<< In a message dated 10/14/2000 9:19:38 PM Central Daylight Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> Hello All:
> I think my Master Boot Record is corrupt.
>
> My system only sees 2 gigs of 6.4 gig HD. Do I have to take it in too shop
> and get a low level format?
>
> I can create an extended file, but cannot load anything into it.
>
<snip>
>>
First, take comfort in the fact that Fujitsu drives have a reputation for
being good drives. They are more common in network settings used in SCSI
configuration [performance & reliability]. In these days of IDE and EIDE
drives there is very seldom any need to low level format a drive. It's
seldom necessary to even high level (re)format a hard drive (because of bad
sectory or whatever) these days (which is much more likely than needing low
leveling). DO NOT low level that drive. Do not high level format (the
regular "format") that drive, especially before everything is fully backed
up!
BACK UP EVERYTHING ON THE DRIVE NOW, as any change in configuration may
render what you can see now invisible in the new configuration. [Yes, you
can go back, and the data will be there as long as you have not written to
the drive in any way, but booting can be enough to cause problems with lost
data.] Anything you do (like formatting or installing--any writing to the
drive) may distroy your data existing in another configuration on the drive!
Only one configuration is in use at any one time but they all exist in the
same physical space, so any writing done in one can distroy something that
you may have put on the drive when another configuration was active. [If you
had SCSI you wouldn't be reporting a problem with not seeing the full drive
capacity, so this discussion focuses on IDE type drives.]
Is this drive connected to an older motherboard? Full drive capacity not
seen is usually a motherboard limitation. This is where shim programs come
in [avoid these "disc managers" if at all possible]. Flash upgrades of the
motherboard bios usually fix problems not expand capability. Buying new bios
chips for the motherboard isn't too practical to do. I am wondering about a
bad address line (read: wire) in your controller to drive cable and other
physical problems with the drive installation (assuming this drive is new to
this motherboard), but this is not likely the cause of you not seeing the
full drive capacity. Has the full capacity of this drive ever been seen [a
previous install?] ? Has this motherboard ever seen more than 2GB of drive
capacity? Is the drive new, and/or is this a new installation of this drive
with this motherboard?
What does CMOS (motherboard bios) show for the drive capacity. Do you
know how to get in, and more importantly how to get out of the CMOS without
changing anything? If CMOS has an "auto" hard drive configuration setting
it's generally best to use that rather than specify the
Cylinder-Heads-Sectors of the drive in the CMOS.
Sometimes having a hard CHS configuration set on the first page creates a
problem but "auto" works fine. This is the case with the FIC motherboard I'm
currently using. That could be enough to create your problem.
Set hard drive "mode" to "auto" also [a separate setting]! <<< This could
likely be the problem.
After checking that the general information page drive configuration is
"auto", open any CMOS page about "detect hard drive" you might have and run
it to check what the CMOS can actually see. Do not be surprised if you get a
list of three configurations for a drive. The question is: "Does one of them
show the entire capacity of the drive?" Exit this CMOS page, without
selecting anything if you can, and DO then go back and doublecheck (likely
needing to reset) the first page configuration is still auto (it will usually
get values plugged in when you use the detect function). Remember to reset
"mode" to "auto" also! [see other things I've written about CMOS for
background about how to get in, get out without saving (BEWARE THIS IS NOT
ALWAYS POSSIBLE), etc.]
Sorry if this has been too general, but CMOS vary widely and it's
difficult to be specific. -Gary-
