diagnostics / SMART tests to check for firmware HPA, bad sectors, or firmware limits. Those tests will indicate if the drive itself or the USB adapter is the problem.

Filesystem choice: NTFS for Windows-only use (large files, permissions). exFAT for regular cross-platform use with large files. FAT32 is legacy and limits single files to 4 GB; Windows’ GUI will not create FAT32 partitions larger than 32 GB. Always back up important data before wiping and safely eject the external drive after use.

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Member Avatar for rch1231

Hello,

Your problem is the way windows views the hard drive. 298GB is about correct for a 320GB drive. You have to multiply it out to see the correct number.

298.9 X 1024 X 1024 X 1024 = 320941431193.6
320,941,431,193 Bytes or 320 GigaBytes

298.9 times number of MB in GB, times KB in MB times KB in B. When the format is done and you look at the drive properties you will see correct number of total bytes.

Member Avatar for jemz

Hello,

Your problem is the way windows views the hard drive. 298GB is about correct for a 320GB drive. You have to multiply it out to see the correct number.

298.9 X 1024 X 1024 X 1024 = 320941431193.6
320,941,431,193 Bytes or 320 GigaBytes

298.9 times number of MB in GB, times KB in MB times KB in B. When the format is done and you look at the drive properties you will see correct number of total bytes.

Hi,

Thank you for this,so the 298gb is correct,by the way how can i format this using cmd command.can you help me please.


Thank you in advance

Member Avatar for jemz

Hello,

Your problem is the way windows views the hard drive. 298GB is about correct for a 320GB drive. You have to multiply it out to see the correct number.

298.9 X 1024 X 1024 X 1024 = 320941431193.6
320,941,431,193 Bytes or 320 GigaBytes

298.9 times number of MB in GB, times KB in MB times KB in B. When the format is done and you look at the drive properties you will see correct number of total bytes.

Hi,

I have also some question...what type of file-system should i used to format my samsung hdd 2.5 320gb is it NTFS or Fat32,i am confuse with this...please help me.

Member Avatar for rch1231

Hello,

The proper way to format it for windows XP and above is to go to Control Panel, Administrative tools, Computer Management, Disk Manager and select the drive from the list. The right click the drive and select to format it. Use NTFS not fat32 or many of the new Windows file names will not work and you will not be able to see the entire hard drive. I recommend a full rather than quick format the first time you format the drive to properly set the drive up. After that you can use quick format to simply erase the directory structure and content and start over.

Member Avatar for jemz

Hello,

The proper way to format it for windows XP and above is to go to Control Panel, Administrative tools, Computer Management, Disk Manager and select the drive from the list. The right click the drive and select to format it. Use NTFS not fat32 or many of the new Windows file names will not work and you will not be able to see the entire hard drive. I recommend a full rather than quick format the first time you format the drive to properly set the drive up. After that you can use quick format to simply erase the directory structure and content and start over.

Hi,


Okay i will use NTFS,what do you mean set the drive up?...

Thank you in advance.

Member Avatar for rch1231

Hello,

Sorry about not responding sooner. Really it would be more accurate if you Google'd formatting a hard drive. A proper format verifies the media as it sets up the data structure to hold your files.

Member Avatar for trackpadnotwork

Sometimes you'll find that a hard drive has a certain amount of space reserved for system use. In your case it may be 20GB or so.

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