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Hmm why does my computer say that i have 415 GB of memory but if i look on the HDD then there is 500 GB there is the 85 GB gone?

Hmm why does my computer say that i have 415 GB of memory but if i look on the HDD then there is 500 GB there is the 85 GB gone?

the bigger # is before formatting the drive ,the lower # after the format ! and that ,that

NO, it's not got to do with formatting (that's what we all kept saying when HDs were in the 10-40MB range.)

It's got to do with how the "Gigabytes" are counted up. The operating system is using a value based on base 2 approximations, while the guy that wrote the advertisement only knows how to count in base 10.

500 GB (on the box) is 500,000,000,000.

500,000,000,000 divided by the base 2 approximation of a billion (1,073,741,824 or 2^30 ) = 465 and change GB.

That explains 35 GB discepancy. Where's the other 50GB? Perhaps you could give better description of what the disk properties are telling you. Are you telling us how much is free, or what the reported capacity is?

Member Avatar for Eric^^

NO, it's not got to do with formatting (that's what we all kept saying when HDs were in the 10-40MB range.)

It's got to do with how the "Gigabytes" are counted up. The operating system is using a value based on base 2 approximations, while the guy that wrote the advertisement only knows how to count in base 10.

500 GB (on the box) is 500,000,000,000.

500,000,000,000 divided by the base 2 approximation of a billion (1,073,741,824 or 2^30 ) = 465 and change GB.

That explains 35 GB discepancy. Where's the other 50GB? Perhaps you could give better description of what the disk properties are telling you. Are you telling us how much is free, or what the reported capacity is?

okey i have a drive named Vista (C:) and there is apps (D:) and that D disk cappital is 45.8 GB i was thinking that maby the Vista C got like split or something

Is it a brand name PC, Like Compaq, HP , Toshiba, Dell or so, then they usually use an extra partition to do a recovery console and it varies the size that they use for the recovery.

Is it a brand name PC, Like Compaq, HP , Toshiba, Dell or so, then they usually use an extra partition to do a recovery console and it varies the size that they use for the recovery.

But the recovery partitions are usually so small (100-200MB or so) as to be almost unnoticeable on today's large drives.

not really, I have a Dell and the partition was 14.GB, so look into it. Total Hard Drive 160GB, C:=135.GB D:14GB total 149GB.

14GB restore partition? Dang- they must have just imaged the whole factory setup, crapware and all.

OK, I goofed on the estimate of restore size. Just looked at the set of DVDs created by the restore system on my 2 year old Compaq laptop - it took 4 disks. Put me down for one Mea Culpa.

That's what it is, the whole factory set up, that's why it takes too much, but they tell you to make a recovery disks or dvd's for that matter, get it, I did mine, so I format that partition and gain 14gb, you see. so just wondering did that answers your question? let us know.

By the way I forgot to ask you, are you running vista, and if you do do a system disk clean up you wil gain close to 40 or even 60gb, accesories/system tools/disk clean up and do a system restore and shadow copies also. you'll se how much space you will gain.

Member Avatar for Eric^^

By the way I forgot to ask you, are you running vista, and if you do do a system disk clean up you wil gain close to 40 or even 60gb, accesories/system tools/disk clean up and do a system restore and shadow copies also. you'll se how much space you will gain.

i am doing that like over a day

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