Why doesn't my hard drive show full capacity on win xp?

[mdrake1]

Hello, I think i have the same hard drive problem as before. The one that doesn't show full capacity. The only difference is I'm running windows xp home. I know I'm still living in the stone age. lol! But anyway how do I fix it?

 

[Hawkeye22]

What size drive is it. If it's over 2.2TB, then XP won't be able to read it unless you have 64 bit version of XP and the disk is formated with a GPT partition. If it's 2TB or less, then you most likely need to install service pack 3. Once SP3 is installed you should be able to change the size of the partition and make it larger. SP1 allowed XP to see larger drives, but I think that was increased again in another update. Besides SP3 plus later updates offer the best security.

 

[mdrake1]

What size drive is it. If it's over 2.2TB, then XP won't be able to read it unless you have 64 bit version of XP and the disk is formated with a GPT partition. If it's 2TB or less, then you most likely need to install service pack 3. Once SP3 is installed you should be able to change the size of the partition and make it larger. SP1 allowed XP to see larger drives, but I think that was increased again in another update. Besides SP3 plus later updates offer the best security.

It's a 100gb hard drive and I already have sp3 installed.

 

[J_E_D_70]

How much is it showing? Might have a hidden system recovery partition, especially if this is a prebuilt system.

 

[EdnaSanclemente]

An article explains "hidden partition" like this: "Sometimes referred to as the recovery partition, the hidden partition is a partition found on OEM computers such as Acer, ASUS, Dell, eMachine, and HP (Compaq) computers that allow a user to restore their computer back to how it was when it was first purchased, without using a CD or DVD."
So, do you understand it?

 

[EdnaSanclemente]

That's to say, the hidden recovery partition is not a bad thing for you. You can keep it.
But, if you want to view it, you could read this:
How to View Hidden Partitions
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/150576-partitions-view-hidden-partitions.html