Partitioning Hard Disk

spearball · 01-21-2008, 06:23 AM

I'd just like to know why is it that in windows when you format a hard drive windows always leaves over an 8 or 9 mb unallocated space?

PC eye · 01-21-2008, 06:46 AM

That's the XP installer for you! One reason for that is the original limitations that MS threw in there. Vista sees an improvement with better hardware detection and the ability to separately resize and format or reformat partitions/drives with the better drive tools seen there.

Apparently MS wised up to the GNU seeing the Linux tool GParted which will clearly indicate the small amount of unallocated drive space and resize the partition to see that usable as well. Even now with Vista the Gnome Partition Editor seems to remain champ!

vonfeldt7 · 01-21-2008, 06:51 AM

System Utilities? Master Boot Record? Other crap? I don't know what I'm talking about?

Seriously though, I'm not really sure...those were just a few guesses.

PC eye · 01-21-2008, 07:23 AM

In the Disk Management tool once you look over any partitions created with the XP installer it's common to find a small 1-8mb gap either at the end or beginning and even at both ends of the parition that see that small amount of unallocated drive space. Linux on the other hand has far better hardware detection being a less cluttered and more basic OS where the drive tool picks up on smaller amounts easier then generally seen with Windows which was intended to be more "user friendly" over the UNIX type platform seen with Linux.

"Convenience" not accuracy was built into the XP installer while the Linux drive tool is more thorough. You simply throw Windows on a drive while Linux requires a degree of configuration for most distros. This is why you would generally never notice the 1-8mb of space unless looking for it.

Rudster816 · 01-21-2008, 07:39 AM

the windows installer leaves it there for a reason, its easier to do something, i just cant remember what. i read it a couple weeks ago in my A+ cert book, cant find the page though. i just know it leaves it there for a reason, not because of poor detection.

PC eye · 01-21-2008, 10:11 AM

Windows will generally round things off as well as reserving drive space for file conversion when converting from one partition type to another. The Linux drive tool on the other hand is designed to be more precise going by smaller measurements making it a choice OS for many older systems with small drives there. You can run several distros on one drive while Windows is limited to 4 primary types.

StrangleHold · 01-21-2008, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spearball

I'd just like to know why is it that in windows when you format a hard drive windows always leaves over an 8 or 9 mb unallocated space?

It leaves the 8mb space by design, not by any kind of limitation like said above! Its for if you want to change to dynamic disk later.

From Microsoft, if anybody wants to argue the point!

SYMPTOMS

During Setup, if you choose to create a partition that uses the remaining space on a disk, you cannot use the maximum space available on the disk.

For example, if you choose to create a 4096-MB partition on a disk that has only 4096 MB available, the actual partition that is created may be 4095 MB or less in size.

CAUSE

Some space at the end of the disk is reserved by Setup in case you later want to upgrade the disk to a dynamic disk. Dynamic disk information is saved at the end of the disk. The amount that is reserved is a minimum of one cylinder, or 1MB, whichever is greater. One cylinder can be up to 8MB, depending on drive geometry and translation.

spearball · 01-21-2008, 04:14 PM

All right thanks guys. Just had a last question. In xp, when i used to format my hard disks, the 250 gb disk was seen as 232 and thats what i was supposed to be seeing. But in vista i see a little less when i format the disk... Does that mean vista takes even more disk space out?

PC eye · 01-22-2008, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spearball

All right thanks guys. Just had a last question. In xp, when i used to format my hard disks, the 250 gb disk was seen as 232 and thats what i was supposed to be seeing. But in vista i see a little less when i format the disk... Does that mean vista takes even more disk space out?

On 250gb ide drives here the single primary created would see 238.4gb roughly on WD models. That's about the same for Vista as with XP with the exception of when using a 3rd party partitioning tool.

As far as the 1-8mb drive space GParted easily closed that gap when a 4mb gap was seen between two primaries on one drive in an older build. Expanding to fill in that space saw absolutely no problems with XP at all. What some don't realize is that there variances between drives due to being mass produced where there remains plus(+) and minus(-) tolerances when maching is performed in less then 1 1/1000th of an inch.

