Re: hard drive size differences showing?

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

From: Mike Powers (mikepowers5_at_cox.net)
Date: 07/30/04 

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 21:20:38 -0500

When you get through that, why do programmers (and many electronics
types) think the numbering system starts with 0 and the elctrical and
mechanical types think it starts with 1?

djc wrote:

> Thank you... now that I have read your response I am reminded that I read
> that fact somewhere before (HD manufacturers using 1000 and not 1024) I
> would personally rather the HD manufacturers use 1024 though...
>
> thanks again.
>
> "Bob Willard" <BobwBSGS@TrashThis.comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:uSqbYbadEHA.3316@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
>
>>djc wrote:
>>
>>>I have a maxtor 4A250J0 250GB IDE/ATA hard drive. I am confused at the
>>>different sizes I see reported in various places as follows:
>>>
>>>1) supposed to be a 250 GB hard drive.
>>>2) BIOS shows a 'max LBA capacity' of 251003 MB (which is roughly 245.12
>
> GB)
>
>>>3) Windows XP Sp1 Disk Management shows the disk as a 233.76 GB hard
>
> drive.
>
>>>I am aware of bios and software(os) limitations in partition size (the
>
> 2GB,
>
>>>8.4 GB, and 137 GB.. limitations. and earlier ones) And, I am aware of
>>>depending on cluster size your 'usable' space on a disk varies and may
>
> not
>
>>>equal the advertised drive capacity.... however, those are all refering
>
> to
>
>>>partitions and/or partitions after formatting.
>>>
>>>I am refering to the drive as a whole before partitioning. The numbers I
>>>listed are refering to the drives capacity as a whole. So my questions
>
> are:
>
>>>1) whats with the difference in numbers (explanation)?
>>>2) is there something wrong? if so is it something I can/should fix? Or
>
> is
>
>>>this normal?
>>>
>>>any and all info is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>250GB on the box means that Maxtor is selling a HD with a capacity of at
>>least 250GB. Note that, as Maxtor and all other HD vendors define
>>capacity, 1GB = 1,000MB = 1,000,000KB = 1,000,000,000B. So your 250GB
>>HD has at least 250,000,000,000 Bytes of addressable storage.
>>
>>251003MB as reported by the BIOS means that Maxtor has given you a HD
>>with a bonus of 1.003GB; it has approximately 251,003,000,000 Bytes
>>of addressable storage.
>>
>>Windows usually reports HD sizes using the "software" definition, in
>>which 1GB = 1,024MB = 1,048,576KB = 1,073,741,824B. Doing the math,
>>233.76GB(software) => 251GB(hardware).
>>
>>So, there is nothing wrong with your hardware or software. {I do wish
>>that M$ didn't use binary sizes for HDs, since HDs -- unlike RAM sticks --
>>do not naturally have binary sizes.
>>--
>>Cheers, Bob
>>
>
>
>