Help with my hardrive

[Jay Smith]

Hi, ive got a 40GB hardrive and i cannot get rid of 8MB, it just lerks around i can only get access to 39thousand and odd(if u know wot i mean) i have a loose p/s2 port at the back as well if tht might be causing it but i dont think it is. I can open my drive trays but nothing else works the pic just freezes along with the mouse and keyboard. Ive tried everything, Fdisk, Partitioning, everything But I still cannot get rid of it. I have windows xp, ive installed windows over and over but i always end up with exactly 8MB. Ive also tried to work out so i could have two partitions but that also failed. I think there is something inside tht 8MB which keeps making my computer lock up randamly. Any help would be appreciated. thnx in advanced.
Jay

[Geekgirl]

Hi Jay,
What kind of h.d.d. is it that you got? Brand? Model No.?

This is interesting

[Jay Smith]

I dont know my grandadputs pc's together and he said tht he never had this problem before so it must be sommet i did

[Jay Smith]

I dont know my grandadputs pc's together and he said tht he never had this problem before so it must be sommet i did out of different pieces

[Geekgirl]

Explanation: You bought and installed a hard disk but the system is seeing it as smaller than it actually is supposed to be.

Diagnosis: This is not really a problem at all, but actually a discrepancy in the way drive sizes are reported. Hard disk manufacturers use decimal megabytes (1,000,000 bytes) in their advertising, and BIOS auto-detect routines use the same measure. Other software, especially most disk setup and partitioning utilities like FDISK, use binary megabytes (1,048,576) in their reporting. The difference of about 5% is what you are seeing.



You can open the case and take a looksie

[Jay Smith]

ok cheers do u have any ideas about the locking up or is tht a different part of the forum
Jay

[Geekgirl]

[Jay Smith]

[Geekgirl]

[Jay Smith]

there both plugged in the p/s2 port, how much do u think it would cost to get the knew port, and how much do u think it would be to get the port and get it fitted. it depends when it locks up sometimes it is straight away and some times it is 1/2 an hour i just cant tell
Jay

[Kestrel]

Jay.. if you're using a standard desktop computer.. then you would normally have 2 PS2 ports... one for the keyboard.. and one for the mouse.. (usually lilac and green respectively).. which one is loose??

unless you are using a laptop.. which would mean you're probably using a Y-splitter..

as for getting a PS2 port fitted (assuming you're using a desktop PC).. to be honest.. unless you have a friend who's handy with a soldering iron.. AND an old broken motherboard to get a port assembly from.. it would probably be cheaper to buy a new motherboard.. but of course.. that's only if we can determine this is what's causing the problems..

if you have a laptop.. it's going to be fairly expensive to get a new port fitted.. you would probably have to send it to the manufactirer for a replacement..

When your PC hangs.. are you doing anything particularly intensive?? encoding Video?? playing a demanding 3d game etc?? or can it happen just as easily when you're browsing the web??

[Jay Smith]

its the actual port. the whole thing. itr could happen any time but it doesnt seem to lock up when im watching a dvd on the computer. ive got a desktop pc not a laptop so i do think tht it might be the ps2 ports coz i dont use the mouse or keyboard wen im watchin a dvd (obviously) coz i dont need to. any other times it locks up
Jay

[Kestrel]

okay.. sounds like the whole mouse/keyboard port assembly has worked loose.. it may just be that the screen has come loose.. a relatively quick job with a soldering iron..

but if they have become damaged in some way.. then you would probably find it cheaper to replace the whole motherboard.. or obtain USB alternatives for your keyboard and mouse..