One drive platter in one drive will be only slightly larger in that sense then the one in the next drive accountlng for seeing a gap due to that at times. Plus the XP tools were never intended to be that precise. Linux on the other hand is a totally different platform seeing a different hardware detection process.

StrangleHold · 01-21-2008, 09:15 PM

Windows sees 1GB as 1024mb, harddrive manufacturers see it as 1000mb.

01-21-2008, 06:23 AM	#1 (permalink)
spearball Silver Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 155	Partitioning Hard Disk I'd just like to know why is it that in windows when you format a hard drive windows always leaves over an 8 or 9 mb unallocated space?

01-21-2008, 06:51 AM	#3 (permalink)
vonfeldt7 Platinum Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Middle of nowhere, Kansas Age: 18 Posts: 999	System Utilities? Master Boot Record? Other crap? I don't know what I'm talking about? Seriously though, I'm not really sure...those were just a few guesses. __________________ CPU [Intel Q9450] CPU GFX [Evga 8800GT] GFX RAM [G.Skill 4GB @ 1000MHz] RAM MOBO [Asus Maximus Formula] MOBO

01-21-2008, 07:39 AM	#5 (permalink)
Rudster816 Bronze Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Washington Age: 16 Posts: 82	the windows installer leaves it there for a reason, its easier to do something, i just cant remember what. i read it a couple weeks ago in my A+ cert book, cant find the page though. i just know it leaves it there for a reason, not because of poor detection. __________________ Q6600 @ 2.4ghz Ocing Soon Asus P5K-E Wifi G-Skill 4GB (2x2) DDR2 800 Rosewill 650 Watt EVGA 8800GTS 320MB 615/980 Seagate 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA Seagate 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Western Digital 1TB 7200 RPM SATA EVGA GTX Core 216 coming MONDAY Xigmatek 750 Watt modular PSU coming MONDAY

01-21-2008, 09:15 PM	#10 (permalink)
StrangleHold VIP Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 11,173	Windows sees 1GB as 1024mb, harddrive manufacturers see it as 1000mb. __________________ NZXT Apollo S75QB 750W ZEROtherm FZ120 Phenom II 720BE (X4) 3.5GHZ. Gigabyte GA MA790X UD4P G Skill DDR2 1066 4GB. MSI GTS 250 Seagate 7200.12 500GB. Welcome to the show

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01-21-2008, 06:46 AM	#2 (permalink)
PC eye banned Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 21,091	That's the XP installer for you! One reason for that is the original limitations that MS threw in there. Vista sees an improvement with better hardware detection and the ability to separately resize and format or reformat partitions/drives with the better drive tools seen there. Apparently MS wised up to the GNU seeing the Linux tool GParted which will clearly indicate the small amount of unallocated drive space and resize the partition to see that usable as well. Even now with Vista the Gnome Partition Editor seems to remain champ!

01-21-2008, 07:23 AM	#4 (permalink)
PC eye banned Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 21,091	In the Disk Management tool once you look over any partitions created with the XP installer it's common to find a small 1-8mb gap either at the end or beginning and even at both ends of the parition that see that small amount of unallocated drive space. Linux on the other hand has far better hardware detection being a less cluttered and more basic OS where the drive tool picks up on smaller amounts easier then generally seen with Windows which was intended to be more "user friendly" over the UNIX type platform seen with Linux. "Convenience" not accuracy was built into the XP installer while the Linux drive tool is more thorough. You simply throw Windows on a drive while Linux requires a degree of configuration for most distros. This is why you would generally never notice the 1-8mb of space unless looking for it.

01-21-2008, 10:11 AM	#6 (permalink)
PC eye banned Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 21,091	Windows will generally round things off as well as reserving drive space for file conversion when converting from one partition type to another. The Linux drive tool on the other hand is designed to be more precise going by smaller measurements making it a choice OS for many older systems with small drives there. You can run several distros on one drive while Windows is limited to 4 primary types.

01-21-2008, 04:14 PM	#8 (permalink)
spearball Silver Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 155	All right thanks guys. Just had a last question. In xp, when i used to format my hard disks, the 250 gb disk was seen as 232 and thats what i was supposed to be seeing. But in vista i see a little less when i format the disk... Does that mean vista takes even more disk space out?

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