- External Disk Help Page (Help about Formatting, Data Loss/Recovery)
Windows Disk Sizes
Customers often ask why the amount of free space reported by Windows is less than the size of disk they purchased. For example, a 160G disk appears with only 149G free space.
The reason is because Windows reports disk size differently to the manufacturers of disks. Windows uses binary so that 1k = 1024.
For example, if Windows says a disk is 149G in size, then there is actually: 149 x 1024 x 1024 x 1024 bytes = 160,000,000,000 (i.e. a 160G disk)
Hopefully this will help you understand that there isn't any “missing disk space” but its just how the size is being reported. Disk Formatting
For a general explanation, see the Wikipedia page on Disk Formatting
Overview of different disk formats:
FAT32 format
- FAT32 is compatible with Windows 98, Me, 2000 and XP. It is also compatible with MacOS (all versions)
- There are some limitations with FAT32 format a) The maximum file size is 4G. This can be a problem for video and backup of large system images. b) Windows 2000 and XP cannot format partitions in FAT32 any larger than 32G. You can only make FAT32 partitions of any size by using specialist software like Partition Magic. When we format disks for customers (prior to delivery) we use Partition Magic to make unlimited FAT32 partitons. c) MacOS cannot manage FAT32 partitions of greater than 137G. So if you need a larger disk partitioned for dual Mac and PC use it would need to be split into 2 or more partitions(e.g. a 250G disk can be split into 2 x 125G partitions)
NTFS format
- NTFS is compatible with Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
- It is viewable "read only" with MacOS 10.3 and above.
- There are no size limitations with NTFS, and because it is regarded as being faster than FAT32 it is always preferable to use it unless you need to use your disk with older Win98/Me or MacOS computers.
MacOS format
- The HFS+ format used by Apple Macs cannot be read or written by any Windows PC
Requesting a Custom Disk Format
Unless requested otherwise we always format external disks with one NTFS partition. But we can format using FAT32 (for Win98/Me), HFS+ (for MacOS), or for dual PC/Mac (using multiple FAT32 partitions no larger than 137G). Just mention what you want in the comment field of the order page. We will do the custom formatting free of charge.
Formatting or re-formatting a Disk
We have created a Disk Format Tutorial that explains how to use Windows XP to format or reformat a disk. Lost or Corrupt Data
Occasionally customers contact us saying that their external disk doesn't work, for example Windows reports that the disk is unaccessible or corrupt. Although it appears in Windows with a drive letter, nothing can be read or written to the disk.
What has probably happened is that the File System has been lost or destroyed. The File System is a section of the disk that holds all the information about the contents of the disk. It has the list of filenames on the disk and where they are located. If it gets corrupted then the files are almost certainly still on the disk, but cannot be seen by Windows. To get the files back you will need to run a disk recovery utility, which will bypass the File System and will scan the surface of the disk looking for the files. If you search Google you can find multitudes of products and services, and a couple we have seen that are worth trying are: File Scavenger® GetDataBack
[We have nothing to do with these products, we have just seen them recommended in independent reviews. Although they will analyse your disk free of charge, they require payment to retreive the lost files ($45 - $79)]
If these utilites cannot find anything, it means your data is probably lost. The next step would be to reformat the disk. See our Disk Format Tutorial. We recommend not choosing "quick format", to make sure the whole disk is exercised.
If you cannot format the disk, it would indicate there is a hardware problem, and it would need to be returned. Just contact us for returns information.
Why did I loose my data?
A File System is only likely to be corrupted if there is an interruption to the data flow while writing to the disk. If the disk is connected to your running PC and you just pull out (or dislodge) the power or USB lead this could cause corruption. See the section on "Disconnecting the External Disk" below.
A power spike could pass through the mains power supply to the disk, so its always best to use a power "surge protector" with your PC and External Disks/DVDs. We sell suitable products by Belkin, a 5-Way Surge Protector and 6-Way PureAV Home Theater Surge Protector. Disconnecting the External Disk
Once the disk is plugged into your PC a “Safely Remove” icon appears in the Windows System Tray (by the clock in the bottom right of the screen). It is best to double-click on this icon before unplugging or powering off your external disk. By doing this you will tell Windows to stop using the disk. You will have to close Windows Explorer/My Computer and possibily other applications before Windows will be able to perform the action.
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