How to Format Add. HD in XPSP1 NFTS 64mb blocks

[bboldschool]

I need advice on how to format a secondary slave drive in windows XPSP1..the formating disk that came with the drive will only let me format NFTS at 4mb blocks and from what I have been reading needs to be 64mb blocks..can someone give me the steps to do this under XP? Or should I purchase some additional software to help me do this..I would appreciate any advice...Thanks:confused:

[fidget]

Originally posted by bboldschool
I need advice on how to format a secondary slave drive in windows XPSP1..the formating disk that came with the drive will only let me format NFTS at 4mb blocks and from what I have been reading needs to be 64mb blocks..can someone give me the steps to do this under XP? Or should I purchase some additional software to help me do this..I would appreciate any advice...Thanks:confused: format ?: /A:64K

You can also specify the file system by adding /FS:FAT32 or /FS:NTFS. The default for a WinXP formatted volume is NTFS. Typing 'help format' will give you all the gory details on what you can do.

[falchulk]

Or you can do it in the disk management gui. All it takes then is a right click and slecting format. It will prompt you for the FS/cluster size.

[bboldschool]

I'm stupid? Is this in dos mode? My bios has detected the hd..but not formated yet? sorry please explain both methods mentioned..in a little more detailed..Thanks:confused:

[falchulk]

fast version as I am about to eave work:

Boot into XP, right click on My computer, click manage. On the left side click disk management. In the graphic you will see unformated partition. right click select format.

[bboldschool]

I have Windows XPSP1 home edition..Do you have to have the XP 64 bit edition...to format in 64 bit blocks??? It asks if I want to setup a primary or extended partition? A logical drive is not an option it is shaded out...I believe I have a oem version that came with my computer? Does this make a difference? Then it will not let me adjust the bit size..it only gives me 8mb..I just want to format an extra hard drive and use the whole drive for Sagetv recordings...any more advice..sorry to drag this out? Thanks again

[fidget]

Use the formatting disk to format the hard drive in any format that is convenient (but make sure that it is a single partition). Once it is formatted, go to the DOS prompt and type the following (I am assuming that the new drive is D: ).

format d: /a:64k /fs:ntfs

This will reformat the drive to be NTFS and 64Kbyte blocks. No special version of Windows is needed

[bboldschool]

Ok here is what I have done..installed a 200gb hd as slave and bios auto dedected it..went in to windows in disk mgt. and it shows that new hd as unallocated at 189.92GB..so I can go into new partition..I can either select primary or extended..if I select primary I ask to choose a maximum which windows gives 194474mb and I can select the minimum mb amount..?? then as I proceed it asks for the partition size in mb's..which it fills in 194474..then as I proceed..it gives me the option to select a letter for logical drive (e)..then I can select..the 64kb blocks....so at that point I stopped..because I was'nt sure what the equivilent of my 189.92GB to mb is? how do you determine how many mb's are in a GB? sorry to drag this out...just trying to make sure I am doing this right? Thanks again and again....:)

[fidget]

Originally posted by bboldschool
Ok here is what I have done..installed a 200gb hd as slave and bios auto dedected it..went in to windows in disk mgt. and it shows that new hd as unallocated at 189.92GB..so I can go into new partition..I can either select primary or extended..if I select primary I ask to choose a maximum which windows gives 194474mb and I can select the minimum mb amount..?? then as I proceed it asks for the partition size in mb's..which it fills in 194474..then as I proceed..it gives me the option to select a letter for logical drive (e)..then I can select..the 64kb blocks....so at that point I stopped..because I was'nt sure what the equivilent of my 189.92GB to mb is? how do you determine how many mb's are in a GB? sorry to drag this out...just trying to make sure I am doing this right? Thanks again and again....:) Use the defaults. You should et around 194432MB of formatted storage, but the application should do any truncation needed from the 194474 that it defaulted the size to.