ANSWERS: 1
  • When obtaining a new hard drive, one of the first things you will do is check its available space. Sometimes this number is much lower than you expected. There are several reasons for that.

    Second-Hand Hard Drives

    When buying a drive used, it might have pre-existing data and partitions. If these partitions are of a type that your operating system doesn't recognize, then it will appear as though your drive is missing a large percentage of its space.

    Viruses

    Some viruses are designed to copy or generate files until a drive is choked with data. If you can see all of your drive's partitions yet are still low on space, scan for viruses.

    Damaged or Corrupted Drives

    In rarer cases, the drive might be physically damaged, making sectors of it unavailable. Or one of its partitions has been corrupted by a virus or power outage and your operating system no longer recognizes those sections.

    Technological Limitations

    If your computer is old enough, it might only recognize up to 137 gigabytes of hard drive space. You'll need to buy a drive controller card or upgrade your motherboard to one that can "see" beyond the 137GB limit.

    Mistaken Estimations

    There's always the possibility you accidentally purchased a drive with less space than you thought or the seller was dishonest or mistaken about the drive size.

    Source:

    Addressing the 137GB Limit

    Guide to Drive Partitioning

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